What it is
Chayote (Sechium edule) is in the Cucurbitaceae (Gourd) family. Plant the whole sprouting fruit. A vigorous perennial vine in mild Texas zones that yields mild squash by the dozen.
How to grow it
It wants full sun, water it moderate, and give it rich soil. Target a soil pH around 6.0–7.0. Space plants about 10 ft apart. Expect roughly 120–150. Tender perennial vine.
How it's used
Chayote is used: cooked like squash; raw in slaw.
🔎 How to identify it
- Big maple-like leaves
- Pale wrinkled pear-shaped fruit
- Climbs aggressively
Edibility
How to grow & propagate chayote
Everything I've worked out about starting this one, keeping it alive through a Texas year, and turning one plant into many — free.
How to propagate chayote
The squash and melon family wants warm soil and hates cold, wet feet, so wait until the ground is reliably warm and sow the big seeds an inch deep right in the garden. They sprawl, so give them room or a trellis. They're insect-pollinated and cross wildly within a species — keep that in mind if you ever want to save seed that comes true.
Growing chayote in Texas
Give it full sun and rich soil. Match the spot to the plant and most of the battle is already won.
This one thrives in heat that flattens other plants, so it earns its space through a Texas summer. Get it established before the worst of July, keep water steady, and it'll produce when little else will.
Keep moisture even, especially while it's young — deep, less-frequent soaks build better roots than a daily sprinkle.
Harvesting
Figure on roughly 120–150 before you're harvesting. Harvest at peak and keep harvesting — most vegetables produce harder the more you pick, and one left to over-mature tells the plant its job is done. The part you're after: fruit, shoots, root.
Making more for free
Every seed we sell is open-pollinated, which means you can save your own from the best plants and it'll grow true next year. Let a few of your strongest plants finish and go to seed, dry it fully, and store it cool and dark. That's the whole point of heirlooms — buy once, grow forever.
Part of the free Texas Roots plant database, compiled by Jordan Polasek from his greenhouse in El Campo, Texas. Free to read and share. If it helped, the best thanks is to grow something.