How to Grow Chayote Squash

Chayote squash (Sechium edule) is a perennial plant with a variety of common names including mirliton and vegetable pear. Once its roots are established, the foliage dies back with the onset of frost, but new growth will sprout in the following spring. The plant fruits in its first year. During the growing season, this vine climbs vigorously and needs to be constrained. Because it originates from Mexico, the plant will only grow successfully in the southern United States in USDA zones 8 through 11. You can buy chayote fruit for propagation from markets and stores, usually in the fall.

Chayote squash fruit
Compost
Spade
Trellis
Ties

Instructions

- 1
  Store your chayote squash fruit in a cool, dry place after purchasing in the fall. Over the winter, it should sprout, ready for planting in the spring after all risk of frost has passed.
- 2
  Till the soil in a sunny spot, enriching it with some well-rotted compost. Add a 3-inch layer of compost on top of the soil and dig it in well to a depth of about 12 inches.
- 3
  Dig a hole deep enough to plant the sprouting fruit with just the growing tip peeking above the soil. Backfill the hole, and give the fruit a thorough watering. Let it dry out after the initial watering, only giving it more water when it’s completely dry.
- 4
  Erect a trellis for the chayote to grow up. This structure can be freestanding or supported by a wall or fence. Once the plant is climbing, direct it by tying.
- 5
  Water regularly once the established plant is thriving. You can add mulch around the stem of the plant to aid water retention.
- 6
  Harvest the fruits in September or October, about 30 days after blooms first appear. Use the early green fruits, which are a couple of inches around, to make relish or pickle. For mature fruits, which weigh about a pound and have tougher green skins than the young fruit, scoop out the flesh and mix it with spices and prepared meat. Refill the skin with the mixture and bake as any other stuffed squash.
- 7
  Remove the season's growth and cover the soil around the plant with a mulch at the onset of the first frost.

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