Sicyos edulis - Chayote - Fruit

Description

• Cucurbitaceae Cucurbitales
• Central America, Mexico
• H 10 m x W 10 m
•  Z9 
• Perennial
• Synonyms: Choko, Mirliton, Chouchou, Christophine, Vegetable Pear, Sechium edule
• 1 fruit with its mature seed
  (green or white fruit variety of your choice)
• To be cultivated upon receipt

Seasonal Product
Shipped from January to March

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Detail

Sicyos edulis is a perennial tropical Cucurbit, cultivated as annual in temperate climates

It grows vigorous vines up to ten meters, from a tuberous root rich in starch and which can weigh up to 5kg

The smothering vegetation is ground cover in the absence of support, and boldly climbs over everything on its way

The five-lobed leaf, approximately 20 x 20cm, resembles that of the cucumber or the melon, is alternate and grows along the stems, 1 per node every 20-30 cm

From each node also grows a triple tendril catching everything within its reach, then retracting like a spring to securely anchor the stem

The starry flower, small, greenish pale yellow, has 5 petals, appears from July at the base of the leaves - spikes of a few units for the male flowers, or solitary for the female flowers

Wasps and hornets will pollinate them, as well as ants, by foraging on them all day long

Chayotes begin to form late in the season, rarely before mid-August - this is normal

They are generally ready for harvest between mid-September and mid-November

Chayote is a large fleshy berry weighing 0.5 to 1kg, pear-shaped, slightly ribbed and irregular, with leathery and fibrous skin, green or white, spiny or smooth depending on the variety

Each plant yields generously - at least fifty fruits per year

The flesh of the Chayote is not very aromatic, nevertheless delicious once cooked, tender and watery for young fruits, firmer and slightly floury in the fully ripe fruit

Each Christophine contains a single seed, white, fleshy like a fresh hazelnut, flattened, about ten cm long by 5 wide, poorly isolated from the flesh of the fruit by a thin integument, and without protective bark, so that it is not possible to extract them and store for later sowing, as is done with the seeds of other Cucurbits

This particularity gives the feeling that Sicyos edulis is a viviparous plant, which does not reproduce from seeds, but from Chayotes

This impression is also reinforced by the spontaneous germination of Chayotes still attached to the plant, from which will often emerge a leafy stem without roots

Chayote can be cooked in many ways - as a steamed vegetable, in gratin or stuffing, pan-fried, grated, in soup, curry, and even as a sweet dessert

It is a low-calorie fruit which has medicinal benefits on the kidney: Diuretic, Hypotensive

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Cultivation

Sicyos edulis needs to be started very early in the year, in the middle or end of the winter

To germinate, however, the seed in the Chayote must be mature
This is often not the case with Chayotes found in vegetable stores
(harvested young to be more tender, look better, and prevent germination during storage)

As soon as you receive your Chayote, plant it head up (top of the "pear"), without opening, buried half or 2/3 in a large pot (30cm in diameter and height) filled with good compost

Set a staking system in the pot in anticipation for the growth

3x 80cm stakes planted in the soil around the Christophine, and tied like a teepee at their upper end, provide a structure strong enough to bear the shoots until planting

Place the pot in strong light, or better in the sun, in a well-heated room day and night, ideally at 22-25°C

Keep the soil moist but not damped so as not to rot the Chayote fruit

At this stage, watch that the fungus fly (sciarid) does not begin to thrive in and around the pot, or it would ruin all your efforts
(larvae developing in the potting soil would pierce the chayote and the roots of the young plant)

Germination speed increases with temperature, but is generally fast

As soon as the sprout grows from the ground, make sure to give your plant as much sun as possible or it will be etiolated and may develop poorly afterwards

Grow indoors until frost end, then plant in the ground

Choose a sunny location, sheltered from the wind, near any support on which Sicyos edulis can climb
(wall, fence, pergolas, dead tree, etc.)

The soil must be deep, well plowed, generously manured, and ideally kept cool and moist in summer

Drive away the wild vegetation to avoid invasion, because when summer comes, the Chayote is unstopable

Harvest Chayotes as they ripe
Harvest all the Chayotes that have not yet been harvested before the first frost

When the aerial part of the plant dyes (first frost), cut back to ground level

No diseases, no pests, no other maintenance

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Good to Know

If you live in a region where winter frosts are not too severe, consider protecting the tuberous stump of your Chayotes with a thick layer of leaves and thermal fabric

You will enjoy seeing your Sicyos edulis grow back the following spring

In cold regions, you can try to overwinter the tuber in a cellar, the same way we do with Dhalia stumps, because it would not survive in the ground