Quick Safe Shipping
Free Domestic Tracking
With EVERY ORDER!
Easy Payment
Options!
1-Sprouting Chayote ready to plant. A native to Mexico but is grown as a crop worldwide. It is an edible fruit that can be used raw or cooked. Very versatile & is eaten in many different ways. The small young ones are more tender & are enjoyed raw & unpeeled in salads. The large mature ones can be boiled, stuffed, mashed, baked, fried, or even pickled in escabeche sauce. In many countries they are handled the same way you would a summer squash. In Taiwan they are grown for their shoots known as dragon-whisker vegetable & the young leaves are commonly consumed as a vegetable. In Thai cuisine the young shoots & greens are often eaten stir-fried or in soup. Chayotes are well known to retain their firmness & consistency after cooking, freezing & reheating. Both the fruit & the nutty flavored seeds are rich in amino acids and vitamin C.
A member of the gourd family chayotes are a sprawling vine & should be planted on a trellis or fence although it will grow onto anything. They can easily rise as high as 50 feet when it can reach a tree or house. Its leaves are heart-shaped with tendrils on the stem. The flowers are cream-colored with subtle hues of green that come out beneath a leaf or branch. Chayotes are perennials & monoecious, a single plant has both male and female flowers & is able to be fertilized by its own pollen. Harvest of Chayote is so abundant in some countries it is used as food for Pigs & Cattle. In warm dry climates the plants can grow for several years & can produce hundreds of fruits. Yields depend on the number of hours in full sun, soil fertility, root competition, and trellising methods. Once temperatures dip below 55 F the immature fruit will die and fall off the vine. Chayotes produce fruit best when trellised horizontal to the ground but will produce more than enough fruit if grown along a vertical fence or even on shrubs and trees. Plant in well-drained sandy-loam soil with a pH of 6.0 - 6.8. Place the Chayote at a high point in your yard do not let it sit in standing water as this will kill it. Create a raised bed or build up a high mound in your yard by adding garden soil. Plant with the large end down so the spout is facing down at a 45 angle. The top must be exposed as covering the whole fruit will cause it to rot. Water regularly, but make sure the soil does not get soggy.
