Thanks Judy.. Looks Like I might be able to grow my own! course then I shall be spoiled forever
Wanted: CHAYOTE SQUASH (Mirliton, Christophene)
If there is an Asian Market near you, they probably have them for sale. Also I've found them at the larger Wal-Marts.
Judy
Thanks Judy..I will look.. I have found them a couple times and I always snag a few when I do
Here is a picture of the three i planted. I started them in 5" pots but they had roots coming out the bottom before i even saw the first leaves. They are in gallons now, hope they don't outgrow those before the last frost!
As you can see two of them are completely black and rotten looking and growing and one is still greenish and growing...
Oh WOW they look great!!! I'm afraid when it turned "black" I would have tossed it not knowing it was about to sprout.
Thank you so much for taking the picture and posting it.
Judy
When they shriveled up and turned black i was concerned. I picked up the pot (to dig them up a bit to see if there were any signs of life) and there were already roots out the drain holes!
That is unreal. I haven't read of any other plant doing something like this.
Judy
It's a "deep south" thing....
So very TRUE!!
Judy
Here is the bigger of mine out in the garden yesterday.
One of three sprouted. Having read it needed something strong to grow on and the suggestion of a tree, that's what I did, planted it so it could run up a tree. We had a later freeze here so everything was late getting planted out. It basically just sat there until the first of August and our Dog Days of Summer, then shot like a rocket up the small oak tree. It's still climbing trying to reach the sun but no blooms or fruit production that I can see ... it's hot, hot, hot out there.
Judy
I wonder if the plant isn't getting too much shade. When I was a kid we always grew them on a fence and they ran along it. That way they were easy to pick and got lots of sun. You wouldn't want one of these falling on your head from the top of an oak tree, either! They are fairly heavy!
Watch out below!!! lol I didn't have a fence for it to run on and read of this method so tried it .... I never even thought of the squash falling.
Judy
Mine died :( Did anyone get any fruit?
Mine grew a very long vine, way up into the tree but is now in the process of dying and I don't see any fruit.
Judy
Sorry to hear that neither of you got fruit. It may be that they like it really hot and wet. I grew them in New Orleans and the only problem with the fruit was getting too much. It is one of the most humid environments in the US and that may have been what made the mirlitons (chayotes) so productive. I don't know, but I can say that I was just a child when I grew them and I certainly didn't do anything for them beyond put them in the soil.
Well, we are hot, hot, hot here. But very dry. I suspected as much. I am going to give it another go next year. Following the principal of kill it twice before you give up. :)
Hey Guys; Chayote is day-length sensitive.It grows really well here in S.CA.It does not produce fruit until late Nov-Dec.As long as you have a frost free Fall-Winter you'll be able to grow them.
Thanks, Zebraman. Maybe Judy will be able to get some after all. I don't know when her first frost comes.
My grew well but didn't have time to produce fruit... Our first freeze was a week or so ago and I couldn't believe it lived through it but the second on a few days later killed it.
Judy