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LivingParadise
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Chayote
« on: February 18, 2016, 09:49:19 PM »
I'm trying tons of new vegetables, and hope to start many threads about them in time. But one I'm very excited about is Chayote. Never heard of it, found some in a store and looked it up. Apparently it should be easy to grow and fruit prolifically, and the leaves, fruit, seed, and even root are all edible! I looked up various recipes to try it, but in the end I'm glad I just tried it raw, because it was delicious! Very crunchy, similar to jicama or a sweet cucumber.
Weirdly, you can only grow it by planting an entire fruit/squash in the ground. So I had to go back to the store and get more after I'd tasted it so I would have some to plant.
It has many health benefits, and I'm excited to try growing it!
Anyone else already growing chayote?
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from the sea
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Re: Chayote
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2016, 06:39:31 AM »
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Mine grew fine for a while, but was eaten to the ground and died. I have not had a lot of luck with the fruit from the supermarket here, but the ones I got from the farmers markets in homestead grew. Iguanas love the leaves, deer love the whole thing (not a problem for you). They do get HUGE though so plant accordingly.
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LivingParadise
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Re: Chayote
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2016, 10:34:44 PM »
Thanks for the heads up on the iguanas. I do not have the Key Deer issue, for which I'm grateful. I planted 4 of them. I saw them somewhere online as needing to be planted with the squash only partially in the ground, so that's how I did it. Is that also how you planted them? Do they need a lot of water or attention to get started? Do you recall how long it took to get some leaves?
Thanks -
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from the sea
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Re: Chayote
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2016, 06:01:06 AM »
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I planted them with a little bit of the top sticking up, mine had sprouted before I bought it so I don't know how long till it will sprout. I just watered mine with the other plants a few times a week and it did fine.
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M8781
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Re: Chayote
« Reply #4 on: July 07, 2016, 10:36:49 AM »
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Has anyone had any luck growing the white chayote? Usually sold at expensive organic farmers markets.
And mine is kept in semi dry conditions but some of the vines (roots) still rot? What gives?
It's grown in fabric pots 50/50 coarse perlite and generic "organic" aged compost (cow patty I guess) and watered very sparingly.
Its typhoon season now so I've covered the entire trellis area with greenhouse poly to keep the water away from the roots.
Everything went south a week later.
I did cover it up before the rains started and watered even less like every other week instead of weekly?!!
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LivingParadise
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Re: Chayote
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2016, 10:26:47 PM »
My chayote experiment did not work out. Only 1 plant even started to sprout, and before it had even finished putting out its first leaf, it suddenly died. I will have to try again. I probably should have tried planting in the rainy season, so it could get wet without municipal water. Not sure if that was the problem though, since I am otherwise unfamiliar with the plant and its fruit...
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