Choko

Chokos are creeping their way back into Australian gardens. Once common as a cover for backyard sheds and bare fences, this hardy fruiting vine is making a comeback and it’s more than the fruit that is sought after. Chokos are easy to grow and care for, all the plant requires is a support or trellis to climb on and away it goes!. The avocado shaped fruits can be eaten raw, like a cucumber, with the older fruits able to be steamed or stir fried. Go on, give a choko a go!

Full sun to part shade

Regular watering

Well drained

Suitable for all climatic zones

18 - 20 weeks

All year in temperate and subtropical climates

How to grow choko in a garden

Choose a spot in your garden with well-drained soil that receives full sun to part shade. Enrich the soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser.
Dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root-ball. Remove the choko from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots.
Position in hole and backfill, gently firming down. Form a raised or doughnut shaped ring of soil around the outer edge of the plant's root zone. This helps keep water where it's needed. Always water in well after planting to settle the soil around the roots and keep the soil moist for several weeks while the new plant establishes.
Mulch with an organic mulch, such as bark chips, sugar cane or pea straw ensuring to keep it away from the base of the plant.
Water deeply, once or twice a week, depending on weather conditions.
Feed the vine once every autumn and spring with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser. When flowering and fruiting, feed weekly with Yates Thrive Vegie and Herb Liquid Plant Food to help promote fruit production.
Harvest by snipping fruits when 5-7 cm long in autumn.

How to grow choko in a pot

Choose a pot at least 300mm wide and deep and position in full sun to part shade.
Fill pot with quality potting mix, such as Yates Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter.
Remove the plant from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots.
Position in pot and backfill with potting mix, gently firming down. Water in well.
Mulch with an organic mulch, such as bark chips, sugar cane or pea straw ensuring to keep it away from the base of the plant.
Feed weekly with Yates Thrive Vegie and Herb Liquid Plant Food.
Harvest by snipping fruits when 5-7cm long in autumn.

Growing tips

Prune the vine each winter to leave two to four young shoots for the next crop to grow the following season
Chokos love their space and heaps of room to grow. Ensure that you have a trellis handy to assist with the fast growth of the vine.
Chokos are self-pollinating and only one vine is needed to get an abundance of fruit for your kitchen table.