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Growing your own choko vine from a store-bought fruit is super satisfying! And, as a bonus, it’s incredibly easy too. Today, I’ll show you exactly how to do it. All you need is a mature choko fruit! It doesn’t have to be store-bought, of course. Maybe a friend gave you a fruit, or you picked one up somewhere.

Once you have a mature choko, simply leave it. That’s pretty much all there is too it! Let me explain with photos.

Choose a mature fruit

a choko up close with bougainvillea flowers

This is a perfect example. It’s big, juicy, and full of goodness to help the shoots sprout. See that little indent at the top? That’s where your new vine will shoot from.

Now, all you need to do is leave this fella somewhere. A table, a windowsill, the kitchen bench… Anywhere, really. I’ve had the most success in a well-lit position but not in full sun. And not in full darkness. I usually just leave them in the potting shed. Sometimes I forget about them and leave them in the car. Either one has been successful.

A few weeks later

a choko starting to sprout
This choko is starting to sprout – I’d leave it a little longer before planting, but not too long.

Some chokos sprout faster than others, but it’s usually a couple of weeks. After a couple of weeks, you’ll see a little shoot appear at the top of the fruit. From now on, things are going to go very quickly!

Within days, your little choko vine will look like this:

the choko has sprouted and is ready for planting
This choko has sprouted nicely and is ready to go in the garden.

And then like this:

a sprouted choko ready for planting

In the last image, you can see that the choko fruit has started to shrivel. This is as far as you’ll want to go before planting it. This is another example:

these two chokos are ready for planting

These two are both ready to be planted. Even though the fruit on the right doesn’t have a big vine shoot yet, the fruit has started to shrivel and dry up – a sure sign that the nutrient for the growing shoot is running out, and you need to plant it. The choko on the right produced 4 growing shoots all at once! No wonder the nutrient was running out.

Basically, as soon as the choko vine is growing strongly, it’s time to get them into the ground.

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Planting Your Choko Vine In the Ground

the newly planted choko vine is growing up the tree
A newly planted choko vine growing up the tree.

When the little shoot appears, it’s crucial to plant the fruit with the sprout up, above the soil. I like to plant them fairly deep, with only a tiny bit of the top of the fruit showing above the soil. Make sure you choose a spot with well-draining soil. This is crucial! Chokos do not like wet feet. They’ll rot and then all your patience has been for nothing.

For more growing tips, visit my How to Grow Chokos in Australia article!

Once the little vine has established itself, you’ll be surprised at its growing speed. It’s incredible! Before you know it, you’ll be harvesting chokos like there’s no tomorrow.

a choko on the vine ready to pick
The choko is often mistaken for a vegetable but it’s actually a fruit. It’s related to cucumbers and melons, and when cooked, it takes on the flavor of the foods it’s cooked with, making it incredibly versatile in the kitchen.

Don’t forget the mulch, and check out some more photos in my choko photo gallery!

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