Achocca - is now the time?

[antipodes]

I thought I had lost my Achocca "Fat Baby" seeds but I found them again yesterday - should I be sowing this now? Indoors? and plant out at the same time as the peppers/tomatoes and all that jazz???
I am a little worried as Betty said last year it climbed all over her greenhouse!!!!! There is nowhere to grow it near my shed, but I was thinking of letting it climb over the composter and maybe asking if I can grow one over the perimeter fence, where it will give shade and also a nice protection for the wire fence. My composter is about 140 cm high - I was thinking of putting in a couple of stakes just next to it and letting the plant grow up those and trail onto the composter if necessary.

Anyone familiar with achocca? goodlife must be as they are her seeds (thanks again!). I do like to grow something weird each year just to keep the neighbours guessing.

[antipodes]

[brownowl23]

I want to know the same. I got gievn some last year. Mine are achocha ladys slipper though

The answer to how tall they grow and how far they spread is tall and wide. neighbour who gave them to me had them growing up his bean net which is two scaffold poles about 2m high with fencing in between and its the width of the plot. he had two plants and they covered almost all the fencing.

[antipodes]

 :o   :o   :o

[galina]

:o   :o   :o

Yes you can sow them now or in April or early May.  They are frost tender and if you sow them now, you will need to pot up twice and stake a little before they can go out.

[goodlife]

:o   :o   :o

You need bigger compost bin.. ;D
Letting it crawl all over the fencing is good idea...and I'm sure if its happy plant there is more than enough for you and your neighbour to share.. ;)

[Squash64]

I'm not going to sow mine yet - at the speed they grow it would take over the greenhouse.  I will probably sow them in early May, in the greenhouse.

It has to be one of the most rampant plants I've ever grown, and I love it![attachment=1]

Just noticed in the photo that there are some large leaves of chayote - this was grown the other side of the greenhouse. 

[brownowl23]

I believe the Achocha that HSL were doing (ladys slipper) wass supposed to be the lost seed of the incas. How the heck did they lose it when its this rampant??

[Squash64]

I believe the Achocha that HSL were doing (ladys slipper) wass supposed to be the lost seed of the incas. How the heck did they lose it when its this rampant??

;D  ;D

[gavinjconway]

I was given some seeds in a seed swap and I planted 4 the other day... eeks... in 2 days they were up!! I will have to pot them up a few times before the plot is ready for them and no frost around!!

[antipodes]

Heavens I had better plan for a real triffid then!!! I will ask Alain (manager) if I can plant one... or two up the perimeter fence and share the veg with all. And try one next to the compost bin anyway  ;D

I believe the Achocha that HSL were doing (ladys slipper) wass supposed to be the lost seed of the incas. How the heck did they lose it when its this rampant??

LOL!

Just noticed in the photo that there are some large leaves of chayote - this was grown the other side of the greenhouse. 

Chayote - known as choko in Australia, where almost every garden used to have a choko vine. Pity that chokoes are the devil's own veg - beurk, about the only bit of greenery that I won't eat. My mum used to eat them mashed with butter - but she also used to like white bread sandwiches of condensed milk....there's no accounting for taste.

[saddad]

I wouldn't even set them until the far end of April... the foliage is really tender..  :-X

[martinburo]

I think they must dislike transplanting, because the last two years my direct sown plants have done as well as plants sown a month earlier indoors.

[saddad]

I transplant them but they need to be kept "moist" while they settle in if your soil is hard/dry

[Squash64]

Chayote - known as choko in Australia, where almost every garden used to have a choko vine. Pity that chokoes are the devil's own veg - beurk, about the only bit of greenery that I won't eat. My mum used to eat them mashed with butter - but she also used to like white bread sandwiches of condensed milk....there's no accounting for taste.

I agree about the taste, or rather lack of it.  Fortunately it has never produced any fruit here, I only grow it because I love the leaves.

Nothing wrong with connie sandwiches though....  :)

[Vinlander]

They can be used as an entirely tasteless substitute for nearly tasteless supermarket sweet peppers in a Delia Smith recipe for fried peppers sauteed in cumin etc. but it wont work if you dont have any mild chilli flesh in the freezer to inject some real flavour.

I always sow mine as cucs.... too much mollycoddling if the sun isnt strong enough earlier.

Cheers.

PS. the tiny thumbnail sized ones are worth eating off the bush despite the slight astringency but Ive tried pickling them as cornichons and they arent worth the effort.