Garden Inspirations

Zeedman

Garden Master
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I’m in deep East Texas. If I go through Houston, I’m about 3 hours from Galveston Island. The ground here is in no danger of freezing. I may buy a chayote and try it.
The entire squash is used as the seed; so the bigger the squash, the better. You can often find them in Asian or Hispanic markets (that's where I get mine here). But if you can find a local gardener who grows them, that might be better, since their squashes may be more mature than those grown for sale. Supposedly the plants are self-sterile, so you should plant more than one (I always grew two).

Put the squash(s) in a warm dry location; the big end will eventually split, and a sprout will emerge. At that point you can plant it outside if the soil is warm, or start inside in a large pot. Carefully bury the whole squash halfway, sprout side down, at a 45 degree angle. If you have a brush line that is protected from herbivores & trimmed to within reach, that might make a great natural support. The root system is wide but fairly shallow, so I recommend mulching heavily to preserve moisture (I mulched in a 6-foot radius). If the mulch is thick & kept moist, the roots will grow into the mulch & feed on it as it breaks down.
 
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