When to Plant Choko in Melbourne, Cool Temperate Guide
Soil temperature is modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Melbourne), not a live sensor.
What this month normally looks like in Cool Temperate
In October the Cool Temperate zone normally runs 19°C by day and 8°C overnight, with about 67 mm of rain over 9 or 10 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was -3.0°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 28 postcodes, SILO.
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This Choko guide is written for the Cool Temperate zone, which takes in Melbourne, Hobart and Geelong. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Planting window
- Nov to Dec
- Days to harvest
- about 17 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 100 cm apart
Choko is a vigorous vine that gives a heavy crop of pale green fruit from one plant. You grow it from a whole fruit that has sprouted, and it needs a strong trellis, fence or pergola.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Best Planting Window for Cool Temperate
- Jan -
- Feb -
- Mar -
- Apr -
- May -
- Jun -
- Jul -
- Aug -
- Sep -
- Oct -
- Nov P
- Dec P
P = Planting window
Gardenate has no calendar for cool and mountain areas. Start a sprouted fruit indoors in spring and plant it out in a sunny, sheltered spot after the last frost, in November or December. Treat it as an annual. It needs 4 to 5 frost free months, so only early fruit is likely before autumn frost. No local source was found, so treat the dates as a guide.
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How to Grow Choko in Cool Temperate Australia
- Soil
- Well drained soil enriched with compost or manure. Waterlogged soil can kill the vine (Yates).
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- Sunlight
- Full sun to part shade, with at least 4 hours of sun a day (Yates). Love the Garden recommends full sun.
- Spacing
- 100cm apart
- Watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week, depending on the weather (Yates). Water young plants twice a week to establish them (Love the Garden). Keep the soil moist but not soggy, and water the roots, not the leaves.
- Good companions
- Cucumber
- Grow before it
- Leafy greens and brassicas (Lettuce, Silverbeet, Broccoli)
- Grow after it
- Roots and alliums (Carrot, Beetroot, Onion)
Give the bed 3 turns before cucurbits go back in. Pumpkin, cucumber and zucchini want a bed with fresh compost dug through.
Cool Temperate Growing Tips for Choko
Key Challenges
- Frost
- Too short a season
- Slow, cold soil
Pro Tips
- Use the warmest, sunniest wall
- Plant out only after the last frost
- Mulch the root with straw in winter in case it regrows
Pests and problems for Choko in Cool Temperate
Harvesting Choko
When ready: Fruit is light green and 5 to 7 cm long, with tender skin (Yates, Gardenate). Older fruit becomes tough. Vines begin fruiting about 18 weeks after planting (Yates).
How to harvest: Pick regularly, as often as you can reach it, to keep the vine producing.
What choko costs in the shops right now, retailer by retailer, updated daily.
What members get
- Soil and weather from your nearest station
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Common Questions About Choko
When do you plant choko in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Apr to Jul
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Sep to Nov
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Oct to Dec
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Nov to Dec
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): not recommended
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Sep to Dec
- Mediterranean (Perth): Oct to Dec
When should I plant Choko in Melbourne?
Gardenate has no calendar for cool and mountain areas. Start a sprouted fruit indoors in spring and plant it out in a sunny, sheltered spot after the last frost, in November or December. Treat it as an annual. It needs 4 to 5 frost free months, so only early fruit is likely before autumn frost. No local source was found, so treat the dates as a guide.
What soil temperature do Choko need?
Choko germinate best when soil temperature is between 18°C and 25°C.
How do I know when Choko are ready to harvest?
Fruit is light green and 5 to 7 cm long, with tender skin (Yates, Gardenate). Older fruit becomes tough. Vines begin fruiting about 18 weeks after planting (Yates).
What grows well with Choko?
Good companion plants for Choko include: Cucumber.
Are choko salt tolerant?
Only a little. Choko are moderately sensitive to salt, so the harvest drops on salty bore water. Mix salty water with rainwater, and mulch the bed.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box near the top of the page and it tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Cool Temperate zone, Melbourne is its reference city.