When to Plant Choko in Cairns, Tropical Guide
Soil temperature is modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Cairns), not a live sensor.
What this month normally looks like in Tropical
In October the Tropical zone normally runs 34°C by day and 23°C overnight, with about 53 mm of rain over 5 or 6 wet days. Averages 1991 to 2026, 37 postcodes, SILO.
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This Choko guide is written for the Tropical zone, which takes in Cairns, Townsville and Darwin. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Planting window
- Apr to Jul
- 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 Tropical
- Jan -
- Feb -
- Mar -
- Apr P
- May P
- Jun P
- Jul P
- Aug -
- Sep -
- Oct -
- Nov -
- Dec -
P = Planting window
Gardenate gives April to July in the tropics, which is the drier, cooler part of the year. Plant a sprouted whole fruit on a strong trellis. Choko sets the most fruit when nights are 15 to 20°C, and frequent hot nights slow flowering, so it does best in the cooler tropical uplands.
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How to Grow Choko in Tropical 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.
Tropical Growing Tips for Choko
Key Challenges
- Hot nights slowing flowering
- Fruit fly
- Sap sucking insects
Pro Tips
- Grow it on a strong trellis in a spot with some afternoon shade
- Pick fruit young
- Bait for fruit fly early
Pests and problems for Choko in Tropical
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.
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- 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 Cairns?
Gardenate gives April to July in the tropics, which is the drier, cooler part of the year. Plant a sprouted whole fruit on a strong trellis. Choko sets the most fruit when nights are 15 to 20°C, and frequent hot nights slow flowering, so it does best in the cooler tropical uplands.
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 Tropical zone, Cairns is its reference city.