Quick Guide for Growing Mirlitons
Mirliton is the Haitian-French word for the Louisiana chayote (Sechium edule) vine that originated in Mexico and Central America. Haitians brought it to Louisiana in the 19th century, and it evolved over 200 years, adapting to the climate, altitude, and diseases. It’s a self-pollinating climbing vine that makes both male and female flowers on the same vine.
How to Grow It:
- Choose the right seed
Mirliton seeds can’t be dried and saved, like tomatoes and grains. The entire fruit must be planted. We recommend that you use only certified Louisiana Heirlooms for two reasons. First, Louisiana heirlooms grow and produce well in our climate and are naturally resistant to most diseases. Second, imported chayote–sold at grocery stores and online–are not screened for diseases and can introduce new diseases that could eventually destroy our heirloom variety. Avoid uncertified seeds and plants sold at nurseries, farmers markets, and roadside stands.
Read about imported chayote here.
Find a list of Certified Mirlitons here.
- Sprout It.
Place the seed in a warm place such as on top of the refrigerator until it sprouts a stem. If it does not sprout within a few weeks, here is an easy way to speed up the process.
- Container-Plant it:
Once the seed sprouts, we recommend overwintering it in a 3-gallon container. This will help it develop a good rootball for transplanting and help you get an additional crop in the spring. Mirlitons need 110 days after planting to set fruit, and by container planting it in December, it may set fruit in May. Find everything about sprouting, container-planting, and watering a new seed here.
- Choose a Plant Site:
Select a well-drained area away from roofs for your plant site. Mirlitons don’t grow well in saturated soil–it can even kill a new plant. Till up a 4’ x 4’ patch to plant in. If you have poor or clay soil, dig a pit 2’x2’x18” and fill it with a mix of garden soil, compost, and manure to give the vine a good start. Mound up a hill with soil over the pit and to plant the mirliton. The planting site does not have full-sun because mirlitons are “sun seekers” and will grow along the trellis until they find sunlight. Here’s how to prepare the planting site.
If you don’t have a well-drained area, you will need to build a large, deep, raised bed.
Here’s how to build a bed that drains quickly and keeps the correct soil moisture.
- Build a Trellis:
Build an overhead trellis that allows you to both shade and frost-protect the vine. The trellis material must be the correct gauge and mesh. Mirlitons will climb almost anything, but a proper trellis makes protecting and harvesting easy. Read here how to select the appropriate trellis material. Make sure the trellis has a structure that will support a shade cloth or tarp when needed (pvc hoop or wooden frame).
- Shade it:
Buy a shade cloth before you even plant. The last several summers have taught us that mirlitons can die in intense heat waves without a shade cloth–especially with a first-year vine. You may need a shade cloth starting as early as July. They are inexpensive and last for years. Read about them here.
- Transplant it:
Transplant your container plant into your ground site or raised bed after the last frost in March. Be prepared to cover it with a bucket or tarp in case of a late frost.
- Fertilize It:
Any balanced (8-8-8) chemical fertilizer will work, but slow-release fertilizers such as manure work best. Fertilize with a couple of tablespoons when you first plant and then once a month as needed. As long as the vine is green and growing, it’s fine. Don’t fertilize after July or it will disrupt flowering. Read about fertilizing here.
- Water It:
Water it at the ground level–overhead watering spreads plant diseases downwards. Mirlitons don’t need much watering in the spring, and that’s the time most people are likely to over-water. The simplest way to prevent over-watering is a soil sampler. The inexpensive device will also tell you if your soil is too dry during a heatwave or drought.. Set up a regular watering schedule throughout the summer. Once the vine gets going, the mirliton leaves will tell you if it has adequate moisture. This process is called “guttation,” you can learn how to read the leaves here.
- Scout It Daily:
The summer months should be a steady routine. Scout daily the vine for pests and disease.
- Weave It:
Strong winds can batter a vine and disrupt flowering and fruiting. You can minimize wind damage by weaving the vine into the trellis. See how here.
- Protect it from diseases:
Two primary diseases affect mirlitons: powdery mildew (PM) and anthracnose. Powdery mildew is usually seen in the spring. It’s easy to identify and can be eradicated by spraying the vine with potassium bicarbonate, an organic fungicide. Read how here.The main summer disease is anthracnose. Fungicides are ineffective against anthracnose. But the good news is that anthracnose usually occurs in August and the vine recuperates by the fall. In addition, each time the vine gets anthracnose, it acquires more natural immunity to the disease. Read about how to identify it here.You can also submit photographs of plant symptoms to the Facebook group for help identifying and managing the diseases. - Protect it from Pests:
There are three main insect and animal pests. Read about how to manage them at these links: Vine borers. Stink bugs. Squirrels.
You can submit photographs of insects to the Facebook group for help identifying them. - Protect it from Frost and Freezes:
Mirlitons are “cold-sensitive” plants that can get damaged and frostbitten if the temperature drops below 42°. Sprinklers can protect against most frosts and extend the growing season into December. Read how here. But, the most reliable and effective protection against cold damage is temporarily tenting and heating the vine when needed. Growers who did this during the 6° freeze in 2025 saved their vines and harvested mirlitons all through the winter. All it takes is a tarp and a small heater. Read how to do it here.
- Flowering and Fruiting:
Mirlitons are photoperiodic, which means the length of the day stimulates flowering. That occurs during the spring and fall equinoxes in March and September. It may take a few weeks after the equinox for flowering to start, and a cold snap will help. Once the female flowers are pollinated, the fruit will mature within two to three weeks. If you don’t see bees pollinating, you may have to hand-pollinate–see how to do it here.
- Cut back or Not Cut back the Vine?
In the past, the tradition was to cut back the vines at the end of the fall harvest. We don’t recommend doing that now because the weather patterns—increased summer waves and fall hurricanes—that have often ruined the fall crop. Instead, we recommend extending the growing season for several months by temporarily tenting and heating the vine after the fall. If you temporarily tent your vine, you can grow mirlitons through January before having to cut it back. Read how here.
Additional “How-To” Links:
Growing mirlitons in a cloth gro-bag
How to grow Mirlitons in a large container.
How to water a new seed in a 3-gallon container
Getting your Mirliton to Sprout Quickly
Sprinklers for Quick and Easy Frost Protection
How Mirliton Leaves will tell you they have enough water
How to plant Mirliton Sprouts in May or June
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