How to Hand-Pollinate Mirlitons

I realize that this sounds like a strange idea, but experienced container plant experts have been using wooden skewers and chopsticks to gauge soil moisture for years. The principle is simple; moist particles of soil adhere to the wood. A clean skewer means the soil...

Strong winds and hurricanes can shred a mirliton vine and stress it enough to delay or even stop flowering.  Michelle Impastato Glore discovered an ingenious way to inexpensively and quickly protect the vine from winds: netting. It's the most effective way to...

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...

I learned of a large mirliton farm in Cut Off, Louisiana, in 2009 and traveled there to meet its owner, Vivian Danos Arceneaux. I learned it had been grown for decades and after examining the variety, I told her I wanted to give it a name to help preserve and...

Mitchell Thomas had poor soil that does not drain well--and that’s bad news for mirlitons whose roots need to breathe. So, he developed a method of growing them in fabric “grow bags.”  He and others have gotten small crops with this technique. It enables you to grow...