How to grow Achocha

Cyclanthera pedata · caigua, caihua, korila

Achocha (Cyclanthera pedata) — achocha, or caigua, is a fast, half-hardy climbing vine of the cucumber family from the Andes, grown for its hollow fruits that taste like a cross between cucumber and green pepper. Young fruits are eaten raw; larger ones are stuffed or cooked. It copes with cool or humid summers better than cucumbers, and two plants are usually enough for a family.

Checked against sources: October 3, 2026

Quick facts

Type	Vegetable
Family	Cucurbitaceae
Light	Full sun
Frost	does not tolerate frost
Soil for sowing	from 10 °C
Germination	10 days
Seedlings ready	30 days
Sowing to harvest	90 days
Where it grows	Greenhouse, Open ground

When to plant

Sow for seedlings about 6 weeks before planting out.

Plant out in open ground about a week after your last spring frost, once the soil is warm.

In an unheated greenhouse everything moves about three weeks earlier.

The first harvest comes about 90 days after the shoots appear.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Greenhouse

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	20…25 °C	—
Growth	every 3 days	—	—
Flowering	every 3 days	—	—
Fruiting	every 3 days	—	—
Harvest	every 3 days	—	—

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	20…25 °C	—
Growth	every 4 days	—	—
Flowering	every 4 days	—	—
Fruiting	every 4 days	—	—
Harvest	every 4 days	—	—

Growing notes

Light

Needs a sunny, warm spot sheltered from wind.

Soil

Rich, well-drained soil.

Care

Sow indoors in mid to late spring, two seeds about 2.5 cm deep in a 9 cm pot, and keep them at 20–25 °C in a bright place out of direct sun; they germinate in about 10 days. Keep the stronger seedling. Harden the plants off at about the four-leaf stage and plant them out after the last frost, at least 35 cm apart; a cloche helps until they are growing away. Give them netting, stakes or a fence to climb — in a greenhouse or polytunnel they can take over. Pinching out the tips once they reach the top of the support is said to encourage fruiting. Pick fruits as soon as they are big enough, from about three months after planting until the frosts; there is no need to hand-pollinate. Older fruits turn fibrous, and their tough seeds must be removed before cooking. The fruits keep about 10 days in the fridge. Young shoots cut back from the vine can be cooked and eaten too. Achocha rarely has problems, but it can catch cucumber mosaic virus.

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.