Marine Grey Kabocha

Cucurbita maxima

Grown by: Truelove Seeds Farm in Philadelphia, PA

$5.00

Kabocha is the best tasting winter squash in our opinion: it has flaky, dense, nutty, and sweet flesh like something between pumpkin and sweet potato. This Japanese pumpkin is great in tempura, soup, porridge, croquettes, deserts, and even simply steamed or roasted.

While most Kabocha varieties are hybrids at this point, our friends at Uprising Seeds in Bellingham Washington have been breeding this open-pollinated Marine Grey type for many years and shared a special selection of seeds from their project with us. They have been selecting for productivity and flavor, and the best ones they've found have a lighter grey/green skin, hence the name. Our coworker Miki Palchick, the biggest Kabocha fan we know, has been continuing this breeding work, selecting for deliciousness with chefs and other kabocha lovers like herself. We are excited to share them with you as well! Expect three 2.5-3.5 pound fruits per plant.

Days to maturity: 90 days

Seeds per pack: 20

Germination rate: 78.25% on 03/22/2024

Planting / harvesting notes

Direct sow in warm soil after the last frost, or seed indoors 2-3 weeks beforehand and transplant. Plant 3 seeds per hill spaced several feet apart, or seed in rows, one plant every 2-3 feet. Vines grow at least 6' if not much longer, so allow them space to sprawl. If grown in corn, you may need to train them so they won't pull it down! Avoid downy mildew by watering only at the base of the plant (not on the leaves!). Harvest when the stem begins to turn brown and woody and the fruit becomes hard, leaving a couple/few inches of stem. Cure in a dry or sunny place for a week, and then store in a cool (45-50 degrees) room for up to 5 months (however, keep an eye on it and use it at earliest sign of softening if not before). Consider protecting from Squash Vine Borer by covering with hoops and floating row covers at least up until flowering.

Seed keeping notes

Squashes are insect pollinated and require about 1/2 a mile of isolation from other varieties of the same species, which in this case is C. maxima. The seeds will be fully mature on any squash when the stem of the fruit has turned brown and woody, so when you eat your pumpkin, the seeds should also be ready for harvest. Separate the seeds from the flesh, rinse them, and dry them on a screen or paper product away from direct sunlight in a ventilated place. The plumpest and hardest seeds will be most viable.

Collections

This product is part of the East Asian Collection.