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Marine Grey Kabocha
Cucurbita maxima
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.
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.