Red kuri squash: sowing, planting, growing and harvesting

Updated on 22 September 2026Published on 11 April 2018

Red kuri squash, also called Orange Hokkaido and Japanese squash, is a delicious vegetable, fleshy and tasty.

Summary of red kuri facts
Name	Cucurbita maxima
Family	Cucurbitaceae, the gourd family
Type	Annual vegetable
Height	8 to 16 inches (20 to 40 cm), trailing to 8 feet (2.5 m)
Exposure	Full sun
Soil	Rich and well drained
Sowing	Early spring under cover, or late spring in open ground
Harvest	Mid-autumn, typically 100 to 110 days after sowing

Easy to grow, they prefer rich soil and sunlit spots.

Read also: Grow your red kuri squash up a wall!

Sowing and planting red kuri squash

Red kuri seedling — Two or three seeds to a pot, then keep only the strongest seedling.

It is possible to start sowing during the month of early spring, in a sheltered place, or in Late spring directly in the ground. Red kuri squash is a frost-sensitive plant and you must ensure that the last frosts are past before transplanting them to their growing bed in the vegetable patch.

For areas with milder climates, the first seedlings can be started in the month of mid-spring.

Red kuri squash loves heat, and requires warm to hot climate to germinate properly.

If sowing in nursery pots in spring, count more or less 3 weeks before transplanting them to the ground. That’s why there is no need to sow early.

In a good soil mix:

Lightly press down 2 to 3 seeds per nursery pot.
Once seeds have sprouted, keep only the most vigorous one.
3 weeks later, they can be set into their growing bed, provided the last frost spells have passed.

It is also possible to sow directly in the ground, starting from late spring.

The richer your soil, the more abundant your harvest will be.
Feel free to add fertilizer or manure upon planting.
Place 2 or 3 seeds in each seed hole, placing them 8 feet (2.5 m) apart on all sides.
Thin after 2 to 3 weeks, keeping only the most vigorous seedling.

Pruning and caring for red kuri squash

You must pinch stems off regularly to stimulate plant growth, this will ensure better productivity.

Pinching or pruning red kuri

Young red kuri fruit will grow more if the plant is pinched — Pinching above the second leaf sends the plant’s energy into the fruit already set.

More branches will grow from the base: best keep a single fruit on each branch.

When the red kuri squash has 5 leaves per stem, pinch each stem off just above the second leaf from the center.
When these stems have again grown around 10 leaves, pinch each stem off again above the 5^th leaf.
When a red kuri squash gets about as big as a large apple, pinch off the stem that bears it two leaves after the fruit.

Once the plants have grown well, mulch their base to keep the soil moist and cool.

Mulch also keeps the squash from touching the soil thus avoiding the risk of fruit rot (see below). You can use flax mulch, straw, a slab of wood or upside-down crates.

Watering red kuri, fruit rot and diseases

Red kuri squash leaf with disease — Damaged leaves are more often a watering fault than a disease.

Water regularly in summer and avoid wetting the leaves.

This helps avoid powdery mildew.

Other diseases include:

fruit rot (Phytophthora),
nematode pests,
and yellow vine (due to squash bugs).

Pollinating red kuri and fruit set

red kuri male flowers pollination — Male flowers open first and in numbers. Nothing swells behind the bloom.

Red kuri, like all other squash, has both male and female flowers on the same plant. Male flowers tend to open and appear earlier. Female flowers open up a bit later.

Only female flowers can set fruit. You can tell by checking the base of the flower: if there’s a bulge, it’s a female flower.

Female red kuri flower with bulge — The female flower is unmistakable: a small swollen fruit sits behind the petals before pollination.

Pollinators normally do the work well, and most female flower set fruit naturally.

If you want to control pollination (for instance, avoid cross-pollination, or because many flowers dropped already), you can hand pollinate red kuri:

Pick a male flower and remove the outer petals.
Brush the central stamen (stem with pollen) round and round inside a female flower.

Harvesting red kuri squash

Four signals tell you a red kuri is ready, and they arrive in this order. Wait for the
stem: it is the one that decides, because a squash cut before the stalk has corked will not
keep.

Is it ready? Four signals, in the order they appear
Signal	What you see	What it means
1. Colour	Deep, even orange with no green patch left, not even where the fruit sat on the soil	The skin has finished maturing. On its own this is not enough.
2. Foliage	Leaves yellowing and dying back on the vine	The plant has stopped feeding the fruit and is sending its reserves down
3. Stem	The stalk has dried, hardened and turned corky and pale	The decisive signal. A corked stalk seals the fruit; a green one lets it rot from the top.
4. Skin	A thumbnail pressed hard leaves no mark	The rind has hardened enough to store for months

Deep, even orange and a dried, corky stalk. It is the stalk that decides.

Harvest the red kuri squash as soon as leaves dry up and skin darkens.
Fruits should start to mature as early as early autumn, but best is to harvest your squash when the stem has dried up and foliage has turned yellow.

That is why harvest usually takes place In mid-autumn.
They must be harvested before the first frost spells when their color is a deep orange.
Keep the stem as long as you can when cutting the red kuri squash off.

After the harvest, red kuri can keep for almost a year, in a dry room with a temperature ranging between 50 to 60°F (10 to 15°C).

After the harvest, a good practice is to destroy any remaining leaves and stems which often bear diseases and fungus.

Keeping red kuri seed for sowing

Seed scooped from a ripe fruit, ready to be cleaned and dried for spring.

Dry the seeds and make sure all flesh is washed away.
Let them dry on a cloth or paper towel for about a week. A dry spot is best.
Store in a paper envelope (nothing airtight because it might mold) and keep the envelope in a cool, dark spot.
Write the year on the envelope: germination is always highest the first year.

Learn more about red kuri squash

Native to North America, red kuri squash usually boasts a brick-red color, but some may turn out yellow.

Red kuri squash from the garden — A harvested squash with its stalk left long. Never carry one by the stem.

With high levels of vitamin A, B, C, D and E and trace elements (phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and iron), these fruits also have the advantage of keeping for a long time over winter, ideally at temperatures of about 50 / 55°F (10 / 12°C).

Since it contains 92% water, red kuri squash is low on calories and is potassium-rich, which makes it an excellent vegetable against hypertension. Its flesh has high levels of vitamin A, giving it antioxidant properties.

The different varieties of red kuri squash that are grown most are ‘Red kuri’, ‘Uchiki kuri’, ‘Akaguri’ or the ‘Potimarron français’.

Of course, another reason why the red kuri squash is very appreciated is because its sweet flesh reminds one of chestnut.

Frequently Asked Questions

When exactly should I harvest red kuri squash?

Mid-autumn in most seasons, roughly 100 to 110 days after sowing, but the calendar is only a guide. Go by the stalk: when it has dried and turned corky, the fruit is ready whatever the date. Harvest everything before the first frost regardless, because a frosted squash will not keep.

Can I pick it early and let it ripen indoors?

The colour will deepen a little and the flesh will sweeten, but the rind will not harden further once the fruit is cut from the vine. An early-picked squash is therefore for eating within a few weeks, not for storing. If frost is forecast and the stalks are still green, pick anyway and eat those first.

How should I cut and store it?

Cut with as much stalk as you can, ideally 2 inches (5 cm), and never carry a squash by its stem: if it snaps off, the wound is an open door and the fruit rots within weeks. Leave the squash somewhere warm and dry for about ten days so the skin cures, then store at 50 to 60 °F (10 to 15 °C) in a dry room. Kept that way they last close to a year.

How do I know whether it is a red kuri or a pumpkin?

Look at the stalk. Red kuri is Cucurbita maxima and its stalk is soft, round and corky. A true pumpkin is Cucurbita pepo, with a hard, ridged, five-sided stalk. The two are cooked quite differently: red kuri needs no peeling, and its skin softens completely.

Smart tip about red kuri squash

Unlike squash, you don’t need to remove the skin of red kuri squash before cooking.

Try growing red kuri vertically up a wall to maximize space in your vegetable patch!

Images: CC BY 2.0: Maja Dumat, CC BY-NC 2.0: seeingbeauty; iStock: ; Pixabay: Steve Buissinne

Your reactions

Gem Redmond-Mundy wrote on 1 August 2025 at 12 h 49 min

I wish I had found this website two months ago! I had no idea about the clipping back so my four plants have taken over. I have three fruits which look like they will come good, but a fourth met with an accident (ok, my shears) and is still slightly undersized and only as orange as a mandarin. Is it edible or should I compost it?

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Bettencourt Rev. Mary F. wrote on 26 September 2022 at 14 h 57 min

Thank you so much for planting and pruning guide for red Kuri Squash! I was told by a farmer that Kuri squash was originally from Japan. Is that correct? Is that why purchasing kuri seeds is so expensive? I’m saving the seeds this year from one I bought from this farmer. Is their a correct way of drying them?
- Gaspard wrote on 27 September 2022 at 7 h 36 min
  
  You’re very welcome! It is in deed native to Japan, and it’s sometimes called Hokkaido squash. The price, though, isn’t related to that, since most seeds are now produced anywhere.
  
  It’s a very good idea to save the seeds from your red kuri. They’re true to seed, meaning they will for sure germinate and produce the same kind of fruits as the ones you got this year.
  
  To dry them, just make sure all flesh was rinsed/washed away, and set them to dry on a cloth or paper towel, for about a week in a dry spot. Then, pack them in a paper envelope (not anything airtight because it might mold) and put the envelope in a cool, dark spot. Usually a crate with a lid in a garage is fine. Write the year on the envelope, because germination is always highest the first year.
  - Rev. Mary Bettencourt wrote on 27 September 2022 at 15 h 05 min
    
    Thanks so much, Gaspard’ I will do as you have suggested for saving the seeds. Sorry not to be able to send a picture. Kuri soup was delicious!
Lizzie wrote on 23 July 2022 at 22 h 43 min

Thank-you for the really helpful details – I am growing them for the first time in my garden in Wales and now have a much better idea about what to do
- Gaspard wrote on 28 July 2022 at 1 h 43 min
  
  That’s very nice of you to thank me for this! Please do feel free to share a few photos on the forum, it’ll be nice to follow your progress!
Anonymous wrote on 6 October 2021 at 21 h 20 min

Very invasive. Once you taste it – you will never sow any other variety.
- Gaspard wrote on 7 October 2021 at 7 h 10 min
  
  Very true! Laughed at the fact that for once, invasiveness is considered a compliment! Love the nutty flavor of that variety.
Anne Sandler wrote on 21 July 2021 at 19 h 58 min

I have lots of male flowers but don’t see any females yet which produce the fruit.
- Gaspard wrote on 22 July 2021 at 8 h 16 min
  
  Hello Anne, that’s actually quite common – and frustrating. It’s a clever strategy by the plant to attract pollinators at little cost: bearing male flowers doesn’t consume much energy, whereas female flowers require a higher nutrient load. So after attracting males for up to a few weeks, creating a habit for these pollinators, the plant will start sending out a few female flowers. There’s nothing much to do except wait!
Chris wrote on 18 July 2021 at 20 h 05 min

Thanks for this information it’s really helpful, especially the pruning of the plant.

I’m also growing Crown Prince squash, do the same rules apply?
- Gaspard wrote on 20 July 2021 at 11 h 48 min
  
  Yes they do, Chris, the same rules apply. They’re like brothers and sisters in the squash family, so you can follow the same advice exactly for Crown Prince.