Red kuri squash, also called Orange Hokkaido and Japanese squash, is a delicious vegetable, fleshy and tasty.
| 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.
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.
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:
It is also possible to sow directly in the ground, starting from late spring.
You must pinch stems off regularly to stimulate plant growth, this will ensure better productivity.
More branches will grow from the base: best keep a single fruit on each branch.
Once the plants have grown well, mulch their base to keep the soil moist and cool.
Water regularly in summer and avoid wetting the leaves.
Other diseases include:
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.
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:
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.
| 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 |
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.
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).
Dry the seeds and make sure all flesh is washed away.
Native to North America, red kuri squash usually boasts a brick-red color, but some may turn out yellow.
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.
