Bring beauty and bold flavour to your garden with Uchiki Kuri Squash, a stunning Japanese heirloom known for its vibrant orange-red skin and rich, chestnut-like taste. Perfect for roasting, soups, and baking, this teardrop-shaped winter squash is as delicious as it is ornamental.

Horticultural Points

• Botanical Name: Cucurbita maxima ‘Uchiki Kuri’
• Origin: Japan, 1930s (developed from Hubbard squash)
• Type: Heirloom winter squash
• Days to Maturity: 85–95 days
• Fruit Shape: Teardrop
• Fruit Weight: 1.5–3 kg each
• Yield: 2–3 fruits per plant
• Skin: Thin, edible orange-red rind
• Storage: 3–5 months post-harvest
• Pollination: Requires pollinators or manual pollination for best yields

Propagation from Seed

Uchiki Kuri Squash is easy to grow and highly productive:

• Sowing Time: Indoors from April; direct sow after the last frost (late spring)
• Sowing Depth: 2–3 cm
• Spacing: 90–120 cm between plants
• Germination: 7–14 days at 20–25°C
• Soil: Rich, well-drained soil enriched with compost or manure
• Light: Full sun

Keep soil consistently moist during germination and early growth. Mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.

• Culinary Use

• Roasted: Intensely sweet and nutty, no need to peel the thin skin
• Soups: Creates smooth, velvety textures with a rich depth of flavor
• Baking: Excellent for pies, purées, or even muffins
• Storage: Keeps for 3–5 months in cool, dry conditions, developing deeper flavor over time

How to Use

• Plant in mounds or raised beds to improve drainage and warmth
• Train vines to sprawl or climb (with support) for space efficiency
• Harvest when skin hardens and stem begins to dry
• Cure fruits in the sun for 7–10 days to improve storage quality