Growing Kabocha Squash
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Kabocha Squash ( pronounced Ka Bow Cha)
– Also known as Japanese Pumpkin, is a sweet squash and I have just started saving the seeds which I get from The Big Carrot on the Danforth.
I had never heard of Kabocha squash but apparently they are sweet like a cross between a melon and squash.
They are big beautiful seeds and dry very well.
I am taking many of them to Zambia with me, so we shall see how they grow.
If you want any, I have plenty so let me know and I will get some to you. If you only have a small garden area, you will only need a couple of seeds as they will spread out through your garden.
Our dog likes to hang out when I separate the seeds in hopes of getting bits of the peppers or squash that I take the seeds from. Even our cat Dottie Pine Cone was in on the action. She must be bored as she doesn’t like the cold weather.
This is ” How to Grow ” Them.
1
Till or turn over the soil in the garden bed. Add 2 inches of compost and dig it into the soil. Prepare to plant in May or early June. Kabocha pumpkins require 75 to 80 days of warm, frost-free weather to develop from seed to harvest.
2
Make three holes 1 inch apart and 1 inch deep with your index finger. Drop one seed into each hole and cover with 1 inch of soil. Only one plant will remain after thinning, but it’s a good idea to plant extras and select the strongest plant.
3
Plant additional groups of three seeds 8 feet apart along the garden bed. Kabocha pumpkins spread out along the ground and require a large growing area.
4
Water the kabocha pumpkin seeds after planting. Keep the soil damp during germination and through the growing season. Water the soil when the top inch starts to dry out.
5
Remove the two weaker plants from each group, keeping the strongest one when the seedlings are 1 to 2 inches tall.
6
Clear weeds from the pumpkin patch by hand. Winter squash plants have shallow root systems that can be damaged by hoes or other weeding tools.
7
Harvest kabocha pumpkins 75 to 80 days after planting. The tough outer shell should harden completely before harvesting . Clip the fruit from the vine 1 inch above the top of the pumpkin.
