Don't grow it but I do buy it :-)) It is a wonderful winter squash, with a dense, sweet meat that tastes a bit like a cross between a pumpkin and a sweet potato. I prefer it to butternut or acorn and can be used in the same way.

I'm intrigued about Kabocha for next year. Can I assume that, as a winter squash, it can be stored successfully for many months? With proper sterilization, I can get more than half a year out of my Butternuts. Johnnyseeds suggests that's the case for Kabocha. Other winter squash don't seem to have that storage potential.

I love butternut and I have heard this is better so I am really interested! Thanks! Anyone else?

I love kabocha! I grow it every year and consider myself fortunate if I am able to get them to maturity and harvest before the dreaded squash vine borers do the plant in. My favorite is "Winter Sweet". "Sweet Mama" is pretty good but smaller and not quite as good as the W.S. Note that kabocha have to be cured and then stored for a least a month before eating to get best flavor -- it's not a pick-and-eat squash. Same thing with butternut, which I also love. I typically don't have any trouble growing butternut, the squash vine borers leave them alone, but I do grow a mildew-resistant variety "Metro PMR" because I have gotten wiped out by powdery mildew in the past.

If you want pick-and-eat kabocha, try "Sunshine". I like Sunshine but much prefer the regular kabocha, I find Sunshine just a little too sweet, and it's not quite as dense IME. But still - a very good squash than can be eaten right after harvest.

Kabocha store adequately, though not as well as butternut IME. But, I am not a storage expert, perhaps I'm not keeping them in optimal conditions. I can harvest butternut in late September or October and still be eating them in March-April, but not kabocha, they only keep maybe 2 months for me before spoilage sets in -- I think I'm doing something wrong because they should store longer than that. If I don't eat them all first LOL! Note that "Sunshine" is not a kabocha suitable for storage more than 2-3 months, if that.

Johnny's has the detailed answer to my question. They say Winter Sweet will last 6 months, which is Butternut-like for me. Green varieties allegedly last a bit less. Sunshine is the exception, and will last only 3 months. Now, that's at 50-60F. Mine are kept closer to 75F, but I take care to sterilize before storage.

^^ What is your sterilization method? One year I dipped all of mine in a very weak bleach solution after curing and let them dry thorougly for a few days outside before storing them in stackable nursery crates. I don't remember if they lasted any longer, though. I only did that one time.

Yep, that's it. Soak for an hour in 10% bleach (though some suggest vinegar). Works very well. Those I don't sterilize only last a month or two. Been doing that for years. I have to assume that will work for any winter squash.

I guess I should probably do that.

Interesting I never heard of that. To me even winter squash tastes amazing up to about a week after harvest. Good for 2 weeks. After 3 weeks it seems to taste like store bought, that said I rarely buy veggies at the store.

That's exactly right. Winter squash continues to develop after harvest changing starches into sugars and increasing the carotenoids, which are flavor enhancers. They'll be best after a couple of months for Butternut and Kabocha. Somewhat less time for Acorn. I think the sugar content triples after that length of time. Of course, store bought squash have already had plenty of time to do this starch conversion.

Truly delicious. Try it.

I grew Red Kuri Kabocha last year and liked it, although not as much as I like butternut. I'm terrible for experimenting, I'm a sucker for something new.

I don't wipe my squashes with anything, or soak them in anything, I try to avoid washing any vegetables that I want to store until I'm ready to use them because that's what Grandpa told me, LOL, and that's always persuasive. ":-) He was of the generation where everyone had a root cellar and kept vegetables so I figured he had experience! Mine seem to store for quite a long time without any treatment. Anyway, the Kabocha stored for about 3 months, we had some at Christmas in lieu of sweet potato casserole, but the butternut was good until Easter, picked the end of September, so that's 6 solid months. After that I caved in and just roasted them all and put the puree into the freezer for pies, soup, dinner rolls, etc.

As I said, I'm always experimenting so this year I just harvested 56 Butternut, which is my solid standby, as well as a couple dozen Delicata. My "experimental" plantings this year was blue Jarrahdale, which is surprisingly good but got too large to conveniently store very many, as well as a Cushaw/Tennessee Sweet Potato squash. Those got really big, my hubs had to cut them up with the sawzall because I couldn't get a knife through them. They are very sweet but not particularly flavorful, I can see how they'd make a great pie.

Annie

Root cellars are marvelous things. Our deep soil temp is 65F, though, and we're sitting on top of caliche so NO ONE has a cellar. (Well, dynamite might help, but ...) My sweet onions cure for four or five months at 80F in the summer, and I manage to keep my Butternuts happy indoors.

Dan, root cellars are indeed wonderful things. Unfortunately I don't have one, nor even have a basement. I do, however, have a nice cool back room,unheated in winter but it doesn't freeze, so that's where my vegetables get stored.

I'm in Michigan, so I can stick things in that back room in September and they stay pretty cool all winter.

Annie

You all convinced me to try it. I found Winter Sweet at the local farmer’s market, so let the curing begin. He did say he doesn’t dip them in the bleach solution but just wipes them down with it. Time will tell.

tj

^^ Did he cure them already?

No, that’s why I said, ”Let the curing begin”.

tj

Yes, I’ve grown Kabocha squash, and it's fantastic! It has a sweet, nutty flavour, and the texture is somewhere between a pumpkin and a sweet potato. It’s perfect for roasting, soups, and even pies. Plus, the plants are pretty hardy. If you’re thinking of growing it, I highly recommend giving it a try you won’t be disappointed! How about you, have you tried growing it before?