Type
kabocha type
Winter Squash variety
Red Kuri Winter Squash
A teardrop-shaped squash with red-orange skin and smooth, chestnut-like flavor. Plants are productive and fruit stores reasonably well.
Days to maturity
90 to 95
Best for
soups, roasting, specialty cooking
About Red Kuri
Red Kuri is a Cucurbita maxima of the Japanese Hokkaido type, sometimes sold as orange Hokkaido or potimarron, with a smooth, ribless, teardrop-shaped rind in bright orange-red. The flesh is smooth and sweet with a chestnut-like quality, and the thin skin softens enough to eat once cooked. Vines are vigorous and yield medium-sized fruits that keep for a few months.
Growing Red Kuri Winter Squash
Allow roughly 90 to 100 days and either give the vines room to run or support the fruit if you trellis them. Harvest when the rind has turned fully orange-red and hardened and the stem begins to dry and cork over. Cure the fruit before storing, and keep watch for vine borer and powdery mildew during the growing season.
Full growing guide
For planting dates, care, and harvest that apply to all winter squash, see the complete guide.
How to grow Winter SquashOther winter squash varieties
Variety characteristics are general guidance for US home gardens; performance varies by climate, soil, and season. Seed and plant availability differs by supplier. Page updated Aug 4, 2026.