Anyone grown Kikuza?

gorbelly · September 26, 2016

How long did vines get for you? What was the average productivity per vine?

I'm a huge fan of Japanese squash and want to grow my own. I have space for one or two vines. I'm not looking for a huge harvest but just the experience of growing and harvesting a few of my own. I'm really the only person in my family who is a gourmand about winter squash--others are perfectly happy with good butternuts. Had a disappointing experience with "not black futsu" seed from Baker Creek this year. I may try one again next year with seed from a different source that is hopefully not crossed.

Would love to hear from anyone who has tried kikuza. Finding some scarce but weird info about them on the Internet.

For example, Sustainable Seed Co. tell people to "pick at 4-7 pounds". When I asked customer service for clarificaiton, they said the fruit can get to 3 feet long (!) and that they are "eaten when young". I don't understand. This would make it behave really oddly for an Asian moschata grown as winter squash. Normally, I'd expect one to leave the fruit on until the vines die or as long as possible and then cure for storage?!

September 26, 2016	#1
gorbelly Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania Posts: 1,069	Anyone grown Kikuza? How long did vines get for you? What was the average productivity per vine? I'm a huge fan of Japanese squash and want to grow my own. I have space for one or two vines. I'm not looking for a huge harvest but just the experience of growing and harvesting a few of my own. I'm really the only person in my family who is a gourmand about winter squash--others are perfectly happy with good butternuts. Had a disappointing experience with "not black futsu" seed from Baker Creek this year. I may try one again next year with seed from a different source that is hopefully not crossed. Would love to hear from anyone who has tried kikuza. Finding some scarce but weird info about them on the Internet. For example, Sustainable Seed Co. tell people to "pick at 4-7 pounds". When I asked customer service for clarificaiton, they said the fruit can get to 3 feet long (!) and that they are "eaten when young". I don't understand. This would make it behave really oddly for an Asian moschata grown as winter squash. Normally, I'd expect one to leave the fruit on until the vines die or as long as possible and then cure for storage?!