Skip to product information
Sikil Squash
  • Sikil Squash
  • Sikil Squash
  • Sikil Squash
  • Sikil Squash
  • Sikil Squash
  • Sikil Squash
Sikil Squash

Cucurbita argryrosperma
$4.50
Description

This is an exciting crop for a few reasons! 

Sikil does really well in our humid and warm subtropical weather, growing rampant vines that quickly take over. If you're familiar with growing Seminole pumpkin, this is very similar. The fruits when harvested very young at around 35 days after planting have a great texture and flavor most relatable to a zucchini. Unlike zucchini, Sikil grows easy with few issues of pests like squash vine borer, or disease. The trick is finding the squash underneath the lush foliage before they get too large and don't work that well for cooking. 

Once they are fully mature though, they are absolutely loaded with large and beautiful seeds that are super delicious!! They can be cracked open and eaten raw, or toasted and enjoyed whole. Everyone that's tried the seeds loves them! 

We got our first seeds from Cody Cove Farms and they have a good write up about it on their website. It has been listed at C.lundelliana but all indicators make it look a lot more like C.argyrosperma. 
Product details
  • About 25 seeds
  • 35 days to harvest young edible fruits and 100+ days for seed harvest
  • Seeds grown at University of Florida's Field and Fork campus farm in Gainesville, Florida
How to grow

Winter squash need warm weather, plenty of space, and a long growing season. Sow seeds directly about 1 inch deep, planting 3–4 seeds together in a hill or planting area, with 5–6 feet between hills. Thin to the strongest plants once they are established.

These vines will spread far and wide, and happily climb—so give them plenty of room. Be prepared for a jungle of vines that will keep growing for much of the season!

Plant into fertile, compost-rich garden soil and feed regularly with a good-quality organic fertilizer. Avoid excessive nitrogen, which can encourage lots of leaves and vines at the expense of fruit production.

Winter squash are very sensitive to cold and should not be planted outdoors until the danger of frost has passed. In North Florida, some growers plant as early as late February, but be prepared to protect young plants if cold weather returns. You can also plant winter squash as late as April.

Water at the base of the plants using hand watering or drip irrigation when possible. Keeping foliage dry helps reduce the conditions that encourage disease.
How to save seeds

Squash are easy to save seed from, but keeping a variety pure can be tricky! Squash have separate male and female flowers and rely on insects for pollination, so different varieties of the same species can readily cross. This only matters if you want your saved seed to grow true to the original variety. If you’re happy to experiment, crossing can be a fun way to create something new!

First, make sure you know the species of your squash. Varieties within the same species can cross. For example, butternut and Seminole pumpkin are both Cucurbita moschata, and therefore can cross if they are flowering at the same time and growing in proximity. Zucchini, acorn, and many summer squash are Cucurbita pepo, and so they all can cross with one another. Different species generally will not cross. 

If you want to keep a variety pure, grow only one variety of that species, provide plenty of isolation, or use hand-pollination to control which flowers cross. This is especially important for seed growers because pollinators can travel considerable distances between squash plants.

For seed saving, choose fruit from your favorite fruits with the qualities you like (shape, color, flavor etc.) and allow the squash to fully mature. Winter squash can be harvested for seed when the fruit is fully mature and ready to eat. Scoop the seeds from the mature squash and separate them from the surrounding flesh. Rinse them well, then spread them out in a single layer to dry completely. Once thoroughly dry, store them somewhere cool, dark, and dry.

Learn all you need to know about saving tomato seeds in our free guide: Saving Winter Squash Seed

You may also like