Calabaza de Castilla Squash Seeds, Mexican Heirloom for Calabaza en Tacha

Calabaza de Castilla is the big ribbed squash stacked in Mexican markets every autumn, the one simmered with piloncillo and cinnamon into calabaza en tacha for Día de Muertos. It is a true Cucurbita moschata, the species Mexican growers domesticated roughly 7,000 years ago. The name is a colonial leftover: Spaniards carried the squash home from the Americas, and Europe assumed anything that good must have come from Castile.

Why this squash

• Vine borer resistant: a true Cucurbita moschata, with the dense, solid stems squash vine borers rarely get through
• Big fruit: light brown rind with deep ridges at maturity, averaging 15 to 20 pounds of rich orange flesh
• Heat is the point: tropical moschata genetics, selected by generations of Mexican growers for long, hot, humid seasons
• Mild, sweet and nutty: the traditional squash for candied calabaza, empanadas and pie, and the seeds roast into pepitas
• Open-pollinated heirloom: save seed from your best fruit and it grows true next year

Give it room. This is one of the most vigorous vines in our catalog, with runners reported as long as 50 feet. Plant one inch deep in hills 4 to 8 feet apart, in soil that has warmed to at least 70°F. About 100 to 110 days to maturity, which a Kansas season handles comfortably from a late May sowing.

Cure the fruit in the sun for a few days after harvest. Held at 50 to 60°F, moschata squash keep 4 to 6 months.

New to this variety? Read our complete Calabaza de Castilla growing guide for Zone 6b planting dates, spacing, curing and storage.

✅ Germination Promise: if your seeds fail to germinate under proper growing conditions, contact us within one year and we will replace them or refund you.

Grows well with

Other big, heat-loving moschatas from the Americas: Guatemalan Green Ayote for a tropical highland squash, Cuban Neck for a Caribbean crookneck, or Magic Cushaw for another giant that shrugs off borers. Browse the full Vine Borer Resistant collection.