Botanical Interests
Long Purple Eggplant Seeds
Long Purple Eggplant Seeds
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Product Details
Product Details
A widely used international food thought to have originated in Japan, eggplant is fast becoming a favorite in the U.S. This long, slender variety, not usually found in grocery stores, is flavorsome in countless recipes from Italy to China to Russia and beyond. Also called 'Italian Long Purple', this prolific heirloom will bring beautiful color to the garden and savory goodness to the table.
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- Variety Info
- Sowing Info
- Growing Info
Variety Info
Days to Maturity: 70–80 days from transplanting
Family: Solanaceae
Native: Asia
Hardiness: Perennial in tropical climates; grown as annual in climates other than those that are frost-free and very warm; very frost sensitive.
Exposure: Full sun
Plant Dimensions: 24"–36" tall, 24" wide
Variety Info: 8"–10" long, 2" wide; cylindrical, but slightly wider at bottom end, with smooth, glossy purple skin, and creamy interior.
Attributes: Good for Containers
Sowing Info
When to Sow Outside: 2 to 4 weeks after your average last frost date, when soil temperature is at least 70°F, ideally 80°–90°F, and when outside night air temperature is above 60°F.
When to Start Inside: RECOMMENDED. 10 to 12 weeks before your average last frost date. Transplant outdoors 1 to 2 weeks after last frost, when soil temperature is at least 60°F, and outside night air temperature is above 60°F.
Days to Emerge: 10–20 days
Seed Depth: ¼"
Seed Spacing: Start indoors
Row Spacing: 36"
Thinning: Start indoors; plant 18" apart outside
Growing Info
Harvesting: Long Purple' should be harvested when the fruit is no longer than 10" and the skin is still shiny; can be harvested at baby size. If you are in doubt about maturity level, note that it's better to harvest eggplants a little young rather than wait until they are overly mature with dull skin, eventually possibly turning a golden color, with plentiful seeds, and bitter taste. To harvest, cut the stem with pruners. Plants will produce four or more fruits. Continual harvest will encourage more production.
- AvantikaVerified ReviewerRated 5 out of 5 starsOct 8, 2025Prolific variety
I had excellent germination and harvest from these seeds. The plants grew to be 3-4 ft tall and produced so many eggplants that I had enough to share with friends and neighbors every week. I’m definitely going to grow them again, just going to get fewer plants going next time.
Which best describes you as a gardener? IntermediateEGEpic GardeningOct 10, 2025Hey Avantika,
Thank you so much for this fantastic 5-star review! "Prolific variety" is exactly what we love to hear about Long Purple Eggplant Seeds - and wow, having so many eggplants that you could share with friends and neighbors every week is just incredible testament to what amazing producers these plants really are!
We absolutely love that you got excellent germination AND such an abundant harvest! There's something so wonderful about those 3-4 foot tall plants just loaded with beautiful long purple eggplants week after week. The fact that you had enough to become the neighborhood eggplant hero is exactly the kind of generous productivity that makes this variety such a garden superstar.
Your "problem" of having too much success is honestly the best kind of gardening challenge to have! It's so smart that you're planning to scale back the number of plants next time - these Long Purple eggplants really do deliver such incredible yields that a little goes a long way when it comes to feeding yourself and everyone around you.
Your experience will be so inspiring for other gardeners who want to discover just how rewarding and productive Long Purple Eggplant Seeds can be, and maybe they'll learn from your generous harvest to plan their planting quantities accordingly!
Keep on growing 🌻️
- Pascal A.CA, United StatesVerified ReviewerRated 5 out of 5 starsSep 12, 2025Delicious Self standing Eggplant
I started these in the epic 4 cell trays where all 16 grew quite nicely until they were ready to be planted out. BTW: i think all the epic cell trays are freakin awesome!
If i remember correctly, it took about 5 to 8 weeks or so, until planted out. In my area, zone 9b, we had a much cooler summer than normal. Eggplants usually need a lot of warmth. I was impressed to see that this variety grew quite well even in the cooler conditions albeit slowly but steadily. Best of all, it stands up ALL by itself! You almost don't need to stake it. out of the 8 or so i planted, i'd say that most of them were able to stand up with no staking.
As for the harvests, they're generally a darker purple than pictured on the label but they are very beautiful. We steamed these and added them to a garlic soy sauce stir fry that was super delicious. Now, we did get a few unexplained results where some of them started off green and ended up yellow. they didn't taste as good - I'm not sure what happened there.
Another nice thing is that they don't just produce all at once. You get a little bit of harvest every week for several months! Wow and I didn't even have to succession sow them.
Who do you grow for? YourselfHow do you prefer to grow? In GroundEGEpic GardeningSep 15, 2025Hey Pascal,
Wow, what an incredible review! Thank you for sharing all these fantastic details about your Long Purple Eggplant experience!
We're so thrilled to hear that our Epic 4 cell trays worked perfectly for you!
We're so glad to know that they performed so well even in your cooler than normal zone 9b summer! Eggplants can definitely be picky about their heat, so the fact that yours grew steadily despite the conditions speaks volumes about this variety's resilience.
Your garlic soy sauce stir fry sounds absolutely delicious! What time is dinner?
As for those few that went from green to yellow, that can sometimes happen with environmental stress or inconsistent watering, but it sounds like the vast majority gave you those beautiful dark purple fruits you were hoping for!
Thanks so much for taking the time to share such a thorough and helpful review - it's going to help so many fellow gardeners know what to expect from these fantastic eggplants!
Keep on growing 🌻️
- Jessica P.Rated 5 out of 5 starsApr 8, 20245 Stars
Had one year of experience with growing eggplants 🍆 and excited to see my seedlings sprout this year.
Which best describes you as a gardener? Beginner - Alma H.Verified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 starsMar 26, 20245 Stars
I am waiting patiently to get their feet on the ground! Looking forward to tasting these purple slender beauties!
Which best describes you as a gardener? Beginner - John S.Rated 1 out of 5 starsOct 8, 20231 Star
Two of the plants produced a couple of small "long" Japanese style eggplant fruits. All the rest produced miniature eggplants as shown in the attached pictures.
