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.
- 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.
- Kathryn S.Rated 4 out of 5 starsJun 25, 20234 Stars
These eggplant are doing well. Curious though, one is producing purple flowers w/ purple eggplant & the other white flowers w/ pale green/white eggplant. Exact same conditions and not over ripe.
