Long Purple Eggplant – 20 Seeds

Long Purple Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is sometimes also called Fingerling or Long Purple Italian. Long Purple Eggplant seeds produce stocky, productive plants that bear four or more fruits per plant. The fruits are dark purple and club shaped 20-25cm long and around 6cm in diameter. The flesh is firm and mild in flavor, and it’s lovely when cooked, taking on the flavors it is cooked with. This old heirloom variety arrived in American gardens back in the 1850s.

Indoor Sowing: Late Winter and Early Spring.

Direct Sowing: Spring and Early Summer.

• Eggplants grow fastest when temperatures are between 21 and 30°C and grow very slowly during cooler weather.
• Although usually grown as an annual, the plant can be grown as a perennial in areas with mild winters, by pruning the plant back in Late Autumn or Early Winter. In areas with very cold winters, potted plants can be placed indoors or in a greenhouse during winter.
• Direct Sow in Spring to Mid-Summer or start seeds indoors in Late Winter to Early Spring.
• Surface sow the Eggplant Seeds in 5 – 10cm pots and cover with a thin layer of soil or seed starter mix.
• Keep the soil evenly moist and place the pots in a sunny location protected from harsh rays.
• Germination takes about 14 days.
• Harden off the plants before transplanting them in a sunny location of the garden.
• Eggplants can also be successfully grown in containers. If you’re growing eggplant in pots, use a dark-colored container that will absorb more sunlight.
• Eggplant will fall over once loaded with fruit, so be sure to stake tall plants or use a cage to keep the plants upright.
• If growing eggplant in containers, stake the stems before the fruit forms.