Purple King
About this variety
Purple King is an F1 hybrid eggplant bred for big, glossy fruit — large, oval, glossy purple fruit averaging 9 to 10.5 ounces, with good taste and keeping quality. The plant is semi-spreading with heavy branching, so give it room to fill out rather than training it narrow.
Its standout trait is a compact, non-spiny calyx, a real handling advantage over thornier brinjal types (light gloves are still good practice). Harvest at the glossy, tender stage — before the skin dulls and the seeds harden — for the best eating quality. As a warm-season nightshade, it's started indoors and transplanted after the soil warms.
Grow guide
How to grow
Start in the nursery
Sow ¼–½" deep in trays or a fine-tilth bed and keep consistently moist but never waterlogged (damping-off is the main nursery risk — good airflow and drainage help). Seedlings are ready in about 4–5 weeks, at 5–6" tall with 3–4 true leaves; harden off before transplanting. Seed rate is about 51–61 g/acre.
Transplant & spacing
Transplant in the evening or on a cloudy day and water in immediately. Space roughly 35"×30" (35"×35" in heavier soil) to give this semi-spreading, heavily branching plant room. Handle roots gently and firm the soil around the base.
Feeding
Eggplant is a heavy feeder over a long season — unlike the bean lines, it benefits from sustained, season-long fertility. Base rates on a soil test; feed at transplanting, then at intervals as it sets and matures fruit.
Watering
Water regularly and deeply, and don't let the crop dry out between waterings — inconsistent moisture stresses the plant and can hurt fruit set. Mulch to keep soil moisture even and suppress weeds.
Harvest
First picking at 80–85 days from seed — roughly 6–7 weeks in the field after transplant. Pick at the glossy, tender stage; mature fruit turns dull with harder seeds. Light gloves are still good practice even with the less-spiny calyx.
For farms
- Seed rate is about 51–61 g/acre.
For home growers
One packet has 15–20 seeds. Start seeds indoors 4–5 weeks before your last frost, ¼–½ inch deep, somewhere warm or on a heat mat. When seedlings have 3–4 true leaves, harden them off for a week, then plant out after your last frost, once the soil is 65°F or warmer, 30–35 inches apart, or one plant per 5-gallon pot. Eggplant is a heavy feeder: mix compost into the hole and feed every 3–4 weeks. Water deeply and regularly; don't let the soil dry out between waterings. Stake plants once fruit sets. Pick when the skin is glossy; dull skin means the seeds have hardened.
Start indoors · transplant after last frost, soil 65°F+
| Zones 9–11 | Sow Feb–Mar | |
| Zone 8 | Sow late Mar–Apr | |
| Zones 6–7 | Sow late Apr–May | |
| Zones 3–5 | Late May–Jun |
| Zones 9–11 | S. California, S. & central Florida, S. Texas, Gulf Coast, Arizona low desert, Hawaii |
| Zone 8 | Coastal Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, central Texas, coastal Pacific NW, interior California |
| Zones 6–7 | Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mid-Atlantic (PA/MD/NJ), Ohio Valley |
| Zones 3–5 | Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, New England, upstate New York, high Mountain West |
Seed treatment & handling
Untreated seed is available for no-spray and organic operations. For conventional growing, we also offer seed with a standard treatment that adds protection against soil pests and disease while it germinates and in the first weeks after sowing.
Good to know before you buy
- This is an F1 hybrid — saved seed won't breed true, so buy fresh seed each season.
- It's a transplanted crop — budget ~4–5 weeks of nursery time and plan around the full 80–85 day seed-to-harvest timeline.
- Rotate away from tomato, pepper, and potato ground where possible, since these nightshades share several diseases.
Sourcing
Sourced from Ankur Seeds, India. Packaged & distributed by Harvest Goals LLC, Fremont, CA · +1 (650) 305-5334.
Origin India · F1 Hybrid · Non-GMO · For planting purposes only, not for human consumption.