- Open-pollinated
- Slicer
- 78 days to maturity (from transplant)
- Indeterminate
- Bicolor
Long Keeper
Open-pollinated slicer from USA, 1979. Bicolor slicer known for storing and slowly ripening after harvest. Ready in about 78 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Sep 19, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Fruit type
- Slicer 5–8 oz (140–220 g) · Oblate
- Leaf type
- Regular leaf
- Days to harvest
- 78 days from transplant · Mid-late
- Plant height
- 5–8 ft (150–240 cm) Tall
- Spacing
- 24 × 39 in (60 × 100 cm) (estimated)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Position
- Handles open positions
- Growing sites
- Greenhouse · Polytunnel · Open ground · Container
- Container growing
- Not suited to pots
- Difficulty
- Easy-moderate (estimated) 2/5
- Skin
-
- Bicolor
- Interior
- Not recorded
Plant size and habit
Tall · Indeterminate
5–8 ft (150–240 cm) · Regular leaf
Long Keeper is an indeterminate plant that keeps growing and setting fruit until frost; it needs a stake, cage, or trellis for the whole season. Expect a plant of 5–8 ft (150–240 cm).
Flavor
“Bicolor slicer known for storing and slowly ripening after harvest.”
Growing calendar
78 days from transplant Mid-late
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 6–8 (estimated) weeks before your last frost date. Look up your last frost date by ZIP code →
Disease resistance
No documented disease resistances — protect this variety with good airflow and crop rotation.
Uses & tags
- Fresh & salads
- Slicing
Origin
A bicolor slicer picked green-mature and stored indoors, known for ripening slowly over several months after harvest.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
Prices rechecked dailyAll photos
Questions
How do you grow a Long Keeper plant?
A Long Keeper plant grows 5–8 ft (150–240 cm) tall. Space plants 24 in (60 cm) apart in rows 39 in (100 cm) apart (estimated). Start seed indoors 6–8 weeks before your last frost (estimated); it germinates in 6–10 days (estimated). It needs full sun.
How long does Long Keeper take to mature?
Long Keeper is ready in about 78 days from transplant.
Does Long Keeper need staking?
Long Keeper is an indeterminate plant that keeps growing and setting fruit until frost; it needs a stake, cage, or trellis for the whole season. Expect a plant of 5–8 ft (150–240 cm).
Can Long Keeper be grown in a container?
Long Keeper is better suited to open ground or a greenhouse bed than a container.
Is Long Keeper resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for Long Keeper.
