Purple Calabash
Single source · Reviewed Sep 13, 2026
Values marked like this (estimated) are model estimates, not confirmed from a source.
Heirloom beefsteak from USA. Heavily pleated dusky purple heirloom with a high-acid, genuinely divisive flavour. Ready in about 85 days from transplant.
- Heirloom
- 85 (estimated) days to maturity (from transplant)
- Indeterminate
- Large fruit
- Challenging (estimated)
At a glance
- Fruit type
- Beefsteak 6–10 oz (170–280 g) · Pleated (estimated)
- Leaf type
- Regular leaf
- Plant height
- 6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) Tall
- Spacing
- 24 × 35 in (60 × 90 cm) (estimated)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Position
- Handles open positions
- Growing sites
- Greenhouse · Polytunnel · Open ground
- Container growing
- Not suited to pots
- Skin
-
- Purple
- Interior
-
- Purple
Plant size and habit
Tall · Indeterminate
6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) · Regular leaf
Purple Calabash 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 6–8 ft (180–240 cm).
Flavor
“Heavily pleated dusky purple heirloom with a high-acid, genuinely divisive flavour.”
Growing calendar
- Sow indoors
- Transplant out
- Harvest
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 6–8 weeks before your last frost date.
Disease resistance
No documented disease resistances — protect this variety with good airflow and crop rotation.
Uses & tags
- Fresh & salads
- Slicing
- Novelty color
- High flavor
- Rare collector
- Heirloom classic
Origin
Purple Calabash is heavily pleated and convoluted, closer in outline to a squash than a tomato, in a dusky purple that darkens almost to burgundy. The acidity is high and the flavour genuinely divisive: it is described as wine-like by admirers and as sour by everyone else.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
All photos
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Purple Calabash tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover -
A truss of Purple Calabash tomatoes -
Purple Calabash tomato plant in a garden bed with ripe fruit on the vine -
A ripe Purple Calabash tomato held in a gardener's hand -
Freshly picked Purple Calabash tomatoes -
Purple Calabash tomato sliced in the kitchen
Questions
How long does Purple Calabash take to mature?
Purple Calabash is ready in about 85 days from transplant.
Does Purple Calabash need staking?
Purple Calabash 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 6–8 ft (180–240 cm).
Can Purple Calabash be grown in a container?
Purple Calabash is better suited to open ground or a greenhouse bed than a container.
Is Purple Calabash resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for Purple Calabash.
See also
Other beefsteak varieties people put next to this one.
Grows like this one
Indeterminate, mid-late, full sun. Same support, same calendar.
