- Heirloom
- Beefsteak
- 85 (estimated) days to maturity (from transplant)
- Indeterminate
- Purple
Purple Calabash
Heirloom beefsteak from USA. Heavily pleated dusky purple heirloom with a high-acid, genuinely divisive flavour. Ready in about 85 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Sep 13, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Fruit type
- Beefsteak 6–10 oz (170–280 g) · Pleated (estimated)
Heavily pleated and convoluted, closer to a squash in outline.
- Leaf type
- Regular leaf
- Days to harvest
- 85 days (estimated) from transplant · Mid-late
- 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
- Difficulty
- Challenging (estimated) 4/5
- 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
85 (estimated) 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
- 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: some growers call it wine-like, others just sour.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
Prices rechecked dailyAll 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 do you grow a Purple Calabash plant?
A Purple Calabash plant grows 6–8 ft (180–240 cm) tall (estimated). Space plants 24 in (60 cm) apart in rows 35 in (90 cm) apart (estimated). Start seed indoors 6–8 weeks before your last frost (estimated); it germinates in 7–14 days (estimated). It needs full sun.
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.
