Turkish Orange
Solanum melongena 'Turkish Orange'
An exotic heirloom variety that produces stunning small, round fruits that start green and ripen to a beautiful bright orange color. These golf ball-sized eggplants are not only ornamental but also deliciously sweet and creamy when cooked, making them perfect for stuffing or unique culinary presentations. This conversation-starter variety brings both beauty and flavor to any garden.
Harvest
75-85d
Days to harvest
Sun
Full sun
Zones
9–12
USDA hardiness
Height
2-4 feet
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Turkish Orange in USDA Zone 7
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Turkish Orange · Zones 9–12
Growing Details
Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar
| Zone | Indoor Start | Transplant | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | May – May | July – August | — | October – August |
| Zone 2 | April – May | June – July | — | September – September |
| Zone 11 | January – January | January – February | — | April – June |
| Zone 12 | January – January | January – February | — | April – June |
| Zone 13 | January – January | January – February | — | April – June |
| Zone 3 | April – April | June – July | — | September – October |
| Zone 4 | March – April | June – June | — | August – October |
| Zone 5 | March – March | May – June | — | August – October |
| Zone 6 | March – March | May – June | — | August – October |
| Zone 7 | February – March | April – May | — | July – September |
| Zone 8 | February – February | April – May | — | July – September |
| Zone 9 | January – January | March – April | — | June – August |
| Zone 10 | January – January | February – March | — | May – July |
Succession Planting
Turkish Orange keeps producing on the same plant through the season — you don't succession sow it the way you would lettuce or radishes. Start seeds indoors 8–10 weeks before your last frost (mid-February to early March for zone 7), transplant once nights are reliably above 55°F, and that single planting carries you through July–September harvest. One round per season is the standard approach.
Complete Growing Guide
Turkish Orange eggplants demand consistent warmth—start seeds indoors 8–10 weeks before your last spring frost, as they need sustained soil temperatures above 70°F to germinate reliably. Unlike larger eggplant varieties, these compact plants mature quickly in 75–85 days but are prone to blossom-end rot in irregular watering conditions, so maintain evenly moist soil throughout the season. Their smaller stature means less nutrient demand, but they still require full sun and well-draining, fertile soil rich in organic matter. Watch closely for spider mites, which favor the hot, dry conditions these heat-loving plants prefer. The key practical advantage: their golf ball size means you can harvest them at the green stage for milder flavor or wait for full orange ripeness, giving you flexibility in the kitchen that standard eggplants don't offer. Stake plants early since the fruit-laden branches can bend unexpectedly.
Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day). Soil: Loam (Silt), Sand. Soil pH: Acid (<6.0). Drainage: Good Drainage, Moist. Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.. Spread: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.. Spacing: 3 feet-6 feet. Growth rate: Medium. Maintenance: Medium. Propagation: Seed.
Harvesting
Harvest Turkish Orange eggplants when they reach their characteristic bright orange hue and golf ball size, typically around two to three inches in diameter, as the skin should feel firm yet slightly yielding to gentle pressure. Pick fruits before they become fully mature and develop a dull appearance, which indicates overripeness and potential bitterness. This variety produces continuously throughout the season, so regular harvesting every few days encourages more blooms and fruit development rather than allowing a single large harvest. Timing your picks in early morning when temperatures are cool helps preserve the fruit's delicate texture and sweet flavor profile, ensuring the best culinary results for stuffing or presentation.
The fruit is a berry that is egg-shaped, smooth and has glossy skin. The fruit may measure 4 to 8 inches long. It ranges in color from green to white, to purple-black when immature and when it should be eaten. As the fruit matures it gets stringy and bitter. Fruit contains numerous small, flat, pale yellow to brown seeds.
Color: Black, Gold/Yellow, Green, Purple/Lavender, White. Type: Berry. Length: > 3 inches.
Garden value: Edible, Showy
Harvest time: Fall, Summer
Edibility: The immature fruit is edible and best used in food preparation. As the fruit matures, it becomes stringy and bitter. The fruits are usually cooked and served as a vegetable. They may be prepared and eaten by frying, steaming, grilling, roasting, or stewing. They may also be stir-fried, pickled, stuffed, and fried with a light breading.
Storage & Preservation
Fresh Turkish Orange eggplants store best at room temperature for 3-5 days, developing optimal flavor and texture when not refrigerated immediately after harvest. If you must refrigerate, place in the crisper drawer wrapped in perforated plastic bags, where they'll keep for up to one week—longer storage results in bitter flavors and tough skin.
For preservation, these small eggplants excel when pickled whole or halved, maintaining their firm texture and sweet flavor beautifully. Blanch halved fruits for 4 minutes, then freeze in freezer bags for up to 8 months—perfect for winter stuffing recipes. You can also roast them whole until tender, then puree and freeze in ice cube trays for easy additions to sauces and soups.
Dehydrating sliced Turkish Orange creates excellent chips for snacking or rehydrating in stews. Their low moisture content compared to larger eggplants makes them ideal candidates for oil-packed preserves, similar to sun-dried tomatoes.
History & Origin
The origins of Turkish Orange eggplant remain largely undocumented in formal breeding records, though the variety's name and characteristics suggest roots in Turkish heirloom gardening traditions where small, ornamental eggplants have been cultivated for centuries. Like many heirloom eggplant varieties, Turkish Orange likely emerged through generations of seed-saving among Turkish farmers who selected for distinctive appearance and culinary quality. The variety gained broader recognition through the global heirloom seed movement of the late twentieth century, when seed companies and heritage gardeners began cataloging and distributing traditional cultivars from Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions. Without confirmed breeder attribution or introduction date, Turkish Orange represents the collective agricultural heritage of Turkish eggplant cultivation rather than a single documented breeding achievement.
Origin: China South-Central, Laos, Malaya, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
Advantages
- +Striking bright orange fruits serve as dual-purpose ornamental and edible garden plants.
- +Sweet, creamy flesh with minimal bitterness appeals to eggplant skeptics.
- +Golf ball-sized fruits perfect for elegant individual stuffing and gourmet plating.
- +Moderate difficulty makes variety accessible to gardeners with some experience.
- +Quick 75-85 day maturity allows harvesting within single growing season.
Considerations
- -Susceptible to multiple wilts including verticillium and fusarium wilt diseases.
- -Vulnerable to flea beetles, Colorado potato beetles, and hornworms simultaneously.
- -Small fruit size limits yield volume compared to standard eggplant varieties.
- -Requires consistent warmth and may struggle in cool or inconsistent climates.
Companion Plants
Basil and French marigolds (Tagetes patula) are the two worth planting deliberately close. Basil stays shallow-rooted and short enough that it doesn't compete for water at the 18–24 inch spacing Turkish Orange needs. The marigolds do real work against root-knot nematodes — NC State Extension is specific that a solid planting is required, not a handful scattered around, so don't bother with two or three plants in the corner. Nasturtiums are worth including as a trap crop for aphids; they'll draw colonies away from the eggplant itself, and you can just pull the infested nasturtium stems when they get bad. Peppers and tomatoes are fine neighbors in terms of water and space, though they share the same wilt pathogens, so if Verticillium has shown up in that bed, all three are at risk together.
Fennel is allelopathic and stunts most vegetables growing near it — keep it at least 4–5 feet away or out of the kitchen garden entirely. Black walnut produces juglone, a compound that's toxic to Solanaceae; eggplant planted anywhere near the root zone will decline and die, often before you figure out why. Beans aren't directly harmful, but planting them adjacent to eggplant undercuts your rotation plan — legumes are most useful cycling through the beds where nightshades aren't.
Plant Together
Basil
Repels aphids, spider mites, and whiteflies while potentially improving eggplant flavor
Tomatoes
Share similar growing requirements and pest management needs as nightshade family members
Peppers
Compatible nightshades with similar soil and watering needs, can share space efficiently
Marigolds
Repel nematodes, aphids, and whiteflies while attracting beneficial insects
Nasturtiums
Act as trap crops for aphids and cucumber beetles, drawing pests away from eggplant
Oregano
Deters aphids and spider mites while providing ground cover and pest control
Parsley
Attracts beneficial insects like hoverflies and parasitic wasps that control eggplant pests
Hot Peppers
Natural pest deterrent that repels various insects while sharing similar care requirements
Keep Apart
Black Walnut
Produces juglone toxin that inhibits nightshade family growth and can kill eggplants
Fennel
Releases allelopathic compounds that stunt growth and inhibit development of eggplants
Beans
Different nutrient needs and growth habits can lead to competition and reduced yields for both crops
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving. % Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet. Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC #169103)
Pests & Disease Resistance
Resistance
Moderate disease resistance, benefits from good air circulation
Common Pests
Flea beetles, Colorado potato beetle, aphids, hornworms
Diseases
Verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, bacterial spot, anthracnose
Troubleshooting Turkish Orange
What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.
Small, irregular pits and holes scattered across leaves, especially on young transplants in the first 3 weeks after setting out
Likely Causes
- Flea beetles (Epitrix fuscula) — tiny, fast-jumping insects that overwinter in soil and debris and hit eggplant hard in spring
- Transplants set out before they're well established, making them slower to outgrow the damage
What to Do
- 1.Cover transplants immediately with row cover (Agribon AG-15 or similar) and leave it on until plants hit 12 inches tall — flea beetles are worst on small, stressed plants
- 2.Keep the bed clear of weeds, which harbor adult beetles over winter
- 3.If pressure is severe, apply spinosad as a contact spray in the early morning when beetles are active
Fruit develops a dry, sunken, dark brown or black spot on the blossom end, sometimes with a moldy overgrowth
Likely Causes
- Blossom-end rot — calcium deficiency in developing fruit, triggered by uneven soil moisture rather than low calcium in the soil
- Overfertilization with high-nitrogen fertilizers pushing rapid vegetative growth at the expense of fruit development
- Soil pH outside the 6.2–7.0 range, which limits calcium uptake regardless of what's in the ground
What to Do
- 1.Mulch heavily before dry spells hit and water on a consistent schedule; NC State Extension identifies fluctuating moisture as the primary trigger
- 2.Test your soil and lime to 6.5–6.8 if needed; back off high-nitrogen fertilizers once the first fruits are setting
- 3.Pick off affected fruit — it won't recover — and correct watering before the next flush sets
Plant wilts during the day even with adequate water, then collapses entirely over 1–2 weeks; cross-section of the stem base shows brown discoloration in the vascular tissue
Likely Causes
- Verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae) or Fusarium wilt — soil-borne fungi that colonize vascular tissue and shut down water movement
- History of nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes) in the same bed, which builds up fungal load in the soil over successive seasons
What to Do
- 1.Pull and trash the plant — there's no in-season fix once vascular wilt takes hold
- 2.Rotate this bed out of all nightshades for at least 3 seasons; NC State Extension notes that keeping a plot fallow for a year can break a disease cycle
- 3.If wilt has hit the same spot repeatedly, solarize in summer with clear plastic sheeting held down at the edges for 4–6 weeks before replanting
Frequently Asked Questions
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Growing Guides from Wind River Greens
Where to Buy Seeds
Sources & References
External authority sources used in compiling this guide.
See the Methodology page for how this data is sourced, what's AI-assisted, and known limitations.