A beautiful vegetable with lovely, lavender blossoms pretty enough to grow in the flower garden. Black Beauty has set the standard since 1902 for large, high-quality fruit. Outstanding when harvested at their peak, the skin is tender, so no need to peel it. A widely used international food; there are countless recipes from Italy to China to Russia and beyond. This packet yields approximately 24 plants when started indoors.

When to sow outside: Not recommended.

2 to 4 weeks after your average last frost date, when soil temperature is at least 70F, ideally 80-90F, and when outside night air temperature is above 60F.

When to start inside: RECOMMENDED.

10 to 12 weeks before your average last frost date. Transplant outdoors 1 to 2 weeks after last frost, when soil temperature is at least 60F, and outside night air temperature is above 60F.