🌿 Purple Plant Power: What Gives Plants Their Purple Hue?

 

The purple color in plants is primarily due to anthocyanins, a group of water-soluble pigments belonging to the flavonoid family. These pigments range in color from red to blue, depending on the pH level within the plant tissue. Anthocyanins serve several roles:

Attract pollinators

Protect against UV radiation

Act as natural antioxidants

🥗 Nutritional Advantages of Purple Plants

Purple vegetables are not just eye-catching—they’re health-boosting:

High in antioxidants, particularly anthocyanins

It may help reduce inflammation

Support heart and brain health

It may help lower the risk of some cancers

Promote better vision and skin health

🍆 Fruits & Vegetables with Purple Varieties

Many everyday produce items have purple counterparts. Here's a list, along with notes on whether they are natural, selectively bred, or hybridized. Other vegetables-- some not common in North America-- are listed below the types we are more familiar with:

1. 🍅 Tomatoes

Purple Variety: Indigo Rose, Black Krim

Hybridization: Some varieties are bred with wild tomato species to boost anthocyanin content.

Care Tips: Same as regular tomatoes. No special fertilizer needs, but full sun enhances anthocyanin production.

2. 🥕 Carrots

Purple Variety: Cosmic Purple, Purple Haze

Origin: Carrots were originally purple before orange became dominant.

Care Tips: Standard carrot care. Purple types benefit from slightly acidic soil for optimal color.

3. 🥬 Cabbage

Purple Variety: Red cabbage (technically more purple)

Care Tips: Same as green cabbage; however, pH affects color. More alkaline soil can shift pigments toward blue-green.

4. 🥬 Cauliflower

Purple Variety: Graffiti, Purple Head

Care Tips: Sensitive to heat; mulch and water well. Color intensity improves in cooler temps.

5. 🥔 Potatoes

Purple Variety: Purple Majesty, All Blue

Care Tips: Purple potatoes may need a few extra days to mature. Grow in well-drained, loose soil to prevent scab.

6.  🌿Asparagus

Purple Variety: Purple Passion

Hybridization: Selectively bred for color and sweetness.

Care Tips: Same as green asparagus, but slightly higher sugar content means faster cooking times.

7.🍠  Sweet Potatoes

Purple Variety: Okinawan (inside), Stokes Purple

Care Tips: Needs a long, warm growing season. They require sandy, well-drained soil and consistent moisture.

8. 🫘  Beans

Purple Variety: Royal Burgundy (bush), Purple Teepee

Care Tips: Turns green when cooked. Grows in similar conditions to green beans but may have shorter harvest windows.

9. 🌽 Corn

Purple Variety: Black Aztec, Glass Gem (multicolored with purple)

Origin: Heirloom types; rich in anthocyanins and other polyphenols.

Care Tips: Same as yellow corn. Space adequately to avoid cross-pollination if growing multiple varieties.

10. 🫑 Peppers

Purple Variety: Purple Beauty, Lilac Bell

Care Tips: Needs full sun to bring out vibrant purple. Ripens from green → purple → sometimes red or black.

11. 🥬 Kale

Purple Variety: Redbor, Scarlet Kale

Care Tips: Cold-enhanced color. Anthocyanin production increases with frost.

12. 🌿Basil

Purple Variety: Dark Opal, Purple Ruffles (slower growing)

Care Tips: Prefers warm temps like green basil. Less robust growth, so consider succession planting.

🍆 Eggplant
🧅 Purple Onions
🥬 Purple Lettuce (like Merlot or Outrageous)

🧄 Purple Garlic (varieties like Purple Stripe or Creole)

🥒 Purple Kohlrabi
🥗 Purple Mustard Greens
🌱 Purple Mizuna
🥦 Purple Broccoli (like Violet Queen)
🍠 Ube (Purple yam, common in Filipino cuisine)

⚠️ Downsides or Considerations

Cooking color loss: Many purple vegetables (like beans and cauliflower) lose color when boiled or steamed.

Taste difference: Some purple veggies are slightly sweeter or more bitter.

Lower yields: A few varieties, especially heirlooms, may produce less than their green or orange counterparts.

Market confusion: Consumers may be unfamiliar with purple types, impacting sales for gardeners or small farmers.

🌱 Do Purple Plants Need Different Fertilizer or Care?

Generally, purple plants do not require drastically different fertilizer regimens. However:

Sunlight matters: Full sun encourages better pigment development.

Cool temps: Some purple plants (like kale or cabbage) deepen in color with colder weather.

Soil pH: Affects pigment expression in some crops (notably cabbage and carrots).

💡 Many of these varieties aren’t just purple on the outside—some pack their vibrant hues all the way through, making for stunning dishes and potent nutrition.

I have grown several different purple vegetables in my garden over the years including beans, onions, tomatoes, carrots, kale, lettuce, peppers, broccoli, basil, and of course, beets. Our son introduced us to increasing anthocyanins in our garden (our lives).  I don't find that there is much appreciable flavour difference in either green/orange or purple vegetables of the same type, but I do love the beautiful purple colours-- I have always loved purple, and worn it far before my becoming a little old lady.

This year I am trying purple asparagus. 

Have you tried purple vegetables? If so, which ones, and what do you think about them? Which ones are you thinking about growing this garden year? Let us know in the comments below.  Best of health, and happy gardening!

You might also enjoy these articles in Organic Granny:

Strawberries: Growing, Harvesting, Enjoying

10 Important Tools for Sustainable Gardening

Growing Asparagus Sustainably and 3 Irresistable Recipes

Effortless Raised Bed & Container

Vegetable Gardening for Beginners

by Grace Willow

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