(Photo Illustration – Backyard Gardener – MetroCreativeConnection – JJ Barrett)
Hello Mid-Ohio Valley farmers and gardeners! Temperatures have cooled off as the rain continues in the Valley. Some nighttime lows in the 40’s this week, unusual but not unheard of for late May. A big congratulations to all our local high school and college graduates as they move on to the next exciting phase of their lives.
This week I want to talk about growing eggplant. Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is a member of the Solanaceae or nightshade family, which includes tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers. It grows wild in India and South Asia has been cultivated in China and India for over 1,500 years.
When asked about eggplant, most people would describe the dark purple to black fruits we see at the grocery store. Actually, the first eggplant introduced to the United States produced white fruit, imported from Europe by Thomas Jefferson.
Eggplant can be used in numerous recipes including eggplant parmesan (a traditional Italian dish with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese) and baba ghanoush (a traditional Lebanese dish with ground-up eggplant, garlic, tahini and lemon juice similar to humus).
A useful tip when cooking is to salt and sweat eggplants before cooking. This extracts excess moisture and enhances texture and flavor. Another interesting tidbit. Wild eggplants contain a compound called solanine. Solanine is a bitter glycoalkaloid compound which serves as a natural defense mechanism against pests. Most cultivated varieties have been bred to have lower levels of solanine. However, some bitterness may still occur.
Eggplants are a tropical perennial grown as an annual that produce a bushy, vigorous plant with large leaves, woody stems and attractive flowers. Bees are attracted to the flowers and may improve both pollination and yield. Many eggplant varieties may reach heights of nearly 5 feet. Eggplants have a deep taproot to assist in dry weather conditions.
Plants are self-pollinated with the flowers staying open for two to three days. The surface of eggplant fruit is smooth and glossy but varieties differ in size and shape including round to bell-shaped, oval and elongated. Fruit colors may include yellow, green, white, purple, black, violet or a combination.
Eggplant should be transplanted when soils are 60 degrees F or after all frost danger has passed since the plants are very sensitive to cool temperatures. Transplants should be planted 24 inches apart in rows at least 3 feet apart.
Eggplant prefers fertile, well-drained soil that is high in organic matter for best growth and yield, but tolerates a broad range of soil types. It prefers a pH of 6-7 and has moderate moisture needs. They thrive in warm, dry weather but are more sensitive to low temperature injury than tomatoes and peppers. I recommend purchasing transplants, but if you cannot find a specific variety you can start seeds at home indoors about six to eight weeks before planting.
Eggplants are very versatile and can be planted in traditional gardens, raised beds or containers. It would be wise to use a stake or cages to support plants before the fruit begins to ripen, similar to tomatoes. Staking makes harvesting much easier and keeps the fruit from touching the ground, reducing disease and improves fruit shape.
When discussing varieties, there are several good ones to choose from in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors. In general, there are three types of eggplant. These include the large oval-fruited eggplant with purple skin; the oriental or Asian elongated type with purple skin; and the novelty types with fruit of various sizes, shapes, and colors, including white, lavender, green, yellow, orange, and red.
“Black Beauty” (oval, 6 -7 inches long), “Black Bell” (oval to round, 6 inches long) and “Classic” (Elongated) are recommended traditional black/purple varieties. Some of the white varieties include “Caspar” (cylindrical, 6 inches long), “Cloud Nine” (oval, 6 inches long), “Ghostbuster” (oval, 6 inches long), and “Clara” (oval shaped 5-6 inches long).
Some Asian type eggplant I recommend are “Ichiban” (narrow, 12 inches long, dark purple), “Millionaire” (slender, 10 inches long, purple black) and “Orient Charm” ( 8-10 inches long with attractive shades of fluorescent pink, pastel pink, and white).
Many pests can attack eggplants, including the Cucumber beetle, Colorado potato beetle and flea beetle. Most significant damage on yield and quality of eggplant occurs from early-season damage. Scout plants early in the season for insect damage.
Flea beetles chew small holes in the leaves of eggplants but do not feed on the fruit. Cucumber beetles and Colorado potato beetles chew the leaves and can also damage the fruit. Separate eggplants from other vegetables that may attract Cucumber beetles and Colorado potato beetles (such as potatoes and cucumbers).
Row covers can be used to prevent these insects from feeding on the plants. Remember, good pest management strategies include planting resistant varieties, rotating crops, using proper watering techniques (water at the root level), proper plant spacing, and practicing good sanitation (disposing of diseased plants).
Any product containing the active ingredient spinosad (Captain Jack’s Deadbud Brew, Colorado Potato Bug Beater) may aid in chewing insect control. Please follow label directions on any pesticide.
The first harvest of eggplants will start approximately 65 to 90 days from transplanting, depending on the variety and weather. Harvest eggplants when they are young (6 to 8 inches long) and the skin is glossy and tender. However, size is not always an indication they are ready to pick.
Hold the eggplant in your palm and gently press it with your thumb. If the flesh presses in but bounces back, it is ready. If the flesh is hard and does not give, the eggplant is immature and too young to harvest. If the thumb indentation remains, the eggplant may be over ripe and brown inside and bitter with large, tough seeds.
Fruits should be clipped from the plant, leaving about 1 inch of stem rather than pulling the fruit from the plant. Many eggplant varieties have small prickly thorns on the stem and calyx, so exercise caution.
Harvest may be done two to three times a week during peak growth, depending on the fruit size desired. Eggplant is versatile in the kitchen and can be steamed, baked, fried, grilled, boiled, sauteed, breaded and stuffed. Contact me at the Wood County WVU Extension Office 304-424-1960 or e-mail me at jj.barrett@mail.wvu.edu with questions. Good Luck and until next time, Happy Gardening!