What are some excellent Asian Eggplants

Greatgardens · August 20, 2021

I've never grown Asian eggplant. What are some good varieties? Either hybrid or OP are fine. These will be planted in an EarthBox.

habitat_gardener · August 20, 2021

I'm growing Mitoyo for the second time, and Millionaire F1 and Kamo for the first time this year. They're all good. I'm growing two plants of each in the ground. I pick my eggplants on the small side, so I'm not sure they ever get to the size described in the catalogs.

I originally chose Mitoyo because I'd read they were sweet when ripe. It's true! even though I don't eat them raw.

Kamo has been widely touted here as a great tasting eggplant, and I finally got to try it this year. It's pretty good, and it's more productive than the other two. My two plants tend to be low and spreading, much "flatter" than any other variety I've grown.

I got Millionaire F1 as transplants because I thought I was going to have extra space in my garden. The plants are, so far, well behaved.

The Japanese eggplants are possibly creamier than the others, but I haven't paid a lot of attention to the differences. Mostly I roast whatever I have and make baba ganoush and eggplant pesto with my eggplants (16 varieties this year), so they're all mixed together.

Also, I'm growing a few Chinese varieties. The plants of Ping Tung Long are smaller than most, and it hasn't produced a lot yet. Chinese String has very long thin eggplants, sort of a novelty. Green Dragon and Xi'an Green were my favorites last year (also sweet when raw), and the plants stayed compact. This year my three GD plants are still fairly small and have produced only two eggplants. (Baker Creek was selling a variety called Shiromaru that looks similar.)

ScottinAtlanta · August 20, 2021

Millionaire is the largest producer of any Asian eggplant I have grown, and that is about a dozen. Early, productive, good mellow taste.

GoDawgs · August 30, 2021

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottinAtlanta

Millionaire is the largest producer of any Asian eggplant I have grown, and that is about a dozen. Early, productive, good mellow taste.

I'll second Scott's comments. The one here is grown in a 15 gallon bucket and puts out a ton of fruit. I quit growing any others. Plant is about 4' tall.

This year I tried Chinese String eggplant as a spring "toy" but we find we really like it. Very creamy and very productive. It will probably get another run next year.

Greatgardens · August 21, 2021

Hi Scott- is Millionaire a purple or black-skinned variety? And does it have white flesh? I've seen online photos that show it both ways. (All (regular) black-skinned regular varieties that I've grown have cream-colored flesh with a greenish layer under the skin.) What is the typical fruit size when picked at a good eating stage? Last, how tall is the plant?

ScottinAtlanta · August 23, 2021

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greatgardens

Hi Scott- is Millionaire a purple or black-skinned variety? And does it have white flesh? I've seen online photos that show it both ways. (All (regular) black-skinned regular varieties that I've grown have cream-colored flesh with a greenish layer under the skin.) What is the typical fruit size when picked at a good eating stage? Last, how tall is the plant?

Purple. White flesh. About ten-12 inches. Plant is about 2.5-3 feet tall.

Greatgardens · August 24, 2021

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottinAtlanta

Purple. White flesh. About ten-12 inches. Plant is about 2.5-3 feet tall.

Thanks!

zipcode · August 23, 2021

Mitoyo and Kurume are top in fruit quality from the Japanese ones I tried, they are quite green inside, which imo is a sign of quality not the other way around. The white ones are borderline tasteless imo and I haven't seen yet a dark skinned one that is truly white inside. Quite white inside but not fully is Black Dragon Supreme F1 which I grew this year, great variety, taste is still good, very good vigor and production but plants are still somewhat compact, nice looking fruits, with good gloss, shape, thin skin and uniform color (here you can see the advantages of a hybrid). I don't think you can find seeds for this one.

Xi'an green is a staple after growing it two years, especially suited for those with colder climates, very early, more milder, sweeter taste than the classic black ones. Certainly one of the best non-hybrids out there.

Millionaire F1 is probably a good bet for a start since everyone is praising it.

August 20, 2021	#1
Greatgardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Indiana Posts: 1,124	What are some excellent Asian Eggplants I've never grown Asian eggplant. What are some good varieties? Either hybrid or OP are fine. These will be planted in an EarthBox.

August 20, 2021	#2
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	I'm growing Mitoyo for the second time, and Millionaire F1 and Kamo for the first time this year. They're all good. I'm growing two plants of each in the ground. I pick my eggplants on the small side, so I'm not sure they ever get to the size described in the catalogs. I originally chose Mitoyo because I'd read they were sweet when ripe. It's true! even though I don't eat them raw. Kamo has been widely touted here as a great tasting eggplant, and I finally got to try it this year. It's pretty good, and it's more productive than the other two. My two plants tend to be low and spreading, much "flatter" than any other variety I've grown. I got Millionaire F1 as transplants because I thought I was going to have extra space in my garden. The plants are, so far, well behaved. The Japanese eggplants are possibly creamier than the others, but I haven't paid a lot of attention to the differences. Mostly I roast whatever I have and make baba ganoush and eggplant pesto with my eggplants (16 varieties this year), so they're all mixed together. Also, I'm growing a few Chinese varieties. The plants of Ping Tung Long are smaller than most, and it hasn't produced a lot yet. Chinese String has very long thin eggplants, sort of a novelty. Green Dragon and Xi'an Green were my favorites last year (also sweet when raw), and the plants stayed compact. This year my three GD plants are still fairly small and have produced only two eggplants. (Baker Creek was selling a variety called Shiromaru that looks similar.) Last edited by habitat_gardener; August 20, 2021 at 07:44 PM.

August 21, 2021	#5
Greatgardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Indiana Posts: 1,124	Hi Scott- is Millionaire a purple or black-skinned variety? And does it have white flesh? I've seen online photos that show it both ways. (All (regular) black-skinned regular varieties that I've grown have cream-colored flesh with a greenish layer under the skin.) What is the typical fruit size when picked at a good eating stage? Last, how tall is the plant? Last edited by Greatgardens; August 23, 2021 at 06:42 AM.

August 20, 2021	#3
ScottinAtlanta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 2,593	Millionaire is the largest producer of any Asian eggplant I have grown, and that is about a dozen. Early, productive, good mellow taste.

August 23, 2021	#8
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	Mitoyo and Kurume are top in fruit quality from the Japanese ones I tried, they are quite green inside, which imo is a sign of quality not the other way around. The white ones are borderline tasteless imo and I haven't seen yet a dark skinned one that is truly white inside. Quite white inside but not fully is Black Dragon Supreme F1 which I grew this year, great variety, taste is still good, very good vigor and production but plants are still somewhat compact, nice looking fruits, with good gloss, shape, thin skin and uniform color (here you can see the advantages of a hybrid). I don't think you can find seeds for this one. Xi'an green is a staple after growing it two years, especially suited for those with colder climates, very early, more milder, sweeter taste than the classic black ones. Certainly one of the best non-hybrids out there. Millionaire F1 is probably a good bet for a start since everyone is praising it.