How do you grow egg plants realy well- I failed. - Page 2

Spatzbear · September 6, 2006

Great looking plants in those pots! Makes me want to grow at least one or two in pots, too. Hmmm.... worth a try, I guess. Thanks for this thread.

matermama · September 6, 2006

Rosa is my first eggplant , i haven't tried others yet. ROsa Bianca is very slow to grow, about one or two on each plant.
Next yr will be more varietys

best
sue

loki · July 16, 2014

London? It's not fancy fertilizer or anything like that, it's your climate. Eggplants need it hot. Warmer than tomatoes by about 5 degrees. London is not hot. I am in a short-season area, with warm to very hot days and cool nights. I use black plastic mulch (actually it's dark green now), and row covers (a moderate agrofabric that adds about 5-8 degreed F protection). I leave the row covers on till it's about 60 at night (end of June - early July usually). The combination warms up the soil early, and keeps the heat in at night. The plants are three times larger compared to not doing this! This might help you but I'm not sure even that will warm it up enough? Other than that, eggplants are easy. They do need fertilizer but nothing very different than tomatoes. They can tolerate more nitrogen since they don't stop producing fruits like tomatoes do with higher levels of N (at least for me). One other thing, but it does not sound like it's a problem for you: eggplants are not resistant to various fungal diseases that the solanaceous plants can get, whereas tomatoes and peppers do have resistant strains widely available. But these diseases are readily apparent.

loki · July 16, 2014

Another suggestion - try Kamo, a Japanese variety. It was the best for me when not using the plastic or row covers. I've probably tried to grow about 50 different eggplants! It's tolerant of moderate temps and quite early and continuously productive. Seed may be a bit difficult to find, but Kitazawa supplies them here in the US, as well as a couple others. These are also one of the best tasting eggplants I've grown.

KarenO · July 16, 2014

In my northern garden they won't grow well at all for me in the ground. I plant them in large black pots in the sunniest part of my yard and they seem to like the heat at the root zone. It think the cool soil until summertime here is why they don't like being in the ground for me. If you are having trouble in the UK, perhaps try them in a big black pot so the roots warm up early in the season. I don't grow large amounts even then but the ones I get are smooth and delicate, a real treat compared to the pithy dry old grocery store ones.
Karen

ScottinAtlanta · July 16, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by nctomatoman

My yield of peppers and eggplant are much higher grown in pots than the ground - suspect it is because of the heat factor (root zones much warmer in the pots!). Give it a try!

Same results for me. I moved to 10 gallon terracotta pots this year, and my eggplants in the pots are twice as big and more loaded than the ones in the ground. Craig says it is because of root temps, and I tend to agree.

Also, the Japanese White is the most productive for me.

peppero · July 17, 2014

I have not done well growing them in the ground and have done better in containers. I am using aged cow manure and fish fertizer used as a spray. My best one this year is in a variation of the self watering container. It is about three feet tall and is now blossoming with almost no damage from flea beatles. I am looking forward to harvest.

jon

Father'sDaughter · July 17, 2014

I only grow one variety -- Italian long violet -- in my raised beds. What I discovered is that for me the seeds I saved from my first year of growing eggplant outperform the original purchased seeds. Last year I was unsure of my saved seeds, so I started some purchased seeds as well. I ended up with both germinating and eventually going out into the garden. The plants from the saved seeds really out produced the ones from purchased seed. This year I didn't bother with the purchased seeds at all.

swamper · July 18, 2014

It's all about temperature. Soil fertility is number two, and you may need to protect from flea beetles and bean beetles.

I use low tunnels with agrofabric covers to retain heat and humidity.

Choose the longer asian varieties as they are not as dependent on heat. They are also tender so dont need to be cooked as long. Orient Express is an example.

September 6, 2006	#17
matermama Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Saint Paris, OH Posts: 143	eggplant Rosa is my first eggplant , i haven't tried others yet. ROsa Bianca is very slow to grow, about one or two on each plant. Next yr will be more varietys best sue

July 16, 2014	#18
loki Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Utah Posts: 4	Late response but I think I have the answer London? It's not fancy fertilizer or anything like that, it's your climate. Eggplants need it hot. Warmer than tomatoes by about 5 degrees. London is not hot. I am in a short-season area, with warm to very hot days and cool nights. I use black plastic mulch (actually it's dark green now), and row covers (a moderate agrofabric that adds about 5-8 degreed F protection). I leave the row covers on till it's about 60 at night (end of June - early July usually). The combination warms up the soil early, and keeps the heat in at night. The plants are three times larger compared to not doing this! This might help you but I'm not sure even that will warm it up enough? Other than that, eggplants are easy. They do need fertilizer but nothing very different than tomatoes. They can tolerate more nitrogen since they don't stop producing fruits like tomatoes do with higher levels of N (at least for me). One other thing, but it does not sound like it's a problem for you: eggplants are not resistant to various fungal diseases that the solanaceous plants can get, whereas tomatoes and peppers do have resistant strains widely available. But these diseases are readily apparent.

September 6, 2006	#16
Spatzbear Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Adelaide Hills, Australia Posts: 349	Great looking plants in those pots! Makes me want to grow at least one or two in pots, too. Hmmm.... worth a try, I guess. Thanks for this thread.

July 16, 2014	#20
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,931	In my northern garden they won't grow well at all for me in the ground. I plant them in large black pots in the sunniest part of my yard and they seem to like the heat at the root zone. It think the cool soil until summertime here is why they don't like being in the ground for me. If you are having trouble in the UK, perhaps try them in a big black pot so the roots warm up early in the season. I don't grow large amounts even then but the ones I get are smooth and delicate, a real treat compared to the pithy dry old grocery store ones. Karen

July 17, 2014	#22
peppero Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: selmer, tn Posts: 2,944	I have not done well growing them in the ground and have done better in containers. I am using aged cow manure and fish fertizer used as a spray. My best one this year is in a variation of the self watering container. It is about three feet tall and is now blossoming with almost no damage from flea beatles. I am looking forward to harvest. jon

July 17, 2014	#23
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	I only grow one variety -- Italian long violet -- in my raised beds. What I discovered is that for me the seeds I saved from my first year of growing eggplant outperform the original purchased seeds. Last year I was unsure of my saved seeds, so I started some purchased seeds as well. I ended up with both germinating and eventually going out into the garden. The plants from the saved seeds really out produced the ones from purchased seed. This year I didn't bother with the purchased seeds at all.

July 18, 2014	#24
swamper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: CT Posts: 219	It's all about temperature. Soil fertility is number two, and you may need to protect from flea beetles and bean beetles. I use low tunnels with agrofabric covers to retain heat and humidity. Choose the longer asian varieties as they are not as dependent on heat. They are also tender so dont need to be cooked as long. Orient Express is an example.