Aussie Eggplant Thread 2007

[Grub]

Here is a home for this season's eggplants. I am experimenting with overwintering and, after pruning, have more than a dozen from last season going strong with signs of emerging flowers already. It will be interesting to see how they yield.

Meantime, just a few new additions mainly courtesy of Andrey. I am really excited by these. I'm hoping to sow some more eggplants soonish, as I do love eating them.

GRUB’S EGGPLANTS 2007-08-29

From Andrey:
1. Frant mid-early purple with pointed end - 4 germinated
2. Lebidnyi – white early pear-shaped - 0 germinated
3. Torpeda – long white cylindrical dark purple fruits on indeterminate plant!! - 4 germinated
4. Zelyonenkiy – early green ellipse shaped mushroom flavour (name means green) - 3 germinated
5. Arap – vigorous plant elongated cylindrical fruit 20-25cm long purple - 6 germinated
6. Patsekha – Belarusian CV early vigorous productive purple fruits - 9 germinated


7. Diamond- Germinated - 10 germinated
8. Test of my Pink Long Tung - 15 Germinated
9. Test Rosa Bianca - 1 germinated
10. Test Waimanelo Long - 2 germinated
11. Test Listada de Gandia - 7 germinated
12. Test Almagro - 6 germinated

Second Sowing:
1b. Batu, six seeds sown. - 5 germinated
2b.Bianca di Imola, six seeds sown. - 4 germinated
3b. Lavender Touch, F1, six seeds sown. 6 germinated
4b. Antigua, six seeds sown. - 4 germinated after six weeks!
5b. Zebra F1, six (pink-coated) seeds sown. - 5 germinated
6b. New York Improved, six seeds sown. - 6 germinated

Thanks Craig .


Ends for now

[tessa]

hi grub...
i'm going to be trying out rositas and thai greens this summer.

[cosmicgardener]

Hi Tessa - I tried Rositas last year and they did very well, a bit slow to get going in the cooler weather and a bit late in the season but really nice fruits.

cosmic

[tessa]

ok, that's good info to have...thanks cosmic.

[Andrey_BY]

Great list, young father

Just 2 remarks:

2. Lebedinyi (Swan)

Almaz (means "Diamond" in English)

[Grub]

Thanks Andrey . My friend.
I made the changes to my list above.
I have some unbelievably good looking overwintered eggplants here now and one, in particular, is like a bush with lots of flowers not too far away... I think I have struck on a really good idea.
Cheers, Grub.

[tessa]

hey grub...there is legend of a eggplant tree here in freo. apparantly, an older italian (why does it seem that the italians have all the cool things in their gardens?) man has grafted eggplants onto some sort of tree stock and the thing is, apparantly, quite the spectacle.
i'll see if i can get someone to tell me where the darn thing actually is and get you a pic...in case that gives you any more ideas.

[Grub]

Sounds really interesting, Tess.
I have never grafted but I like the idea. And of perennial eggies.
My only concern is that I should have removed the plants from their pots, trimmed the roots and repacked in fresh mix. I'm hoping the fert does the same thing...
If you get the chance to take a pic of the eggplant tree do post it.
I'd like to see that.

[tessa]

hi grub...

so i went into freo, located the legendary egg tree...and snapped this pic for you:



i'm just so impressed with this garden. this guy's got heaps of stuff growing in there...and he's quite obviously brought in dirt, i mean REAL DIRT from somewhere.
it smelled glorious.
living on the coastal plain, up to my whatsit in gutless sand...it was a real treat to see this plot.

hope it gives you eggie dreams.

[Spatzbear]

Is that for real?! Amazing. I can see Grub trying to get hold of some grafting gear now.

[tessa]

absolutely, totally for real.
can you see there are a few eggies on the left side of the tree?

here's a pic of the rootstock:



i have no idea what it is.
note the rose-like woody thorns.

[Grub]

Graft and corruption... wow, thanks for posting... looks unreal and almost as good as my overwintered ones. LOL. If I post pics you will faint.

[tessa]

please.
make me faint.

[Raymondo]

I vaguely remember seeing this on the box. Did he use something like tamarillo as the rootstock? I don't remember.
A good rootstock for hardiness would be the Mountain Kangaroo Apple or Solanum linearifolium. It survives winters here so it is very hardy indeed. Another one worth considering would be the Goji Berry or Lycium barbarum. It is supposedly hardy to -20°C!

[Grub]

Thanks Ray.

I've edited my eggplant list as Craig's seeds arrived the other day.

Yahoo!