Starting Eggplant

daylilydude · February 12, 2007

Well i'm getting my eggplant seeds started today i'm only going for 4 plants each of :
Long Purple
White Melanzana
Rosa Bianca
Black Beauty
My wife and i are the only ones that eat it so this ought to be enough for us and the soup kitchen in town !
What varieties are you all gonna grow ?

2FrontFeet · February 12, 2007

Black Beauty for me. 2 plants. Never had it before, so this should be interesting, assuming I don't kill it first.

MawkHawk · February 12, 2007

For me, repeats from last year:

Rosa Bianca
Diamond
Little Spooky
Fairy Tale

And if Craig sends me seeds:

Machiaw and / or Orient Charm

I've only grown eggplants twice before and only once successfully (last summer).

I love eggplant a lot. My wife tolerates it and my son hates it. So I really don't know what I'll do if I end up getting a ton of fruits. Last year the yield was not overwhelming so maybe 6 plants will be OK.

montanamato · February 12, 2007

Morden Midget will be the only new one for me this year.

Repeats:
Thai Long Green (Elephant Tusk)
Ping Tung Long
Applegreen
Chinese White Sword

I am the only eggplant eater in a household of 5, but we don't ever get too many at once...I usually rob the plants of tiny ones as they grow and grill them along with whatever else is on the barbie...

Jeanne

GrowSeeds · February 12, 2007

Black Beauty

I have been thinking of Little Fingers but not finding out some information about them. I was thinking they would make a good finger snak as they can be picked at 2 to 3 inches in lenght (least wise that is my understaning) then I would like to freeze them whole (triming off the stem end) as the 2 inch length size should have about the size in circumference most say to cut your eggplant for freezing not been able to find any info on that. Anyway if they can be frozen whole at about 2 inches length once frozen wrap them in cheese and roll with a cornmeal or cracker breading with parme cheese and bake or fry in olive oil.

NOTE: circumference I think is less than 1/2 inch on the 2 inch lenght

Anyway I don't know about freezing them whole but thinking about the cheese maybe instead of wraping the cheese use maybe a wine cork thing to put a hole down the the center and stuff with cheese then wrap with cornmeal or cracker meal with perme cheese and bake or fry in olive oil.

ot - I wonder if Okra would taste good stuff with cheese and baked or fried.

gflynn · February 13, 2007

Black Beauty is a work horse for us. We grow two in pots and its good for some grilling and Eggplant Parmisan. I thought that Black Beauty was OP is that true? Is there any trick to saving the seeds?

Can anyone suggest a better equivalent?

Greg

CLa · February 13, 2007

I would think it is an heirloom if not open pollinated, should be able to save seed somehow. I curious to know if Ping Tung Long is an heirloom.

Worth1 · February 13, 2007

CLa
Some companies call it an heirloom some don’t, SSE sells it and so does TGS.
The best I can tell it is an F1 cross that is stabilized.
You can still have a hybrid that is stabilized and call it an heirloom.
As long as it meets the criteria for heirlooms.
Am I right?
And you know most seed companies won’t tell you that you can save seeds as they are in business to sell seeds.

Worth

shelleybean · February 13, 2007

Greg,

I grew up in Montgomery County, Md. and I think Black Beauty is perfect for there. You have the heat over a long season so if it's worked for you in the past, I'd say stick with it. Almost every seed catalog sells it. I have not saved eggplant seed myself so I can't answer that for you but if you choose not to save it yourself, you should have no trouble locating fresh seed through commercial sources. I believe Black Beauty was introduced sometime between 1902 and 1910 but I can't remember exactly when. I'm sure if you Google it you can get the exact year.

I gave up some eggplant real estate in my garden to make room for okra, which I haven't grown for about seven years. I'm only growing six eggplants this year. Half will be Rosita and the other half will be Apple Green, which will be new to us this year. I guess you liked Apple Green, Jeanne, if you're doing a repeat performance. The only other green one I've grown is Louisiana Long Green, which I liked a lot, but I'm looking for a different shape this year.

giardiniere · February 14, 2007

Last year I started my eggplant seedlings on Valentines Day, and will probably do the same tonight.
I'm planting three varieties; Listada de Gandia, Diamond, and Ping Tung Long. I'll probably end up planting 4-5 of each in the garden.

Grub · February 14, 2007

I have seeds for Diamond and hear good things, my Pink Long Tung are still producing, and Listada de (di or da) Gandia produced nice big ones. I'm hoping for a second flush frm them. So, great choice!

montanamato · February 14, 2007

Michele....Applegreen is good, but I grow it because in a short season it will produce...Last year was as good as it gets for warmth, and I still got very few regular sized eggplants, ao I am returning to Applegreen...If I had the luxury of growing any eggplant, I would be growing mainly large Italian types , but I settle for what I can get....

Jeanne

shelleybean · February 14, 2007

Jeanne, I figured your shorter season might be the reason for growing it. I decided to add White Beauty to my list too now so I'll have three varieties anyway. I'll start my seeds Saturday.

February 12, 2007	#1
daylilydude Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Iuka, Mississippi Zone 7b Posts: 482	Starting Eggplant Well i'm getting my eggplant seeds started today i'm only going for 4 plants each of : Long Purple White Melanzana Rosa Bianca Black Beauty My wife and i are the only ones that eat it so this ought to be enough for us and the soup kitchen in town ! What varieties are you all gonna grow ? __________________ Richard

February 12, 2007	#2
2FrontFeet Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: 6a Posts: 87	Black Beauty for me. 2 plants. Never had it before, so this should be interesting, assuming I don't kill it first. __________________ .

February 12, 2007	#3
MawkHawk Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Metro Detroit/Z6 Posts: 168	For me, repeats from last year: Rosa Bianca Diamond Little Spooky Fairy Tale And if Craig sends me seeds: Machiaw and / or Orient Charm I've only grown eggplants twice before and only once successfully (last summer). I love eggplant a lot. My wife tolerates it and my son hates it. So I really don't know what I'll do if I end up getting a ton of fruits. Last year the yield was not overwhelming so maybe 6 plants will be OK. __________________ Mark

February 13, 2007	#9
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Greg, I grew up in Montgomery County, Md. and I think Black Beauty is perfect for there. You have the heat over a long season so if it's worked for you in the past, I'd say stick with it. Almost every seed catalog sells it. I have not saved eggplant seed myself so I can't answer that for you but if you choose not to save it yourself, you should have no trouble locating fresh seed through commercial sources. I believe Black Beauty was introduced sometime between 1902 and 1910 but I can't remember exactly when. I'm sure if you Google it you can get the exact year. I gave up some eggplant real estate in my garden to make room for okra, which I haven't grown for about seven years. I'm only growing six eggplants this year. Half will be Rosita and the other half will be Apple Green, which will be new to us this year. I guess you liked Apple Green, Jeanne, if you're doing a repeat performance. The only other green one I've grown is Louisiana Long Green, which I liked a lot, but I'm looking for a different shape this year. __________________ Michele

February 14, 2007	#10
giardiniere Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Zone 6, Southeast Kansas Posts: 364	Last year I started my eggplant seedlings on Valentines Day, and will probably do the same tonight. I'm planting three varieties; Listada de Gandia, Diamond, and Ping Tung Long. I'll probably end up planting 4-5 of each in the garden. __________________ Dave

February 12, 2007	#4
montanamato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Montana Posts: 1,038	Morden Midget will be the only new one for me this year. Repeats: Thai Long Green (Elephant Tusk) Ping Tung Long Applegreen Chinese White Sword I am the only eggplant eater in a household of 5, but we don't ever get too many at once...I usually rob the plants of tiny ones as they grow and grill them along with whatever else is on the barbie... Jeanne

February 12, 2007	#5
GrowSeeds Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Somewhere in the Universe on planet Earth in the USA in Alabama - zone 8 Posts: 113	Black Beauty I have been thinking of Little Fingers but not finding out some information about them. I was thinking they would make a good finger snak as they can be picked at 2 to 3 inches in lenght (least wise that is my understaning) then I would like to freeze them whole (triming off the stem end) as the 2 inch length size should have about the size in circumference most say to cut your eggplant for freezing not been able to find any info on that. Anyway if they can be frozen whole at about 2 inches length once frozen wrap them in cheese and roll with a cornmeal or cracker breading with parme cheese and bake or fry in olive oil. NOTE: circumference I think is less than 1/2 inch on the 2 inch lenght Anyway I don't know about freezing them whole but thinking about the cheese maybe instead of wraping the cheese use maybe a wine cork thing to put a hole down the the center and stuff with cheese then wrap with cornmeal or cracker meal with perme cheese and bake or fry in olive oil. ot - I wonder if Okra would taste good stuff with cheese and baked or fried.

February 13, 2007	#6
gflynn MAGTAG™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Gaithersburg, MD Posts: 437	Black Beauty is a work horse for us. We grow two in pots and its good for some grilling and Eggplant Parmisan. I thought that Black Beauty was OP is that true? Is there any trick to saving the seeds? Can anyone suggest a better equivalent? Greg

February 13, 2007	#7
CLa Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Central Louisiana. Zone: 8 Posts: 207	I would think it is an heirloom if not open pollinated, should be able to save seed somehow. I curious to know if Ping Tung Long is an heirloom.

February 13, 2007	#8
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	CLa Some companies call it an heirloom some don’t, SSE sells it and so does TGS. The best I can tell it is an F1 cross that is stabilized. You can still have a hybrid that is stabilized and call it an heirloom. As long as it meets the criteria for heirlooms. Am I right? And you know most seed companies won’t tell you that you can save seeds as they are in business to sell seeds. Worth

February 14, 2007	#11
Grub Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 2,722	I have seeds for Diamond and hear good things, my Pink Long Tung are still producing, and Listada de (di or da) Gandia produced nice big ones. I'm hoping for a second flush frm them. So, great choice!