Last warm season we grow 3 varieties of eggplant which are Early Long Purple, Lebanese and Bonica. Most of the plants were perennials as this was their second summer not first. Eggplants in our garden has this habit of starting to produce in December and then they will have about 2 months break when the weather is too hot for them to produce proper bloom. Our eggplants will start to produce again end of March. Surprisingly, we have harvest of eggplants up till middle of June (early winter) two years consecutively. Our eggplants and peppers are a bit weird likes to grow in cool weather, maybe the sun is more kinder to them? The only problem with this habit is it takes a long time to wait for the fruit to mature.
Early Long Purple
Early producer and prolific. Tolerates cooler condition good for cooler region. Long and medium size fruit. Cold hardy ( no frost) and can be treated as perennial in temperate region. A nice harvest on its second year although yield is slightly reduce. Since eggplants need a long time to grow and produce, the perennials will be the ones to produce earlier. If the weather permits by end October~ November. Can grow more than 1 metre tall. Need a very deep container to grow but won't give much produce compare to the one on the patch. If growing the plant in the container first year, can be transplanted on the patch in spring when the soil is warm. When the fruits is maturing or old the skin colour will become paler. Can be a bit bitter sometime depend on the fruit maturity stage during harvest. We had too much of this eggplants when we grow them for the first time (7plants), many times we share it with neighbour and friends. Photo taken from the eggplant second summer.
Lebanese
We only have one plant and this is the plant second summer. It was growing in a small pot during its first summer and through winter near the house wall. I know I treated it badly on its first year and I still remember it gave us only 3 eggplants. Very drought-hardy, can you imagine with a small pot and the sun blazing with the temperature 40+ degree Celsius for a week many times in summer it can survive. To make amends, I transplanted this eggplant on the most sunny spot in the veggie patch in spring. This eggplant grow twice its previous height and has given us at least 20 eggplants. At the moment it still have fruits on it and more blooms this week. I am thinking of pulling up this plant to make space for cool season veggies but I reckon I should be patient and wait until it stop fruiting. Especially now when I can't be very picky as they are not much veggies to be harvested at the moment. It will at least fill in the gap. Lebanese eggplant skin are more deep purple and much more firmer when it is cooked compared with Early Long Purple. Not bitter.
Bonica
Seedling that we bought from Bunnings last spring, I wanted to try growing this big oval shape eggplant. I must admit I still like the long finger shape ones rather than the big oval shape eggplant. I am going to keep this plant for next summer and see how it will fare through winter. Hopefully the geranium plant growing next to it will be a good wind break. A very big plant.
Eggplants grow well together with capsicum.
What is your favourite eggplant variety?
I love your new header picture, very nice. Our eggplants are off to a very slow start this year but given a little time and sunny weather I hope they will eventually turn out looking more like yours do...well, that's asking a lot, I would settle for half as good as yours look.:)
ReplyDeleteYour eggplants look most happy. Here I can never grow them as they are never happy. Only the flea beetles are happy when I plant them. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI like to try your round-shaped egg-plants. They look to have more fleshy fruits. Now I grow semi-long egg-plants close to your Early long purple.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, through the past 4 days we have persistent seasonal rain(梅雨) and I wonder if too much water may cause diseases in my plants.....
So are eggplants (we call them aubergines) perennials in your part of the world. We never seem to get the to grow well and they die off in winter.
ReplyDeleteMKG,
ReplyDeleteWe love those small purple finger ones - as tempura of course. We were happy we could get those tiny pea eggplants that we use in Thai green curry. Drooling at your eggplants - balado, paceri, blanched and eat with sambal belacan, or just stir fry with basil and chili....yummm..... purrr....meow!
This is my first year growing so I'm looking forward to how the different eggplants will taste like. I like the smaller type of eggplants. The ones you get in the store in the US, are HUGE. So I tend to get either the italian or the skinnier eggplants (from the Asian store). If i can just grow them, even better! Your eggplants are beautiful:)
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed that you got 20+ fruit from one plant. That is a good crop by any standard. I don't like eating eggplant, so I don't grow them, but I have to admit that they look very pretty!
ReplyDeleteLove your heading picture what sort of beans are they?
ReplyDeleteI just love eggplants I cant wait untill I have enough to bar-b-que.
Looking forward to seeing you today if you can make the swap at Glandore 2pm.
ReplyDeleteMaggie
Sorry I don't have your email address.
I love eggplant! I think I'm growing 3 varieties this year. I've never heard of the lebanese eggplant.
ReplyDeleteOishii so desu ne...
ReplyDeleteYour eggplants are doing really well! So geram! I have sowed the seeds but nothing sprouted, and that was two weeks ago! I have never been successful in growing egg plants, it would give only one or two fruits, and then will wilt away! Envying yours! I'll try again!
ReplyDeleteYour eggplants look great. I alwyas have such a problem with flea beetles. THis year I'm trying one out of the veggie garden, in a container with flowers. We'll see if the flea beetles find them!
ReplyDeleteI think I'm the only one in the family who eats terung so I don't grow them. Might as well. Otherwise I would probably be as geram as Joyce.
ReplyDeletewow all your terung so healthy!!! ^_^
ReplyDeleteThe fairy eggplant are my favorite, the white and purple streaked one. Our plants gave us a good harvest this year, maybe try them next year? They look really pretty too.
ReplyDeleteMr. H~ Last summer was not a good eggplant year for us as night weather was cold. I had trouble growing new seedlings compare with the previous season. Glad that I kept some as perennials. Good Luck with your eggplants. As you grow many variety, I am sure you will have eggplants flowing to your kitchen. I am curious to watch how you will preserve them.
ReplyDeleteTina ~ They do look sad during middle of summer but fortunately they are hardy, it bounce back. Hope you have bountiful eggplants this year.
Takaeko~ I guess they are pro and cons with lots of water. If its raining it will help with their growing and establish fast before hot summer arrive. You don't have to water them.
Sue~ Not that many gardens treat them as perennial here. They are mostly grown as annual. Because it is believe in their second year it will produce lesser. But I am such a lazy gardener, I just left them be. Its hard for me to pull up plants that are not dead.
Cat-from-sydney~ I love the small eggplants too. I used not to like eggplants.
Charmcitybalconygarden~ I experiance the same thing. I was surprised to see eggplants in Australia are big. But I do not like the taste of it.Lucky the small finger-like ones are easily obtain from market or Asian grocery store. On the other hand, it was interesting to see that people are surprised to see that Japanese eggplants are small.
Mark~ Eggplants are pretty in the garden, giving it and ornamental look with its purple fruit hanging.
Cathy@home~ They are long-yard bean or snake bean. You will have plenty of eggplants to harvest. Perhaps will overfill your basket since you are growing so many plants.
Maggie~ Thank you. It was really a fun event.
Holly~Lebanese eggplant taste very good.
Lrong~ oishii da yo.
Joyce~Probably some insect were the cause of your plants wilted.I had eggplants with insect living inside the fruit. Since I grow them together with flowers that attract predators, I don't find fruits with hole inside it.
Wendy~Good security plan!
Kwee Peng~You would be inviting many critters if you plant terung. You might be happy for that too. and some terung for yourself as well.
CathJ~Welcome back.
Mrs Bok~I might do that.
The most common eggplant we have is similar to the Lebanese kind or may even be the same but I am unsure of the variety. The oval kind, we only use when cooking recipes from the northern part of our country although yesterday we used it for green thai curry.
ReplyDeleteEggplants are so different here in the colder north. They certainly wouldn't overwinter (nor would peppers unless brought inside) and they produce during the summer when it becomes hot enough for them. Our hot is not nearly as hot as yours is. You would laugh at what we consider hot.
ReplyDeleteI like the long think eggplants too, but this year I'm growing a round one. I guess I needed a change of pace.
That's very healthy looking eggplant! So many fruits! I should try growing them!
ReplyDeleteBom~I think in south-east asia the common eggplants are the long-finger shape ones.
ReplyDeleteDaphne~I grew up in tropical weather for 18 years but summer here is too blazing hot which is not healthy for the vegetables. We grew up knowing that vegetables need a lot of sun. So it was weird to me that we need to shade the vegetables during heat wave at first.
Malar~They look very pretty in the garden Malar, plant heaps of it!