Eggplant continental seeds

Medium tall, spreading open-pollinated variety

The variety is ideal for growing in many growing areas but performs best in warm areas.

Plant features:

·         The plant has the ability to withstand harsh growing conditions.

·         Fruits are solitary, large blackish purple, glossy skinned of excellent quality.

·         Maturity: Harvesting starts 65 days after transplanting

·         Yield potential: Average 20 – 25 tons/acre under good agronomic practice

·         Very early open-pollinated variety with good vigor and fruit color

Irrigation:

Try growing eggplants in raised beds. Plants given plenty of room are healthier and more productive, so space them 2½ to 3 feet apart in all directions. Water well, pour 1 to 2 cups of compost around each plant and firm the soil gently.

Mulch immediately after transplanting, and gently hand pull any invading weeds.

Interplant an early crop, such as lettuce, between the eggplant transplants. When the first set of flowers emerges, pinch them off. In addition to making the plant develop several fruiting branches, this will encourage the plant to put more energy into creating leaves and roots instead of one big fruit.

To keep plants upright and fruit clean and intact, stalk plants with bamboo poles.

Weeding around the young transplants is essential. Weeds will outcompete eggplants until warm summer temperatures come. Stay on top of weeds by regularly hand-pulling or carefully weeding with a hoe or cultivator. Once the soil is warmed up, a mulch of straw or compost can be used. Grass clippings make a good anti-weed barrier, too.

Pests and diseases and control:

Flea beetles, which chew many tiny holes in leaves, are eggplant’s worst pest. When eggplants are grown in container that are at least a foot-and-a-half off the ground, the flea beetles don’t seem to find them as easily.

Hand pick and destroy yellow-and-black-striped Colorado potato beetles and the yellow masses of eggs they lay on leaf undersides.

Tiny spider mites cause yellow-stippled leaves; control these pests by knocking them off the plant with a spray of water.

The most common eggplant disease is Verticillium wilt. Avoid it by planting resistant cultivars and by rotating crops.

Placing a floating row cover over seedlings right after planting offers a twofold benefit. It forms a physical barrier between the plants and insect pests, and the row cover acts as a greenhouse, heating the air around the plants above the ambient temperature.

Fertilization:

Start by working lots of compost into the soil, plus 2 to 3 pounds of a complete fertilizer like 15-5-10 per 100 sq. ft. If you prefer, use an organic fertilizer like blood meal, well-rotted manure.