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Organic Eggplant Seeds::Listada di Gandia Eggplant
Organic Eggplant Comparison Chart
| Item Code |
Variety Name |
Heirloom |
DTM |
Color |
Shape |
Length |
Yield |
Standout Characteristics |
| 2466 |
Little Finger |
|
60 |
purple |
petite, slender |
3-6" |
med |
very slender and petite, thin skin, tender fruit, few seeds, mildly sweet flavor, intended to be harvested young |
| 2472 |
Snowy |
|
60 |
white |
slender |
7" |
med |
medium-thick skin, firm textures, holds well in cooking, delicate and sweet flavor, widely adapted, upright plant habit |
| 2470 |
Black Beauty |
|
65 |
dark purple |
bell-shaped |
5-6" |
high |
high yielding, no spines, slight ribbing, medium-thick skin, 1-3lbs, glossy |
| 2467 |
Ping Tung Long |
● |
70 |
purple |
long, slender |
12-18" |
high |
Asian, disease tolerant, prolific, yields up to 20 fruits per plant, stress-tolerant, very tender skin, plants benefit from support |
| 2475 |
Rosa Bianca |
● |
73 |
purple/white |
bulbous |
4-5" |
med/low |
Sicilian, mild and creamy taste, few seeds, no bitterness, does best with warm nights |
| 2473 |
Traviata F1 |
|
80 |
dark purple |
teardrop |
6" |
high |
Italian, no spines, abundant fruit, sets throughout season, upright plants, uniform |
| 2476 |
Falcon F1 |
|
85 |
dark purple |
teardrop |
6-7" |
high |
Italian, compact plants, long harvest window, glossy, good for field crops or high tunnel |
| 2474 |
Listada di Gandia |
|
85 |
purple/white |
egg-shaped |
6-8" |
high |
Italian, attractive, petite fruits, very productive, tender and tasty, medium-thin skin |
Organic Eggplants - Growing InformationPrintable version of this page
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Eggplant
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Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is a warm season
tender annual in the Solanaceae family
which includes peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos, potatoes and ground cherries. Eggplant
types include the familiar Italian type and the long and slender Asian type with
a thinner skin that doesn’t need to be peeled. Colors range from deep purple
to blushing lavender to stripes of orange and green.
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Soil and Nutrient Requirements
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Deep well
drained sandy loam with pH 6.5-6.8 is best. Eggplants are heavy feeders. Plants
are sensitive to nitrogen; if over fertilized, they will grow excessive
foliage and produce less fruit. Use a high phosphorous starter.
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Position
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Full sun
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Seeding Depth
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¼”
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Plant Spacing
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18-24”
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Row Spacing
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30-36” or
24” double rows on beds with 4-6’ centers.
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When to Sow
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Sow seeds
indoors 8-12 weeks before last frost date. Optimal soil temperature for
germination is 85°F. Seeds can be sown thickly into flats and then planted
into cell trays or containers after true leaves appear. Plant outdoors
when daytime temperatures are at least 65°F and night time temperatures are
above 50°F. Plastic mulch and floating row cover may be used to increase soil
and air temperatures and ward off insects.
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Frost Tolerant
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No.
Eggplants are very sensitive to cold temperatures, even more so than their
close relatives, peppers and tomatoes.
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Drought Tolerant
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Eggplants will tolerate dry conditions, but
do best with irrigation especially during flowering and fruit set.
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Heat Tolerant
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Yes
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Seed Specs
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5,500-7,500
seeds/oz (6,500 avg). M=1,000
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Seeding Rate
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7,260
plants/acre using 24” plant spacing in 24” double rows with 6’ centers.
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Harvest
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Harvest
eggplants when skin is glossy and thumbprint will not leave an impression, if
seeds are brown fruit is over-ripe. Regular harvest increases production of
fruit.
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Storage
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Store at
50-55ºF and 90% relative humidity. Will keep quality for up to one
week.
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Pest Info
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- Frequent scouting for
Colorado Potato Beetles is recommended as both adults and larvae can
quickly defoliate plants. Crop rotation, control of solanaceous weeds,
barrier trenches between old and new plantings, trap cropping, use of
straw mulch or row cover can delay or reduce CPB pressure.
- If plants are flowering but
failing to set fruit, the culprit (at least in northern regions) is
likely to be the tarnished plant bug, which particularly appreciates the
sap of eggplant and pepper flowers. Consider planting under row cover,
or where this is impractical, using a spray containing one or more of
the following: Beauveria bassiana (see Naturalis™ in the Supplies
section) pyrethrum, neem oil, or an insecticidal soap.
- Row cover is also effective against
flea beetles, which eat small holes in the leaves and can be
particularly damaging to young seedlings. Under light insect
pressure and good growing conditions, strong plants usually outgrow the
damage.
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Disease Info
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- In soils containing the
Verticillium wilt fungi (Verticillium
albo-atrum and Verticillium dahliae), long crop rotations must be
practiced to reduce severity of the disease. Avoid soils that have
grown peppers, tomatoes and strawberries. Disease starts with yellow blotches
appearing on the leaves, which then wilt and drop off, exposing the
fruit to sunburn.
- White mold (Sclerotina sclerotiorum) is a
fungal disease which produces water-soaked lesions on the fruit and
causes rotting of stem. Entire branches of the plant will wilt and
then die. White mold is typically found in areas of poor drainage.
Prevention includes increasing plant spacing to promote good air flow
and improving the soil’s capacity to absorb water through raised beds or
building organic matter over time.
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