Hybrid vs OP Eggplant?

[Greatgardens]

For years, I struggled with growing eggplant. My problem was verticillium wilt. In a good year, I'd get a few Black Beauty fruit. In a bad year, I'd get none! Then I tried a few hybrids. Most were no better than BB, but then I grew Harris' Classic hybrid, and it was definitely an improvement -- even in a bad year I was getting some. Then I tried Nadia F1, and it performed about the same as Classic. Then I tried growing the eggplants in a tub. Wow! Eggplants every year! Finally I tried them in an EarthBox -- " double wow!" Lots of egplants, every year. But...

I've grown a number of eggplant types in EBs, both hybrid and OP. To me, the best are the lighter-colored F1 types. They seem to have thinner skins, and are easier to peel, and are less bitter, to boot. Earliest and best producer -- Burpee's Early Midnight (dark type, thicker skin). Lots of good later types, but Purple Rain was another good one from Burpee (no longer available, I think).

Black Beauty does well, but that is the only OP that I've grown successfully, even in an EB. Other OPs have not been successful. I have probably grown a half-dozen, and all failures, producing fruit that are stunted versions of the catalog descriptions. I've never tried Asian types, BTW.

So, do you have success with OP eggplants? If so, what varieties are they. What is your climate, and when do you set them out? Do you grow in containers?

[PlainJane]

I grow primarily in smart pots or knockoffs because of the poor soil here in Florida. I grow both OP and F1 eggplant each year, typically 5-6 plants total. For OP I like Prosperosa and Listada de Gandia. For F1 Diamond.
For me the trick is even watering and harvesting young. The OP varieties have a tendency to turn seedy and tough more easily than the F1s. I’m growing in pretty extreme conditions here with relentless heat and humidity.
This year I’m adding Louisiana Long Green to the mix; we’ll see!

[peebee]

After an initial attempt at growing eggplants in-ground, I started to grow them in pots as I read that they do better in them. But they never produced well until they were grown in EBs. So that is the only way I grow them now & I grow only the darker Asian types. I plant 4 to 5 per box. My climate is so-called Mediterranean, in S. CA.

[AZGardener]

I grow mostly in containers due to RKN and poor native soil. Listada de Gandia, Rosa Bianca, Ping Tung, Bangladeshi Long, and Rosita have done well for me. This year I'm going to try Kamo, it's new to me.
My climate is hot and dry most of the year.

[MissS]

I grow mostly in containers due to RKN and poor native soil. Listada de Gandia, Rosa Bianca, Ping Tung, Bangladeshi Long, and Rosita have done well for me. This year I'm going to try Kamo, it's new to me.
My climate is hot and dry most of the year.

I really like Kamo. It's a wonderful variety and I hope that you enjoy it as much as my household does.

[Greatgardens]

Has anyone successfully grown OP "Casper," and what did you think of it? (Available at Heritage Seed Market, and others.) I've grown White Star and a couple of other white F1's. The only issue I've seen with those is that they can turn yellowish in a hurry if not picked promptly.

[Gardadore]

Eggplants have always been a challenge until I started using EB’s. My eggplants do best in those. Love Casper! Never really paid attention to whether my varieties were hybrid or OP. Just happy when the plants give me a few eggplants each season!
Last summer tried Mitoyo and was very pleased with size, flavor and productivity. Diamond has also done well. I still need to work on getting the right amount of nutrients since I know I could do better. In ground was a dismal failure. Louisiana Long Green is a very nice eggplant as well.

[Ginger2778]

This year I grew 3 OPs, and all were in 7 gallon pots, with a plastic sheet under them to keep nematodes out. I went to Greece last year, so I picked up Tsakoniki, an elongated but plump purple striped one, and Violetta Lunga, an italian one, plus some Black Beauty seeds at Home Depot - Ferry Morse. All grew and produced well, still are, but the FM seeds gave me a small round black one.
I have a medium humid mild climate in the winter when I grow them. Summer here - fuggedaboudit!
They were so successful this year that I will grow the 2 Greek seeds ones again. I found a recipe online for a Morrison's Cafeteria type eggplant casserole using Ritz crackers, we both fell in love with.

[MsCowpea]

Funny how many people have had so much success with an EB for eggplant.
EarthBox Research Center in Ellenton, Fl. It had more eggplant not visible in photo.

6F5FA81F-91D8-423E-B7E7-1CC94E1B2F93.jpeg

Check out wall of eggplant, 3rd photo.
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=282

[Ginger2778]

Funny how many people have had so much success with an EB for eggplant.
EarthBox Research Center in Ellenton, Fl. It had more eggplant not visible in photo.
6F5FA81F-91D8-423E-B7E7-1CC94E1B2F93.jpeg



Check out wall of eggplant, 3rd photo.
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=282

DO eggplant set fruit here in Summer? I have an EB or 2 about to open up.

[Ginger2778]

I think 2 eggplants in an earthbox vs 2 each with their own 7 gallon would be a good experiment. Same ones I mean.

[pepperhead212]

Another EB EP addict here! I would usually grow 6 plants - 2 per EB - and would get so many fruits that I dehydrated a large number every year, and last year I reduced to 4 plants, and still had a large amount of dehydrated ones. Fortunately, I haven't had a problem with verticillium wilt, just flea beetles, and for these, I spray Surround on the plants, especially the undersides of the leaves. Neon and Ichiban are two hybrids I grow every season, and Hari, listed as a hybrid, but doesn't seem to be. Every season I try one or two new ones, but none have been "keepers", and I'm up to 41 varieties now! Most are not heat resistant (blossom drop, like tomatoes), which surprised me with some of the varieties from tropical areas. Ichiban is not heat resistant, but I still grow it because it is the fastest producer I have ever grown - usually the first fruit in around 45 days from transplant, sometimes less. Some varieties didn't produce until 80 or 90 days - another reason they weren't keepers.

[MsCowpea]

I am afraid I don’t like eggplant. I grew it infrequently just to give it away. Mainly in raised beds. Don’t know about how to grow it properly.
I googled Edis Ifas Vegetable Gardening guide. Has a chart for when to plant-3rd column is South Florida. Looks like you can squeak by because it says you can plant in Feb.

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh021

[Ginger2778]

Thanks Ms.Cowpea for looking that up. Eh, maybe I'll just plant asparagus beans in my EBs. It already has the cages to climb on. Decisions decisions.

[pepperhead212]

Off topic, but since you mentioned asparagus beans, Ginger2778, I had to tell you about a new variety I found last season - Thai Purple Podded Long Bean. This is the earliest of any long beans I have ever grown - only abut 50 days, a few days less than Blauhilde, which has always been my earliest pole bean. Incredible production, and produced through the hottest part of my summer, like noodle beans do. Long vines, and didn't seem prone to fungal diseases, despite the excess rain (which was bad for my toms and cukes). Definitely a keeper. I saved a bunch of seeds toward the end.
Thai Red Yard Long Beans 9-2 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[Ginger2778]

Off topic, but since you mentioned asparagus beans, Ginger2778, I had to tell you about a new variety I found last season - Thai Purple Podded Long Bean. This is the earliest of any long beans I have ever grown - only abut 50 days, a few days less than Blauhilde, which has always been my earliest pole bean. Incredible production, and produced through the hottest part of my summer, like noodle beans do. Long vines, and didn't seem prone to fungal diseases, despite the excess rain (which was bad for my toms and cukes). Definitely a keeper. I saved a bunch of seeds toward the end.
Thai Red Yard Long Beans 9-2 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

They look beautiful. This will be my first try with big box packaged seeds, I hope mine look as good. I got the green usual type.

[peebee]

Anyone else tried planting 4 to an EB? At least the Japanese varieties like Ichiban? I get loads of fruit & the plants had to be pruned heavily after a while they got so unruly. This year I'm going to prune from the get-go, after watching YouTube videos from Japan. I had never pruned eggplants or cucumbers before, never realized it was commonly done. I also then watched some videos in English but they weren't as detail oriented. I only knew about the drastic cutting of the plant after fruit production has slowed down, which I do.
I do start from seed but end up buying seedlings every year as mine look so puny even tho I start them earlier than tomatoes.

[pepperhead212]

You got me curious, peebee! So how did they prune the EPs, and when did they start? I've seen things about top pruning peppers early, to make them bush out, but I've done experiments, with habs and Thai peppers, and got no more peppers on the pruned plants, so I just let them grow. As for putting 4 varieties in an EB, I might do it with smaller ones (I've had some only get to 3' in my SIPs, and the small, round Thai varieties even smaller), but not the really large ones (Hari gets taller than me, and I'm 6'6"! Ichiban, not as large, but still at least 4', and bushy), as they seem to get larger root systems than tomatoes. I cut them off at the end of the year, and let them deteriorate until next spring, and those larger EPs are still some of the hardest ones to get out. I can't imagine 4 in a single SIP, which is slightly larger than the EB.

[peebee]

Well pepperhead the EPs I get are hybrids & they get to be about 3ft or bit more maybe? I'm wondering if they'll be bigger if only 2 to a box but I get so many fruits that I'm only allocating 1 EB for them as I only have 14. 1 for peppers, 1 for strawberries, 1 reserved for a surprise veggie & the rest for tomatoes.
I'll have to study those videos some more; I took notes but it was so detailed & I want to make sure I understood correctly. Something about pruning after the branch produces the 2nd flower. In all the various videos from Japan the mantra was, don't stress the plants.
The only pruning I've ever done was the one where you cut the plant in half then fertilized. I'll post later as I learn more, Japanese is not my language but learned so I have to go slowly.

[peebee]

To elaborate on my post above, that cutting in half was done near the end of the season & the plant grows back with a new flush of growth so you get another, but shorter season so to speak. All stragglers on bottom of plant are also removed when cutting the main stem.