Favorite eggplant variety?

hehe, Paja you are starting to sound like Dr. Seuss yourself☺

Yep, I admit I should try it, Samiam.

angele - you will have to get some. i use 4 ft. "shop lights" and i put two grow light bulbs in them. i don't think 10 hours is enough for seedlings.

Grow lights are great and plants like longer days, but that doesn't mean you can't grow them on day lengths less than 16 hours. They just don't grow as fast.

Don't hit me with a stick for being dumb but I wonder if the sun being more intense here makes a difference. New Mexico has such high elevations and the number of sunny days way out numbers those in NY. I know because long long ago I lived upstate. I vaguely remember a professor's lecture about why our foliage is a different shade of green out here - lots of intense sunlight. Explains NM having higher skin cancer rates too.

You aren't being dumb. Our sun is very intense here and you are far enough south that even in the winter your days are reasonably long. And yes, the lack of cloud cover helps, too. New York has shorter days in the winter and longer ones in the summer. Not sure about altitude in New York. I don't think it gets too high, but I don't actually know. How high are you at Elephant Butte? The higher you are the thinner the air and the more radiation that gets through. But don't forget that the window blocks 90% of the ultraviolet. I suspect plants prefer no window. You could open it on warm days perhaps?
Anyhow, plants grown with a little less sun than they prefer must be hardened. They will grow, but when you move them outdoors you will have to do so gradually so they can develop the chemicals they need to protect them from sun and from wind. An hour the first day, two the second,etc. Or put them in a shady spot and move them each day to a slightly more sunny spot.
They will get by with not enough light to a degree -- but not too much. Still, probably most things will get by with 10 hrs. or even less. Don't forget the light in your house counts too, but not as much as the sun.

The seedlings are spending some time outdoors on the nicer days (read calm winds and relatively warm temps.) I'm keeping a close eye on them so that they don't get fried behind the glass. The room they are in has two big lightly frosted windows right next to each other, one on the east wall and one on the south. I put the plants closer to the east window so they are getting morning sun and then great light all day from the south. There is a big built in shelf & most of the plants fit. Nice of whomever built the house!

Sounds good. It also sounds as if the person who built the house was a gardener trying to beat the last frost date like the rest of us. How do your plants look? That is the real test of any germination system.

Looking good so far. I think I started about four weeks too early. I only started a small portion of the seed I have so if I lose some I can try again.

You probably won't lose any unless they get "damping off" which is caused by hot temperatures and poor air circulation. If you get that you will know. The seedlings all fall over and flop down -- permanently. This happens to lots and lots of kinds of seedlings. That is why it is good to keep them out of direct sun from that south-facing window. If it gets to hot where they are, a fan is often all you need. Just keep an eye on them.

Tango, a white eggplant, did well last year. Heavy producer right until the frost. No need to peel. Very creamy. Seeds are pricey however.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=5289109

I was hoping to grow a white eggplant in containers placed among the landscaping out front. Tango may fit the bill - and sounds delicious. Of course, much is dependent on whether the weather co-operates...

Katye...I grew Tango and Udmalbet eggplants in 10 gallon grow bags last summer. Used mostly dirt in the bags but lightened it up some with left over potting mix and decomposed manure. Both did great.

Photos of the Udmalbet up close and in the grow bag:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/72977/

Why would weather be a problem for you? I'm not familiar with Sammamish.

David - Sammamish is in the Seattle metro area, east of Seattle about 10 minutes, with a subdues marine influence. We are on a plateau - about 450 - 500' elevation. Our temps are typically 5 - 10° cooler in winter, and 8 - 10° warmer in summer.

If we have a decent summer, I can grow a wide variety of warm-season vegies - my veg garden is all raised beds, in the desert-part of my property. In cool, wet summers, well - it's a bust.

I had an idea to utilize some of the spaces in my landscaping for container-grown vegies, for ornamental purposes and to take advantage of the reflected heat provided by the driveway and walkways, etc. Several years back, i decided to take a closer look at vegies for ornamentals: Many are stunningly beautiful. Peppers, tomatoes and eggplants are such, IMHO. I appreciate multi-purpose plants - and the ability to grow them better.
White eggplant was new to me - I had seen Casper, but other posts indicated it was not a reliable performer. I did google Tango - Johnny's is the source for this seed. Expensive - definitely more than normal $, but worth it if I am able to enjoy their beauty as well as eating!

Be interested to know what else you select as I want to do the same. Might as well have veggies serve another purpose if possible.

I bought Tango just because I had to see what a one dollar a seed eggplant was....lol...

Johnny's carries Tango from De Ruiter in Holland. Haven't grown other whites so I can't compare but Tango was disease free and just wonderful. Had them dry out a few times to no ill effects. They say to harvest when a few inches long but I harvested them over a foot long and they were fine. Almost no seeds. Not pithy or woody. Had so many there were some left on the plants after the second frost.

If you do grow them and the seedlings look whimpy don't worry. Once in the ground or, in my case, a grow bag, they pop right up. I almost didn't put them out because they looked so sickly in 4 inch pots.

This message was edited Feb 14, 2009 1:17 PM

White eggplant, Cloud Nine performs much better for me than Casper. Not really fond of white eggplant tho. Only green I have grown is Green Goddess. Good producer but did not get me excited about green eggplant. Preferred for eating, Ichiban, Millionaire but I have developed a taste for the half long Italian types. Baluroi was the best for me in that class even tho Vittoria is a good producer. Traditional egg shaped types, Black Beauty while a good performer just does not have the taste, Edna is a little better, Twilight about the same as Black beauty.
Worst for me has been Slim Jim. Good producer, but just too tiny for my uses.

Thanks Farmerdill - I love eggplant, and being in a cooler climate, the plants are not always successful. However - i do love trying different things, just for the experience of growing them.
Several years back, I realized I had overlooked the uniqueness of many vegetables: summer squash, peppers, tomatoes and eggplant as well. The plants may look coarse or otherwise, but the "fruits" of each were like jewels. Why I had taken them for granted, I've not understood - but I appreciate the ornamental value each brings.
I have wonderful places on my property that are outside of the veg garden, where growing in containers seemed like a solution, particularly for utilizing the heat & exposure aspect. And so - my quest to run another experiment, hoping this one is embraced by a summer WITH heat!

Katye,
Have you tried growing rainbow chard? It is stunning and delicious.
See it at:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/186462/

I agree - Rainbow chard is one of the prettiest plants to grow.

Yes - I saw it grown as an ornamental hedgerow for some vegetable garden in Europe many years ago: it was stunning & has lots of bright colouring to it.
I also like to eat it, so I do grow it annually, except for last year. But let's forget about summer 2008: the summer that wasn't!
Artichokes are gorgeous in the veg garden too - it's one crop i can grow well here, although it isn't reliable about wintering over. I almost didn't winter over, so I can't hardly blame it.

Here is a rather formal looking garden at Bellingrath Gardens in Southern Redbor, I believe. Makes an attractive formal border, I think.

This message was edited Feb 14, 2009 9:45 PM

Here is another garden at Bellingrath Gardens on the same day which is planted with pansies, moss curled parsley, and lacinto kale! Lovely, I would say.

Oops, now the picture.

This is what I think of as rainbow chard (and also the kind I grow, but I'm not growing any now).
http://www.treatment-skincare.com/Images/October07/Rainbow-Chard.jpg

Debbie
=)

And here is a border that uses ornamental kale with Winterbor kale and moss curled parsley. What a lovely display they make. I would love to see your gardens with ornamental vegetables. Maybe you can post the pictures later in the year.

Yes, that's what I think of as rainbow chard as well.

Oops forgot the third picture. Here it is. Getting late, time to go to bed.

"Kale amongst the flowers" - a new theme in gardening?

Ummm...would anyone tell me how to eat chard so I have an excuse to grow it? Love the rainbow...

You can eat the swiss chard raw in salads or steam it like any other green--kale can be steamed too, although I hate all kinds of steamed greens myself except for toi choi. I dislike kale myself--but I also dislike lima beans and cauliflower--lol
=)

Sautee some chopped sweet onions in a olive oil with a little garlic, add pine nuts and toast lightly. Add the chopped chard stems, saute a moment, cover with lid and list stems steam until almost tender, then add the chopped chard leaves and a handful of raisins, stir well and cover. After leaves have cooked to your preference, add salt & pepper to taste.

You can also use the stems in a casserole. Saute onions until soft, place on bottom of buttered pan, add chopped chard stems, grated parmesan or gruyere cheese, cover with Bechamel sauce and bake about 1/2 hour at 350'F or until browned on top. The leave can then be cooked as a separate dish, like sauteed in olive oil with onions and mushrooms. Top with crumbled amaretti to serve.

I think there is a more extensive chard thread in the recipes forum.

SOUNDS LIKE I MIGHT ALMOST USE THEM LIKE I DO THE ASIAN GREENS -soo sorry!! thanks guys -didn't mean to yell!! Sounds good!

http://www.writerguy.com/deb/recipes/keyingred.html#chard
http://www.noblefoodsfarm.com/Recipes/SwissChard/index.htm
http://www.greenearthinstitute.org/recipes/swiss_chard/index.html
http://foodiefarmgirl.blogspot.com/search/label/recipes - She's got a bunch of chard recipes

My favorite way is sauteed with garlic using olive oil. Top with crisp breadcrumbs or romano cheese. Eat over pasta or polenta.

Mmhungry!! Thanks a jillion!! Now to get some seeds!!!

Anyone grow Kamo eggplant?

I grew Kamo once. Sadly I never ate it. It grew fine. My husband doesn't like eggplant and I have a hard time slipping it in on him. It is supposed to be fabulous. Mine wasn't very big -- the size of a grapefruit, approximately. Very attractive and supposed to be an excellent eggplant.

BTW, I confess to having briefly diverted you all from eggplant to greens in the landscape because Cleo said she liked to landscape with vegetables. So, I thought some other ideas might be nice. I, too, appreciate eggplants in the landscape. They have lovely purple flowers and the fruit is beautiful as well.

No diversion to me pajaritomt. All related.

Kamo is held in high esteem. Had a few dismal results with heirlooms (taste was so-so and production dismal). Aside from heirloom tomatoes known to be tasty and OP peppers, I tend toward hybrids so I was wondering if there is a hybrid Kamo type.

I tried Kamo along with Ichiban, Fairy Tale, Machiaw and Pingtung last season. Kamo was the least productive of all, taste unremarkable, will not grow it again.

Fairy Tale made a pretty fruit, OK tasting but very small. Machiaw and Pingtung did OK overall. But Ichiban has been the best tasting, tender, sweet and productive for three seasons in a row. It was still setting fruit in November when I pulled it up.

This year I am trying:

Diamond - dark purple open pollinated cultivar origin Ukraine available from Sandhill Preservation

Ukrainian Beauty - dark purple open pollinated cultivar origin Ukraine available from Sandhill Preservation

along with my all-time favorite Ichiban.

I grew Rosa Bianca eggplant last summer i a container and it did very well. If I can find the picture I will send it along.
Donna

What a beauty. I have grown it too!