my eggplant growing trial

Every summer, I look forward to growing eggplants.  They’re so versatile and delicious.  Here are some ways we enjoy eggplants:

• Cooked in the microwave and smashed with butter, salt, pepper, chilli and coriander
• Grilled in the oven or on the BBQ
• Eggplant parmigiana
• Grilled and sliced on pizza
• Roasted vegetable lasagne
• Curries
• Vege kebabs (Nadia Lim’s recipe in the December issue of the NZ Gardener magazine looks yummy!)

I always aim to grow a mixture of round eggplants (used in Mediterranean dishes) and long ones (used in Asian cuisine).  I read in the New Zealand Gardener that long ones are easier to grow than round ones.  I have had success with both types.

This year, I’m growing the following varieties:

• Asian Bride (Kings Seeds)
• Dok (Kings Seeds)
• Full Moon (Kings Seeds)
• Listada di Grandia (Kings Seeds)
• Ping Tung (Egmont)
• Prosperosa (Franchi)
• Purple Comet (Kings Seeds)
• Thai Purple (Kings Seeds)
• Tonda Bianca (Franchi)
• Tsakoniki (Kings Seeds)
• White Star (Kings Seeds)

I’m growing all our eggplants in black containers, as I normally do, because I have found that they don’t do so well in the ground.  I have already planted seven eggplants in some 30 litre buckets that I purchased from Palmers last year.  The rest will go into 18 litre square plastic pots.  When I run out of those, I’ll have to use 9 litre black plastic pots.

​Progress report
Out of all the varieties that I sowed, the healthiest, strongest eggplants were by far Tsakoniki from Kings Seeds.  So many of them germinated and went on to be potted up!  Asian Bride from Kings Seeds as well also performed very well.  A few varieties didn’t make it to the stage of being potted up but not to worry because I have so many plants!