With all its excellent culinary qualities, eggplant is the vegetable that brings a lot of trouble during cultivation. Moreover, he is not capricious, but external factors are often not on his side. Gardeners believe that it takes up a lot of space in the cramped conditions of a summer cottage, and farmers blame the Colorado potato beetle attacking the plantations. However, the eggplant, with its excellent appearance and exquisite taste, is worth all the efforts to cultivate it.
The best varieties of eggplant
Modern high-quality varieties do not necessarily look like familiar and traditional “blue ones”. The color scheme of fruits is now different, but the taste characteristics remain invariably excellent.
Did you know? The vegetable spread around the world from India as early as 1,500 years ago under the name vatin ganah. This phrase in Ancient Persia changed to "badinjan" and was transformed into Russian "eggplant".
Which plant varieties are best planted, the land owner will determine for himself. In our material we indicate the most popular types of this plant.
Diamond. This variety is one of the most popular among gardeners and farmers. Diamond has a classic color, weight (100-200 g) and a fruit shape with a delicate taste and aroma of pulp.
Black handsome. The name of this species speaks for itself - large (200 g) and brilliant (in all senses) vegetables with excellent taste are not in vain famous among both producers and consumers. The variety has good resistance to drought, disease and pests.
Epic F1. An early hybrid with drop-shaped dark cherry and purple eggplants. It is characterized by good taste, uniformity of pulp, high productivity and, like all hybrids, resistance to crop pests.
Albatross. Giant fruits on small bushes are immediately striking in their unusual sizes and shapes. Only two pear-shaped vegetables of classic "eggplant" color can weigh up to a kilogram. In addition, the variety has high productivity and excellent taste.
Black Beauty. The harvesting appearance of giant eggplants, each of which can reach a mass of up to 900 g. At the same time, the taste and tenderness of the pulp are exquisite, and the dark purple color makes the fruits very beautiful.
In fact, it is difficult to describe the best varieties of eggplant among a great many, since each of them has its own differences and a “highlight”. And selection does not stand still, therefore, several new varieties worthy of attention appear annually in the world.
Preparation for landing
In preparation for planting seeds for seedlings, you need to choose those varieties that are adapted to the climatic conditions of the area. Zoned species will take root much better in familiar weather conditions and will yield a good harvest. It is better to grow the plant with seedlings, because it has a long growing season, and immature seed sprouts may not stand the test of open ground.
Important! For sowing, the seeds of the crop of the year before last are used - their germination rate and germination time are much higher than last year.
Seed treatment before sowing
Before planting, the seeds must be treated with stimulants for germination. The most popular eggplant is potassium humate (potassium salts derived from humic acid). In a 3 percent solution of such a substance, the seeds are soaked for a day. After this, you can additionally rinse them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
How and when to plant eggplant for seedlings
It’s quite difficult to determine the best timing and how to plant the seeds, because all this is dictated by the weather of the area and its climatic features. When seeds are planted too early for seedlings, seedlings can die during transplanting, otherwise they can become overgrown. Given the long vegetation of this vegetable, the question of how and when to plant seeds for seedlings is very important. Usually, the starting point for moving seedlings to the open ground is taken on the 70–75th day from the moment of sowing, after which the plants are planted in a new place.
Important! When planting, you do not need to mix seeds of different varieties - cross-pollination will adversely affect the quality and heredity of the crop.
In a greenhouse or greenhouse, you can plant earlier, so that the plants are rooted and strengthened. In any case, the temperature of the soil should not be lower than + 18 ° C, i.e. the bushes can slow down in development or die at all without being adapted to the new conditions. Planting is done in prepared containers with moistened soil. The planting scheme is as follows: prepared seeds are planted in special cells or common containers after 5 cm from each other in a checkerboard pattern or in a row.
How to sow and how many seeds are best used per unit area of soil, each gardener determines independently. Usually one seed is placed on the surface of the soil, which is sprinkled with 0.5 cm of soil. After that, all crops should be carefully watered, covered with cling film and put away in a warm place (for example, on the windowsill above the heater).
How to prepare a bed and plant eggplant
"Little blue ones" really like light sandy loamy or loamy soils in which their roots are comfortable. Other types of soil must be additionally prepared for planting seedlings.
In the open ground
On the open garden bed you can carry out various operations to change the composition of the soil, making it easier and more suitable for demanding eggplants.
Important! In spring, eggplant can be fertilized only with rotted manure. If you make fresh, the plant will begin to intensively grow foliage, and not form fruits.
Even at the autumn stage, the land is being prepared for the spring planting of eggplant:
- clay softened by adding when digging humus and peat;
- sandy diluted with clay, peat and sawdust;
- peaty digging with turfy soil and humus.
Agricultural technology, which determines how to plant eggplants, is simple - on a flat surface after digging through 40–45 cm, holes up to 15 cm deep are formed, 1–1.5 l of mullein solution is introduced into each. The plants are transplanted in the evening, and in the morning they need to be covered with an agri-net or paper caps so that the sun's rays do not damage the unrooted bushes.
In the greenhouse
Greenhouse realities are different from open ground - the soil here is initially ready for planting, and the growing conditions in the early days are pretty soft and require no extra effort to maintain the plant. The only factor that needs regulation is lighting. Depending on the roof cover of the greenhouse (film, polycarbonate, glass, etc.), it is necessary to monitor the lighting of developing bushes, avoiding direct sunlight.
Proper crop care
After transplanting seedlings, the next important stage begins - cultivation. With some capricious eggplant, you need to organize the right care for them.
Watering mode
The plant is very responsive to watering, especially on hot days. The usual irrigation scheme is once every 3-4 days, but it needs to be adjusted depending on climatic conditions. If the topsoil looks dry, you need to check the moisture at a depth of 2-3 cm, and then a decision is made on the need for moisture.
It is necessary to water in holes or beds under the root, preventing water from splashing onto the stem and leaves. At the end of watering and drying of the crust on the soil surface, it needs to be loosened so as not to restrict air access to the roots of the bush.
Fertilizer application
Fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers is carried out 2 times during the growth of the culture. Chemicals must be diluted strictly in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. The first feeding is carried out in May, before preparing the plant for flowering (300 ml of solution under the bush). The second time they fertilize in mid-summer (500 ml of solution under the bush).
When applying fertilizers, it is necessary to ensure that the liquid does not get on the parts of the plant that can get burns. After top dressing, the entire eggplant plantation is well watered so that the chemicals are washed off into the soil.
Did you know? In Europe, eggplant began to be used only in the 18th century. Prior to this, the culture was grown only for decorative purposes.
Pest and Disease Control
“Little blue ones” are quite resistant to diseases by plants, but some “ailments” still bother them.
Common diseases for this crop are as follows:
- Late blight. It appears in the form of brown spots on the lower leaves of the bush. With sufficient moisture, it can develop on the entire plant, including the fruits. You can prevent the ailment with proper watering, when the water will not stagnate near the stem and roots. Warm air and dried soil are the limiting factors for the development of this disease.
- Blackleg. Due to excessive moisture, the stalk near the ground darkens and the roots underground. With this ailment, as with late blight, you need to adjust the irrigation mode, avoiding overmoistening.
- Column It is found in field cultivation of eggplant. Characteristic features are cracking and stiffness of the stem, wrinkling and corrugation of leaves, falling flowers and ovaries. Such a plant must be removed.
- Mosaic. Spots appear on the leaves, later they frown and fall off. Fruits are also susceptible to disease - they acquire an irregular shape and do not grow to varietal sizes. Infection may occur next season from the remains of last year's dead plants.
- Gray rot. It manifests itself in the form of a grayish coating on all parts of the plant, activating upon the onset of heat. If the plant already bears fruit, then for it this fungus is not too dangerous, but in the phase of ovary formation, gray rot is fatal to the bush.
All these diseases are easier to prevent than to deal with them later. Before planting, it is necessary to withstand the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate, and pour the soil with copper sulfate. An already affected plant must be treated with a fungicide, such as Fitosporin or Zircon.
Pests do not "favor" the eggplants too much, but the appearance of slugs in a humid environment near the base of the stem is normal. They are simply collected manually and removed from the site. When aphids appear, the bushes can be washed with soapy water, and in difficult cases treated with any insecticide.
Harvesting and storage
It is best to collect eggplants when they reach technical maturity. This means that the fruits are already edible, tender, tasty, and the seeds in them are still soft. You need to collect vegetables 1-2 times a week as they ripen, twisting from the stem. You can save the fruits in canned or frozen form. Fresh eggplant is best stored in a cool or cold place (autumn balcony, cellar, refrigerator) for 2-3 weeks.
What to plant next year
"Little blue ones" need to be planted in areas where in the previous year other crops from the solanaceous family (potatoes, tomato, pepper) were not grown. The next year, after the eggplants, they themselves and their other relatives in the family also do not land. You can plant greens or legumes - the earth will rest from last year's crop and the fungi will not be transmitted to crops resistant to them.
Eggplants, with some capriciousness, are very responsive to the proper care of them. Under quality growth conditions, these vegetables will give a good harvest of beautiful and tasty fruits.
