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How to Grow Eggplant

[stub] Botanical Information Taxonomy History Physical Description Varieties & Cultivars Categories or Types of Eggplant Colors Available Varieties (link to ../category/cultivars/tag/Eggplant) Growth Requirements Climate & Temperature Requirements Air Temperature Soil Temperature Humidity Day Length or Light Requirements Site Conditions Favored Soil Requirements Soil Texture pH Nutrient Requirements Propagation Methods of propagation Seed Division Cuttings Transplanting […]

Imperial Black Beauty Eggplant

Imperial Black Beauty Eggplant from 2014 harvest

Details Solanum melongena Open-Pollinated Heirloom Type: ? Shape: slightly lobed globe eggplant Color: purple-black Maturity: 80-85 days Size: 4-5″ diameter Yield: ? Taste: “rich flavored” Disease Resistance or Environmental Tolerance: flea beetles don’t seem to like this eggplant as much as other varieties that I grow susceptible to root-knot nematode Notes: store well heirloom was introduced […]

How to Start Eggplant, Peppers, Tomatoes from Seed

Various seedlings

Starting vegetables by seed can be more rewarding and more economical for most people; however, the time investment (and sometimes emotional investment) is huge. These guidelines will work for starting most vegetable and flower seeds, although I wrote them with the nightshade family (except potatoes) in mind. See individual growing articles for more in-depth info […]

Fusarium Wilt

Fusarium is a soil-borne fungus that can survive for a decade or more in dormant stages. It enters the plant through roots and invades its water distribution network, where the fungi partially or completely block the vascular tissues, usually by gum-like formations, causing wilting and eventually death of the plant. General Description Widespread fungus that affects a wide […]

Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew on Lavender Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

Powdery mildew is a common fungal disease that effects many types of plants, and is fairly easy to manage. It causes poor growth and lower yields, but seldom kills the plant. There are many different species of powdery mildew that cause the disease on many different species of plants. See list of species and their […]

Bacterial Wilt (Nightshades)

Sudden wilting is caused by various reasons, Bacterial Wilt being one of them. Bacterial wilt is caused by different pathogens, depending on whether you are dealing with nightshades (pepper, tomato, potato, eggplant, tomatillos) or cucurbits (cucumber, melons, squash). In tobacco, it is known as Granville Wilt. Since there are various reasons for a plant to […]

Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus

Insect-vectored disease spread by thrips. Most common in the southeast Physical Description   Species & Taxonomy Kingdom: Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Genus Species: Lifecycle   Plants Affected Tomatoes Peppers Plants Unaffected   Geographical Range Most common in the southeast Signs & Symptoms Whole Plant black streaks on petioles or stems growing tips are usually severely […]

Curly Top Virus

Curly Top is an insect-vectored viral disease spread by beet leafhoppers, which affects many plants. The beet leafhopper loves warm and dry weather, so that’s when infections are most severe. Species & Taxonomy Kingdom: Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Genus Species: Plants Affected beet family crops: beets, spinach, swiss chard tomato family crops: tomatoes, potatoes, tomatillos, […]

Flea Beetles

Flea beetle

Flea beetles, part of the Chrysomelidae family,are tiny black or brown-bronze beetles that jump like a flea, and leave tiny holes or divots in the leaves. They seem to especially love eggplant leaves. Fruits, like eggplant, also get damaged with scarring from the flea beetles feeding. Productivity is also reduced because they love the new leaves, growing tips […]