Eggplants (Solanum melongena) grow wild in South Asia as a perennial plant, but these warm-season vegetables are treated by most North American gardeners as annuals. Given their tropical and subtropical heritage, eggplants do require relatively high temperatures, similar to tomatoes and peppers (which, like eggplants, are in the Nightshade family). They grow fastest when temperatures are between 70° and 85°F (21° and 30°C)—and very slowly during cooler weather.
Like tomatoes and peppers, eggplants develop and hang from the branches of a plant that can grow several feet in height.
Because they need warm soil, eggplants are usually purchased as 6- to 8-week-old transplants (or started indoors about two months in advance) to get a head start. Raised beds enriched with composted manure are an ideal growing place for eggplants because the soil warms more quickly. Eggplants are also great for containers and make lovely ornamental borders. In fact, there are quite a few ornamental eggplant varieties available today, whose inedible fruit have attractive variegated patterns.
Though eggplant fruits are usually a beautiful dark purple color, they can also be white, pink, green, black, or variegated purple-white. Their size and shape varies as well, ranging from the large, gourd-shaped eggplants you’ll commonly find in stores to the more exotic slender Japanese eggplant.
For more information on how to grow Eggplants click the following hyperlink to Farmers Almanac Eggplants.
For other resources please click on Cornell Universities Eggplants link or click on Gardening Know How's Eggplants link.
Description: This incredibly delicious Iraqi variety comes from our friend Nael Aziz. Satiny, dark purple-black fruit gets very large—to 3 pounds or more. Shaped like a squat teardrop, its flesh is sweet and tender, perfect for grilling or baking. Very heat tolerant and abundantly productive in our trials.
Description: The standard old type, these large black fruit are of excellent quality. Very tasty! Much later, these need a long season and give lower yields than others.
Description: Medium size, very attractive, smooth ivory-white fruit with a mild mushroom-like flavor. Prolific plant. Fruit ripens early. An excellent variety for specialty growers and gardeners.
Eggplant Seeds, Chinese String:
Description: Our favorite eggplant is so long and skinny that the Chinese named it after a piece of string! This is the most slender, tender and best-tasting variety we have grown! This marvelous eggplant is so sweet it is even delicious raw in salads, and this buttery, tender East China variety is our top choice for doing just that! Very high-yielding plants produce profusions of 10- to 15-inch long fruit with lavender-violet skin and snowy white flesh. A superior choice for sautéing, grilling, and more! Fire up the wok and make the best pan of Chinese eggplant you will ever taste! Eggplant has an ancient history in China, where it is used for food and medicine. This is a masterpiece of thousands of years of eggplant selection from this amazing land. We grow these almost year-round in our greenhouses and outdoors in the warmer months and they are super quick to mature. We cook the new baby fruit whole like green beans, only these are better!
Description: This flavorful eggplant is an indigenous variety of Ghana that is popular among the Ashantis. This variety is said to have been in use for over 150 years. The name ensoro ewia translates to "drought or heat resistant," and indeed this is a rugged, easy-to-grow plant! Unfortunately, this variety is becoming more rare in its homeland, so we offer thanks to Solomon Amuzu of Call to Nature Permaculture, who is working to reinvigorate interest in this variety in his home country of Ghana.
Eggplant Seeds, Gboma or Gbogname:
Description: A cousin of the eggplant but with densely nutritious edible leaves, this variety hails originally from West Africa. Like any other eggplant, this tropical perennial can also be grown as an annual, reaching 2-4 feet tall and about as wide. A gorgeous edible ornamental, the small leaves and stems, as well as flowers, are edible (best blanched and then sautéed) prepared in a fashion similar to collard greens. It is a popular green throughout West, central and East Africa and in Vietnam as well. The importance of bitter greens in the diet has been well studied, and this heat- and drought-tolerant green is a perfect staple green for anyone looking for a boost of healthful bitter greens. A top-notch tropical permaculture plant! Featured in William Woys Weaver’s 100 Vegetables and Where They Came From. Do not use this plant without cooking. Not for use raw! Caution: Do not ingest this plant without cooking.
Eggplant Seeds, Japanese White Egg:
Description: With full, rich flavor, the lovely 2- to 3-inch white fruit is perfect for stir frying, soups and curries. The plants give heavy yields all season.
Description: These impressive and abundant yielders are compact, bushy, dwarf plants ideal for pots, containers, or growers short on space. It is an ornamental and culinary delight, bursting with pinstriped marbled patterns of vivid violet, majestic mauves, and eggshell whites. Plants produce a profuse amount of silky sweet and nutty-tasting fruits that average 3 inches in length. They are delicious when roasted whole in the oven or simmered into stews like ratatouille. The perfect pick for balcony, window ledge, and rooftop growers.
Description: A gourmet eggplant, highly regarded by top chefs in Japan, plants are super heat and humidity tolerant. A Kyo Yasai or traditional vegetable of Kyoto, this variety is specifically from the city of Kamo, Japan. It is considered a regional delicacy of the area thanks to its creamy, dense flesh and sweet flavor. Eggplant began to be cultivated in Japan in the 8th century, and much effort in breeding and refining has been put in since its introduction!
Eggplant Seeds, Listada De Gandia:
Description: One of the most popular heirloom types, this one has 7-inch long fruit that is white with lovely bright purple stripes. It is so beautiful and has fabulous flavor with sweet, tender flesh. This excellent variety hails from Spain, a country that is renowned for fine food.
Eggplant Seeds, Malaysian Dark Red:
Description: Tender and delicious, violet-colored fruit is long and slender. This productive and tasty variety comes from the Southeast Asian country of Malaysia. A hard-to-find but very good variety that is perfect for frying.
Eggplant Seeds, Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda:
Description: A truly scrumptious and unique member of the eggplant family, it tastes like a combination of eggplant, tomatoes, and peppers. It is traditionally made into gourmet caponata or preserved and pickled. This red round fruit is popular in the Italian province of Potenza. The bright orange, round fruit was originally brought to Rotonda, Italy, from Ethiopia just before World War II and can often be found in jars of olive oil and spread on crusty Italian bread. Jere Gettle found seeds for this delicacy while traveling in Italy in 2009.
Description: Large fruit is oval to teardrop shaped and nearly black. Flesh is very tender and sweet. It is even highly recommended for use without cooking! Fruit is also excellent baked or roasted, and is often pickled as well in its native Japan, where the variety was originally collected at a local market. Traditionally grown in the Mitoyo and Kanonji areas, it is one of the best-tasting eggplants we have ever tried.
Eggplant Seeds, Nagaoka Kinchaku:
Description: A dark obsidian eggplant from Niigata Prefecture, Japan, an area famous for rice production. This prefecture is also known for its eggplant varieties, which are raised in the time between the planting and harvest of the region’s main crop. Each of the eggplant varieties has its own uses. This variety, known as “Nagaoka purse eggplant,” dates back to the middle of the Meiji era (1868-1912). This variety is known to be among the sweetest and is traditionally steamed with a bit of ginger and soy sauce.
Eggplant Seeds, Nagasaki Long:
Description: We love the extra-long fruit of this heirloom eggplant from Nagasaki, Japan, but its shape is just one of its charms. The tender, never-bitter fruit is mild and sweet enough to eat raw! Gardeners will appreciate its impressive tolerance to heat and humidity. Chefs and home cooks will adore its velvety mouth-feel and nutty flavor.
Description: A wonderful eggplant from Ping Tung, Taiwan. Fruit is purple and up to 14 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. This variety is so sweet and tender, superbly delicious! One of the best Chinese-type eggplants on the market.
Description: This early, fast-ripening globe-shaped eggplant was introduced to the US from China in the late 1970s. It is called “seven leaf eggplant” because it was said to start blooming after only 7 leaves had developed. In any case, they grow quickly and are very productive in good soil. The plants themselves generally remain small, making them great for small gardens as well as short seasons. Their dark purple skin is rich in anthocyanins, and their dark purplish stems and leaves may help them resist pest infestations better than other varieties. And did we mention they are as delicious as they are beautiful? With buttery, firm flesh and a mellow flavor, this variety is perfect for grilling or using in any of your favorite recipes.
Description: A simply elegant eggplant from Sicily. Light pink-lavender fruit has soft white shading and a gently scalloped form. Mild flesh is very popular with chefs and gardeners alike! No bitterness. A great variety for heirloom market growers. Grow the color that sells!
Description: Lovely 8-inch x 4-inch neon, lavender-pink fruit has a mild, sweet, white flesh. The skin is tender and not bitter. Produces excellent yields. This incredible heirloom was developed in Puerto Rico in the 1940s by the Puerto Rico Agricultural Experiment Station, Rio Piedras. One of our favorites every season.
Eggplant Seeds, SAITAMA AO DAIMARU:
Description: This elegant apple green eggplant is a culinary treasure of Japan. This traditional variety has been grown in Saitama Prefecture since the early Meiji period. A dense and creamy texture make this a highly gourmet choice. Uniquely colored and globe shaped with a flat bottom.
Description: A super long, Japanese eggplant with minty green skin that has a pretty, matte look. The white flesh is tender but firm and has a superb, sweet and buttery eggplant flavor that is lacking in most eggplants. The impressively long fruit grows to 16 inches while remaining tasty and tender. This heirloom is divine in tempura, curries, pizza, soups, and even salads! The perfect variety for roasting, grilling, pickling, frying, or steaming. A healthy garden treat that is so easy to grow. Gardeners and chefs in the beautiful Kagoshima Prefecture, on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, have long treasured this heirloom that was known in ancient times as Satsuma. The name of this eggplant implies that it was a local favorite of the region.
Description: A delicious and gourmet Japanese eggplant with pretty green skin. A beautiful variety, ideal for grilling or even eating raw with a dash of ponzu or sprinkle of salt. The skin is firm but the flesh is mild, sweet, and creamy with no bitterness. Eggplants were introduced to Japan in the 8th century, and since then, hundreds of years of breeding efforts have resulted in eggplants of the highest eating quality. This variety is exceptionally heat tolerant.
Eggplant Seeds, Thai Green Frog Fingers:
Description: An extra sweet, mini eggplant that is shaped like a little finger, hence the name! An electrifying edible ornamental and scrumptious traditional Thai variety. The 2-3" fruits of this adorable little edible ornamental are striped in mint and forest green tones, and they drip in abundance on tidy plants. The mini fruit can be used whole. Try them tossed into curries and stir fries or slide onto skewers for a perfect bite-sized treat. Jere Gettle found this variety while on a trip to Thailand.
Eggplant Seeds, Thai Lavender Frog Egg:
Description: A delicious and tiny heirloom that will become a new favorite! The fruit is a marvelous lavender color and just 1 inch across. The fruit can be used whole. Try it tossed into stir fries, in curry and soups, or cooked on a skewer for a perfect bite-sized treat. Jere Gettle found this gorgeous edible ornamental on a trip to Thailand. Productive plants yield lots of flavorful fruit.
Eggplant Seeds, Thai Long Green:
Description: Very mild and sweet, the 10- to 12- inch- long, very slender fruit is a beautiful light-lime green. One of the best-tasting eggplants; superb flavor and very tender. Good yields on 2-to 3-foot tall plants. This heirloom from Thailand is becoming popular with gourmet chefs.
Eggplant Seeds, Thai Purple Ribbed:
Description: An exciting eggplant that we recently collected in Thailand. This variety produces lovely, highly ribbed, plum-purple fruit that has a delicious, strong, rich eggplant flavor. Very productive and unique. Fun to grow and eat!
