EVP MAN said:

I never grew eggplants before so I really don't know what to expect.
I'll be growing Black Beauty which is an old heirloom. I really don't
know how tall the plants get but I'm going to put stakes in just in case
their needed. I'm planting them in the same row as my tomatoes and
peppers. Not sure about production either. Not sure how many eggplants
to expect each plant to produce??? One thing I'm sure about is the fact
that I love them breaded and fried

I find that eggplants (and peppers) are perfectly sized for those cheap
tomato cone things (three rings + three wire legs) which are far too small
and flimsy to use with tomato plants. Both are generally robust enough
to stand up by themselves, but prone to lean or have branches sag under
the weight of the crop.

Smaller fruited eggplants will produce many, many little ones. You will
get a few of the larger sized varieties per plant.

You want to pick them when they are a bit under ripe (by the plant's own
standard), that is, the seeds are not fully developed. The fruit should be
firm and glossy, and approximately the size you would expect from the
variety you are growing. Undersized is better than over ripe.

The only thing to really watch out for is verticillium wilt, and it's best to
avoid planting out your eggplants until it is reliably quite warm at night,
later than you would set out tomatoes or peppers, as they seem to be
more prone to wilt during cooler weather.

As for varieties, there are many, but they fall into two general classes,
the white fleshed (which often have white, green, lavender, or streaked fruits)
and the 'green' fleshed (mostly deep purple).

White fleshed types are (in my opinion) much better suited to frying or in
dishes where you need the eggplant to hold together, as it were.

Green fleshed types are perfect for dishes where you will mash the cooked
eggplants (like baba ganoush) or where you want the eggplant to blend into
a stew.

I'm pretty sure 'Black Beauty' is a 'green' fleshed type.

There are various beautiful Italian heirloom varieties such 'Violette di Firenze'
or 'Rosa Biannca' that are white fleshed.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

"Vegetables are like bombs packed tight with all kinds of
important nutrients..."
Largo Potter, Valkyria Chronicles

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