The first eggplants that came to southern Europe from India bore white oval fruits.Hence so far in North America, Australia and New Zealand they are referred to as eggplant, meaning a bush egg.In Great Britain the name aubergine was adopted, taken from French. It also functions, among others in Germany. In Poland, the most common name is aubergine or aubergine.
Currently, most cultivars are purple in color. However, this is not a rule.The shape of the fruit varies from long and narrow to pear-shaped. Decorative mini-jellies of the 'Ophelia' and 'Orlando' varieties with fruits weighing only 50-60 grams are new and therefore still relatively little known.
Even smaller, because the size of a chicken egg, are Thai eggplants.They are green or yellow in color and are used in Far Eastern cuisine. Some varieties may have spiked stems.Eggplants are grown and cared for in a similar way to tomatoes. Unfortunately, most varieties have much higher thermal requirements.
They require 25-30 ° C during germination, and 20-30 ° C during cultivation, therefore in our conditions they grow and yield best under glass or foil. The ground plants must be sheltered on cool summer nights. Shrubs grown in open ground are left with 2-3 shoots and the shoot tips are shortened by about 10 cm to accelerate flowering.Later, leave 2-3 fruits on each twig, more will not mature in the fall. Ripe eggplants should not be stored for more than a few days.
Fresh fruit is about 90% water, high in potassium, phosphorus, iron and calcium, vitamins A, C and B vitamins. Eggplants lower cholesterol, support metabolism and detoxify. However, beware, unripe fruits contain solanine and are poisonous!
Eggplants are sown in late winter
Eggplants are grown under cover, similar to tomatoes. However, a bit more patience is required.The optimal sowing time is late winter, around the end of January.
1. Sow the seeds in a litter box to a damp substrate, then cover them with a thin layer of soil. At the end of sowing, gently compact it with a special cube.
2. Keep the substrate in constant, moderate humidity. A sprinkler can be used for watering instead of a traditional watering can.
While the tomatoes take 10 days to germinate, the eggplants bounce after 2-4 weeks (assuming that the temperature in the stand is kept at 22-24 ° C). Seedlings do not tolerate drafts. The litter box should be covered with a plastic shade. When the second pair of young leaves (after the cotyledons) appears on the shoot, dive the seedlings into small pots.
For the substrate, we choose a special substrate for tomatoes or a high-quality soil for flowers.After quilting, the aubergines must be kept warm (the temperature should be at least 21 ° C during the day).
