Latin name: Solanum melongena
🌱 Days to Sprout: 10-21
😋 Plant food: after true leaves
✂️ Thin to: 1 plant per yCube
🍅 Days to Maturity: 60-75
💡 Gardyn Location: Center
📏 Plant Size: 2 ft
💚 Care Level: Advanced
Origin
Native to a large area including parts of India, Burma, Thailand, and China, these fruits can still be found growing wild there today. By the early 1800s, many varieties of Eggplant, including Thai, could be found in farmers markets in the Americas. Eggplants are frequently referred to as aubergines, the French word for eggplants, in many parts of the world.
Qualities
The adorable small and round fruit have glossy, green-and-white skin and reach about 1 to 2 inches in size following a purple, star-shaped flower. When eaten raw, the fruit are crunchy with a mild, bitter-herbaceous flavor. When cooked, the fruit soften and lose their bitterness.
Use
Unique to other eggplant varieties, Thai Eggplant can be eaten raw as a crunchy snack, in salads, or even pickled. They can also be enjoyed using traditional preparations that include roasting, grilling, and stuffing. While Thai Eggplant is a source of antioxidants, fiber, Potassium, and Manganese, it also has the ability to absorb nutrients and flavors from other foods it's prepared with, making it a key ingredient in curries.
Care & Harvest
💡 Temperature: Prefers warmer temperatures (70-85°F).
🐝 Pollination: Eggplants require pollination. When purple flowers appear, hand-pollinate them by gently shaking the entire plant, or gently disturb the inside of blossoms with your finger or a small brush.
🫶 Support: We suggest using our Plant Belt to support the plant and its heavy fruit as it matures.
✂️ Pruning: Eggplants require pruning. Snip away yellow or brown leaves if they appear, and trim branches to ensure the plant stays within the Gardyn’s light. Check the roots monthly and trim any that are brown or extending past the yPod.
🔎 Plant Health: Eggplants are prolific producers, even if they show signs of Edema, a harmless disorder. Aphids are a common pest, but you can use our prevention tricks to keep them at bay!
🍆 Harvest: Snip fruit at their individual stems with clean shears. These Eggplants are ready to harvest once they reach 1.5-2 inches in diameter. The skin should still be glossy, as dull skin indicates overripe fruit. Harvest regularly to encourage new fruit production.