Eggplant 'Black Beauty'

I grow this every year in my garden. It is a reliable producer for me and sets fruit until frost. I had eggplant last year at Christmas ...Read Moreas we really never got cold here!

I grew this years ago in a large pot on south facing a balcony and it did wonderfully. Beautiful fruits for parmesean.

This is my standby, never-fail eggplant. Last year one plant continued producing right into winter -- although production was slow at tha...Read Moret point. The plant survived 40s temperatures (that's winter for us here) and didn't die until a rare hard freeze hit the area. I have tried other eggplants but always go back to this one.

"The" standard eggplant. Large glossy oval fruit that make excellent "boats" for stuffing, as well as providing perfect-size slices for ...Read Moreparmagians & lasagnas.

While the plants may require staking when grown traditionally, I grow these fairly close together in wide-row raised beds where they manage to support each other without staking. This also shades the soil which prevents weed growth. I also keep the plants covered with floating row covers until pollination time to deter flea beetle infestation which appears to be the only pest that bothers eggplant in my garden.

With this variety moreso than others it is extremely important to harvest the fruit at the correct stage. If picked too young/small, the flesh is tough & sometimes bitter; if picked past it's prime (over large, dull, soft, rather than glossy skin), the fruit becomes overly seedy.