• Register  |
  • LoginLogin
Close
Login
 
 
Register
 Advanced search
  • Search
  • Register
  • Login
  • JOIN!
  • View unanswered posts
  • View active topics
  • Gardening
Gardening Forum   VEGETABLE GARDENING DISCUSSION FORUMS  Vegetable Gardening Forum

Overwintering and trying to grow eggplants as a perennial




Post a new topic
Post a reply
7 posts • Page 1 of 1

Overwintering and trying to grow eggplants as a perennial

Sun May 08, 2016 5:42 pm

A New Project! :D I might be premature with this thread, but the success of these four has gone to my head, and now, I want to try to overwinter and keep my eggplants from year to year Image
Subject: 2015-2016 Winter Indoor Peppers

applestar wrote:I was afraid to include eggplants in the topic title because I was afraid that would jinx them... But as it turned out, four of the overwintered eggplants seem to have survived. :-()


Image

I Uppotted them out of these ice cream containers into individual containers today. There were three in one container -- one of them with a white baby eggplant so presumably these are all White Comet. The other container had one plant left with flower that is lighter purple so maybe this is Diamond.

Both containers had worms in them. The two best growing, flowering plants each had a biggest worm in its roots. Gave the smaller plants their own big worms in the new containers.


When I searched growing eggplants as perennial, I had two promising hits -- one from California and one from Hawaii. Well, in the California article, a master gardener answered the eggplant question by describing how she overwintered peppers (once) -- Ha! Useless! :> -- should have gone with the Hawaiian result from the outset since imafan has mentioned hers grow year-round and year to year. Image

In the article, what they are doing is grafting culinary eggplant to a wild relative:Turkey Berry -- well look at that! imafan asked if Pea eggplant is same as Turkey Berry :() I have a Pea eggplant growing again, thanks to Pepperhead212. Image

According to the article, you can propagate Turkey Berry from cuttings and then graft scion from your eggplants onto the rooted cutting rootstock. 8)

http://www.kumuainafarm.com/hello-perennial-eggplant-tree/

-- what? They describe those things as 6 ft trees? Oh no problem! Image
I will be aiming for BonEggy (a derivation based on Fatalii's BonChi ) :arrow: http://www.fatalii.net/bonsai_chiles_bonchi
Learning never ends because we can share what we've learned. And in sharing our collective experiences, we gain deeper understanding of what we learned.
User avatar
applestar
Mod
 
Posts: 27210
Joined: May 1 '08
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M
Top

Re: Overwintering and trying to grow eggplants as a perennia

Mon May 09, 2016 2:12 am

That is the species of the Thai pea eggplant, apple! So you should be able to get some cuttings, for sure. I just put mine out, in its own 18 gal. SIP, so it will be growing, soon.
Last edited by pepperhead212 on Mon May 09, 2016 3:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
Dave
pepperhead212
Greener Thumb
 
Posts: 1378
Joined: Oct 15 '14
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 6B
Top

Re: Overwintering and trying to grow eggplants as a perennia

Mon May 09, 2016 2:49 am

Eggplant is perennial here but I replace them when the yields drop or they get too sickly. you can prune them back pretty hard and mine is in a pot year round so they can stay in pots. They like it a little warmer than peppers but will do fine if the peppers survive over winter. They can stay out as long as it does not freeze it get down to 49 degrees here around January, they don't grow much and they usually don't flower that cold but they start growing again once it warms up.

The turkey berry is a very large and thorny tree and is really hard to kill.
Happy gardening in Hawaii. Gardens are where people grow.
imafan26
Mod
 
Posts: 10918
Joined: Jan 1 '13
Location: hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.
Top

Re: Overwintering and trying to grow eggplants as a perennia

Wed Jun 01, 2016 12:42 am

Still planning on pursuing the above project. But here are the four eggplants that over wintered.

Image

I think they might be a bit demanding -- though it's hard to judge due to the mite, TRM?, infestation, which these four survived.
- two plants in less light and cooler location died
- two plants in more light and warmer location died
Learning never ends because we can share what we've learned. And in sharing our collective experiences, we gain deeper understanding of what we learned.
User avatar
applestar
Mod
 
Posts: 27210
Joined: May 1 '08
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M
Top

Re: Overwintering and trying to grow eggplants as a perennia

Thu Oct 06, 2016 11:30 pm

I think one pea eggplant cutting has rooted, but I'm going to need a lot more if I want to use them as root stock! :o
Learning never ends because we can share what we've learned. And in sharing our collective experiences, we gain deeper understanding of what we learned.
User avatar
applestar
Mod
 
Posts: 27210
Joined: May 1 '08
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M
Top

Re: Overwintering and trying to grow eggplants as a perennia

Fri Oct 07, 2016 5:48 pm

I don't grow eggplant, but it would seem their culture would be similar to tomatoes?

My wife just bought an eggplant from the grocery store....... hmmmm, maybe I should look into growing some next season?
Gardening at 5000 feet elevation, zone 4/5 Northern Utah, Frost free from May 25 to September 8 +/- Plant a Garden
User avatar
jal_ut
Super Green Thumb
 
Posts: 7480
Joined: Jan 19 '09
Location: Northern Utah Zone 5
Top

Re: Overwintering and trying to grow eggplants as a perennia

Fri Oct 07, 2016 11:18 pm

Jal_ut, think combination of peppers and melons -- eggplants like warm soil. I'm having better luck growing them in large, well fertilized containers. They also seem to prefer consistent moisture, but they are also very deep-rooted and can handle surface drought.

In the ground, you might have better luck if you planted in raised/mounded rows such as you might use for melons.

Also, if you get those striped potato beetles, they also LOVE eggplants. In addition, I had the worst trouble with flea beetles on most of the eggplants this year.

...

PEA eggplant, on the other hand, is not bothered by tiny things like flea beetles, and as far as I know, potato beetles didn't bother them either ...and if they did, they hardly made a mark. HERE's why --

Image
...yeah that's the southwest facing wall of the garage and the Pea Eggplant which I planted in the ground this year because it was ridiculously huge in the rubbermaid SIP last year is that HUGE Tree-like shrub with lobed leaves, white flowers and marble-sized round fruits. As you can see, it is taller than the rain gutter/eave of the single story roof in the near corner.

It is evidently not exactly the same as Turkeyberry eggplant since it definitely does not have thorns.

...

And I checked on those cuttings, and two out of four appear to have rooted :D

Image
Learning never ends because we can share what we've learned. And in sharing our collective experiences, we gain deeper understanding of what we learned.
User avatar
applestar
Mod
 
Posts: 27210
Joined: May 1 '08
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M
Top

Please Share. Thank you!

 
 
Top


Post a reply
7 posts • Page 1 of 1

 

 

  •   Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post
  • RATING EGGPLANTS FOR FLAVOR
    in Vegetable Gardening Forum
    26
    1079
    by applestar View the latest post
  • Question on when eggplants are ready to harvest Attachment(s)
    in Vegetable Gardening Forum
    3
    240
    by imafan26 View the latest post
  • Overwintering a few crops....
    in Vegetable Gardening Forum
    4
    726
    by cdog222 View the latest post
  • Question about overwintering clover Attachment(s)
    in Vegetable Gardening Forum
    7
    402
    by Taiji View the latest post
  • Mini greenhouse for overwintering plants
    in Greenhouse Forum
    7
    1152
    by AnnaIkona View the latest post
  • Eggplant - How do you prune and prep for overwintering? Attachment(s)
    in Vegetable Gardening Forum
    4
    2612
    by applestar View the latest post
Return to Vegetable Gardening Forum
  • Delete all board cookies • All times are UTC
Privacy Policy | Contact Us
Copyright HelpfulGardener.com 2003-2018 all rights reserved.
All trademarks and copyrights held by respective owners.