Expand your garden to include eggplant this year
As more and more people become interested in vegetarian diets, and gardeners seek versatile crops that will grow well in our sometimes fickle Maritime climate, it is fitting that the National Garden Bureau should designate 2008 as the Year of the Eggplant.
Eggplant is a wonderfully versatile vegetable, even though it certainly doesn't share the popularity of more common vegetable crops like beans, peas and carrots.
You can grill it, stuff it, roast it, sauté it, pure it, and serve it in stews and soups. The only thing you really can't do is eat it raw because it contains chemicals that can cause digestive upsets.
It is low in calories, fat and sodium and high in fibre and an excellent source of potassium as well as folic acid, copper, vitamin B6, vitamin A and magnesium. If you can't remember the last time you ate eggplant, and that has discouraged you from growing it, head down to the grocery store first and check it out.
If you're pan-frying eggplant for the first time, remember that it absorbs oil like a sponge. Avoid putting eggplant slices directly into oil. Prior to flying, coat eggplant with bread crumbs or a flour and egg mix.
While eggplants are actually perennials, in our colder climate, they have to be grown as annuals. These branched plants reach two to four feet in height and are covered with hairy leaves. Their star-shaped flowers are usually purple, but sometimes white.
They produce edible fruit that may be black, purple, green, white, yellow, orange or red, and sometimes striped or shaded. The flesh of the eggplant is creamy white and speckled with tiny brown seeds.
The most common type of eggplant in our region is the western or oval eggplant that has large, deep purple, pear-shaped fruits. But gradually, at markets and in supermarkets, we are seeing many other varieties. Some are globe-shaped, elongated, or cylindrical and they come in a variety of colours and sizes.
Start eggplant seeds indoors about six to eight weeks before the date you will be transplanting the seedlings outdoors. Direct seeding in the garden is not recommended in our climate. The eggplants can be transplanted to the garden when all danger of frost has plants and the temperatures have moderated.
Before transplanting the seedlings into the garden, be sure to harden them off, allowing them to adjust to the outdoor conditions for about four hour periods daily for two weeks, before putting them in the ground.
After the eggplants are growing nicely in your garden, remember that if nights suddenly become cool, you should cover the plants with a fabric and remove it during the daytime. Eggplants that produce large fruits should also be staked for support.
How do you know when it is time to harvest?
The seed packet will tell you the number of days, but in general, large-fruited eggplants are ready to harvest 75 to 95 days after transplanting. Press lightly on the skin of the eggplant with your finger. If the pressed spot springs back it is ripe; if the imprint remains the fruit is overripe and will tend to be seedy and somewhat bitter.
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For your diary:
May 3 - Ken Beattie will be visiting Green Village in Moncton to host two seminars, one at 10 a.m. and one at 1 p.m. He will discuss 10 tips for successful gardening, what's hot for 2008, organic gardening and the good, the bad and the "bugly." Admission is $10 per person or $15 for both seminars.
May 3 - A seminar on Planting and Maintaining Home Orchards will be held at Corn Hill Nursery. Learn about varieties, cultivation and pruning. The session is from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, and there is no charge, but pre-registration is strongly advised as there is a limit of 50 people per seminar. To register call 506-756-3635.
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