Eggplant

June 2006

I have 14 eggplants and they were all planted at the same time. They are now fairly large and have bushed out, but only two of the plants have had any blooms—one bloom each, and right now I have two beautiful little eggplants. There are no other blooms in sight. Flea beetles and aphids were a real problem early on, but I have killed all of those and now leaf hoppers are attacking. Many of the older leaves have large holes, like a caterpillar or slug has attacked, but I have seen neither, nor the silvery lines from slugs. I love eggplants, and this is the first year I have attempted to grow them. To have such big plants and no blooms is disappointing. As of now, I have used no fertilizer or manure. I have a pasture full of all ages of cow manures. The rest of my garden has had the same conditions, but seem to be faring well. I have peppers, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, onions, beans, watermelon and cantaloupe. Please help!

I think you should be patient. Eggplants like heat and unlike other vegetables, don’t slow down when the temperatures heat up so there is still plenty of time to harvest huge quantities of them this season. Water when dry, and fertilize. You could top-dress with some well rotted manure, and use a complete fertilizer. Mulch the plants to conserve moisture. Do monitor for pest problems, and control as needed. Flea beetles are a common problem with eggplants and can leave the plants looking like they were shot through with tiny holes.