How many will you actually get?

[hangin'witthepeeps]

Well I was reading this on Bonnie Plant site (because I really have nothing better to do) and was kind of shocked.

"Discover the natural partnership between eggplant and outdoor grilling, and you will make these stately plants welcome residents in containers, ornamental borders, and raised bed and traditional gardens. Small-fruited eggplant varieties tend to be especially heavy bearers, and you can expect to pick a dozen or more from each Green Goddess or Ichiban plant over the summer in warm climates. Varieties like Black Beauty that bear traditional tuxedo-purple fruits are equally impressive in the garden, or when stuffed, grilled, or combined with summer herbs and tomatoes in homemade eggplant Parmesan."

Full article here...
http://www.bonnieplants.com/lowes/L...es/tabid/313/ID/148/How-to-Grow-Eggplant.aspx

So I get only 12 from one plant? Over the WHOLE summer? Wow, that's not enough for us to really worry with. I've never grown an eggplant, but have started a few from seed this year to try. There are 6 at my table at night (5 are adults) and I need more than 12 mini-eggplants. Is this true or am I reading this wrong?

lol, 12 makes it a heavy bearer? Am I living in an alternate reality of what I should expect from my garden plants?

 

[lesa]

Let me start by saying, I hate eggplant. So, I am no expert. I wouldn't expect to get a dozen peppers off one plant...I am sure I didn't get more than a dozen tomatoes off some of my plants. A dozen off one eggplant, sounds reasonable.
Would you really make an entire meal out of mini-eggplants? Wouldn't you think of them as an addition to your meal??

 

[hangin'witthepeeps]

Well, one of my pepper plants produced at least 20 peppers (probably a lot more) and my jalapenos, gosh I bet out of the four plants I had 100 or more. So 12 does seem a little skimpy to me. And that is 12 the whole summer. So if I planted 2 eggplants, I would get a side dish a month. Mini-eggplants are as long as your finger and just a little thicker. So yeah, just a side dish, not eggplant Parmesan.

 

[hangin'witthepeeps]

Edited to add:

I had 10 tomato plants and I canned 24 quarts of tomatoes and ate a WHOLE bunch fresh. I had 4 cherry tomatoes (sweet millions) and I gave away quarts of them at work and fed some bird picked ones to my chickens because we couldn't eat them all.

 

[lesa]

You have a long summer, too- so that will make a difference. I was thinking Marconi's and sweet peppers. They are not as prolific as the hot peppers.
If you are really cramped for space, might not be worth the experiment. But, if you love eggplant and have the room- what have you got to lose?

 

[lesa]

See- be happy you aren't in upstate NY. I got 24 qts of tomatoes out of 60 plants! Even in zone 4, you get way more cherry tomatoes than you can eat! So, maybe you can triple their estimate with your nice, long season....

 

[silkiechicken]

At least you can grow them. LOL

From about 40 tomato plants last year, a cooler than usual summer, we got all of about 4 lbs of tomatos, all cherry ones. Not kidding.

I only expect 2 buttercup squash to mature per plant, so... yeah... 12 does not seem unreasonable. LOL

 

[Ridgerunner]

You'll probably do better than a dozen where you are. Don't let them get too dried out (mulching really helps after the ground warms up).

I have a huge problems with flea beetles on mine. Eggplants are one of two things I used insecticides on last year. If I had not, the flea beetles would have killed them. From what I read on this forum, most other people don't have that problem with flea beetles.

Good luck!

 

[journey11]

That sounds about right to me. If everything goes just right, you might get a few more. Mulch them early and you have to spray them regularly if you see flea beetles. Any defoliation on an eggplant will cause very low production, if any. I also had trouble with potato beetles, but those I pick off by hand.

I planted 10 of an eggplant assortment last year and had a lot of eggplant to use up! I like to saute those little ones in olive oil and use it in my pasta sauces in place of mushrooms (it will have a similar texture).

This year I'm growing all my eggplant in containers. They are well suited to it, it seems. My mom had very little trouble with pests in hers because she had them in containers. Hers produced before mine did too. And they look very nice in with your flowers and such. I think the foliage is pretty, as well as the fruit. :happy_flower

 

[lesa]

You are right, Journey. I don't like the taste, but they are lovely fruits. I always think they will taste good, because they look so cool...