Diamond Organic Eggplant

Nature & Nurture Seeds

Solanum melongena

$5.49

Pkt(≈25 seeds)
Certified Organic
70 days. We think that eggplants are underutilized on American plates – it is all about how you cook it! So, we are bringing you Diamond, which when cooked right will turn any eggplant skeptic into an eggplant lover. Classic eggplant shape with very dark purple skin and creamy flesh on short, prolific plants. Mild eggplant flavor without bitterness. Early plants grow great in the north. Luscious when roasted or grilled. Compact plants are perfect for space-constrained gardeners. Also highly marketable at farmers’ markets – a good choice for farmers looking for a non-hybrid eggplant. Bred in Ukraine and brought to the U.S. by Seed Savers Exchange in 1993.

Eggplants are warm loving plants. Sow seeds indoors around 4/1 into good seed starting mix (we recommend Vermont Compost’s Fort Light). Ideal temperature for germination is 80-90° (use heating mat). Days to germination: 10-14. Once leaves appear, grow plants at 72°. Be sure seedlings have adequate light (a windowsill will not do for eggplants) and keep plants from becoming pot-bound because this will permanently stunt plants. If seedlings are getting too big for their pot but the weather is still too cold outside, transplant them into bigger pots. Plant seedlings outside late May into fertile garden soil with lots of compost or decomposed manure. If your soil pH is greater than 7 (which is typical of clay soils in Southeast Michigan) add sulfur to acidify soil. Space plants 1 ½ - 2 ft. apart. If plants begin to flower when plants are less than 1 ft. tall, hand remove early flowers for 2 weeks until plants are bigger. Stake plants if they begin to fall over.