Black Beauty Eggplant Heirloom Survival Garden Seeds

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Eggplant: Black Beauty Eggplant (500mg, 100 seeds)

Our Price: $1.97

Availability: Orders received by 4pm EST ship same day!
Product Code: EGGPLANT

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Black Beauty is a popular heirloom variety of eggplant with big yields! Bushy spreading plants grow up to 30 inches and hold their purplish-black oval fruit well off the ground, keeping it nice and clean! High quality fruit averages 2 pounds, holds well and retains good color.

This variety is suitable for growing in containers! Average: 80 days

Detailed planting instructions:

Start inside about 6 weeks before last frost date (or about 8 weeks before expected transplanting). Plant 1/4 inch deep in flats or cell-type containers. Keep soil warm (about 80 F to 90 F if possible) until emergence. Eggplant will not germinate in cool soil.

Harden off plants carefully before transplanting by reducing temperature and water.

Wait until weather has settled, all chance of frost has passed and soil is in the 60s F before transplanting, perhaps 2 to 3 weeks after the average last frost date. Cool conditions can weaken plants. Frost will kill them.

Consider using raised beds or black plastic mulch to warm soil and speed early-season growth. If using organic mulches to help retain moisture, do not apply until the soil has warmed.

Set transplants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows 30 to 36 inches apart.

Use row covers to protect plants from pests.

If season is cool, fruit set may be inconsistent. Plants with heavy fruit set benefit from staking.

Eggplants are heavy feeders, but avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers. They may encourage lush foliage growth at the expense of fruit.

Pinch off blossoms 2 to 4 weeks before first expected frost so that plants channel energy into ripening existing fruit, not producing new ones.

To help reduce disease, do not plant eggplants or other tomato-family crops in the same location more than once every three or four years.

HARVESTING

Harvest plants after they develop color, but before they lose their shine. Seeds on over-ripe fruit turn brown.Check for maturity by pushing on one side of the fruit with the ball of the thumb. If the fruit does not spring back when released, it is mature. Cut the stem with pruning shears and leave some stem on the fruit.

SAVING SEEDS

Cut open a ripe and shriveling eggplant and cube it into pieces about thumb size. Place the cubes in a colander over a pan and sprinkle with some kitchen salt. Toss the cubes to coat evenly with the salt and begin mashing and squeezing them with your hands. This removes much water from the cubes, it will also releases the seeds from the flesh.

Rinse the seeds off the cubes and they'll slip through the colander into the catching pan. Immature seeds will float atop the water. Pour off the floating seeds and any loose bits of eggplant flesh, add more water and stir again to separate the good from the bad. Repeat this step as needed.

Use a small kitchen strainer to sieve the seeds from the water, rinse them well to remove any salt. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a coffee filter for drying. They should dry for at least two or three days, about a week or longer if the weather is damp.

Features

Comes in E-Z Lock resealable, reusable triple-layered foil packets
Seeds are open pollinated and can be grown, harvested, and replanted endlessly
Dried & sealed airtight for long-term storage
Nutritional value: A good source of dietary fiber, folate, potassium, manganese, pantothenic acid, vitamin C, vitamin K, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, and magnesium.

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