Re: Garden Goddess - Eggplant

[Guest guest]

At 02:59 PM 8/13/05 -0500, you wrote:

>So I grew eggplant in pots, . I have beautiful plants, and they

>flower, and nothing. I have resorted to bloomset, still nothing. What

>gives? Pots are great and for herbs, they are wunderbar.

>

>Thanks for any help, your goddessness.

My goddessness says that assuming consistent water availability, blame the

weather. That's assuming that you've had the same types of weather

extremes that we have (sorry, but weeks of 95-100 up here is NOT normal -

Vermont and Maine were looking good to me again until I realized it was

just as hot up there!). So if that's the case and you've had a much

hotter summer so far than normal ...

Eggplant apparently gets pissed at too hot as well as too cold (early

spring), thusly you get blossom drop. Obviously the plants are happy

otherwise (they're nice and big and bushy, right?), or they'd probably be

trying to set even deformed fruit before they cacked. So my only guess

is wait till the weather moderates some and hope they have time to finish

growing the fruit before frost. Of course, I also have no idea of the

average frost date where you are, either.

If you don't want to trust the weather, you could try shading them out

somehow during the hottest few hours of the day, that *might* encourage

them to set sooner.

MFJ

Everything connects. The universe is not THAT chaotic. Beauty can

still be found in the most amazing places.

[Guest guest]

,

>

>My goddessness says that assuming consistent water availability, blame the

>weather. That's assuming that you've had the same types of weather

>extremes that we have (sorry, but weeks of 95-100 up here is NOT normal -

>Vermont and Maine were looking good to me again until I realized it was

>just as hot up there!). So if that's the case and you've had a much

>hotter summer so far than normal ...

>

>

Yes Goddessness, it is the warmest summer since I have been a Texan.

Months of 95-100 are normal here, 95 being almost mild in my mind after

two months of misery. The pots have all been watered well since they

are south out the kitchen door, right by the hose. But I thought

eggplant needed mucho sun, so I haven't shaded it mid day like the

others. My bad. I'll move it to the small maple, which will give it

shade in the hottest parts of the day. We are getting really wet here

lately too, which is nice, kind of. It's hard to run in, but it is

green and the ground isn't cracked up to hell and gone. The potted

plants have good drainage, so it shouldn't be a problem. If it's going

to deluge, I'll put them under the roof. Is bloom set a good thing btw,

or is it nasty?

>Eggplant apparently gets pissed at too hot as well as too cold (early

>spring), thusly you get blossom drop. Obviously the plants are happy

>otherwise (they're nice and big and bushy, right?), or they'd probably be

>trying to set even deformed fruit before they cacked. So my only guess

>is wait till the weather moderates some and hope they have time to finish

>growing the fruit before frost. Of course, I also have no idea of the

>average frost date where you are, either.

>

>

Yes, the eggplant are beautiful and bushy and don't have the bug leaf

holes this year at all, probably thanks to the chickens. It's

depressing to see how much bigger they are this year, but not to have

ANY fruit, let alone the scrawny stuff a year ago.

Frost? What frost? Um, let's see, for spring it is March that is that

last threat of frost. I don't know what day, but I would stab at middle

of the month. For autumn, gosh, it seems like November is the beginning

of colder frost threatening times. I remember having fabulous salad

greens for Thanksgiving 2 years ago, but I didn't do fall greens last

year, like an idiot. Autumn is the best time of year for what is

normally considered early spring type planting here in zone 7b, if that

makes sense. If I plant peas, carrots and the like in spring (late

winter really), I have to fear frost and heat, cuz ya never know, and

one of them will getcha.

>If you don't want to trust the weather, you could try shading them out

>somehow during the hottest few hours of the day, that *might* encourage

>them to set sooner.

>

Thanks Garden Goddess! I have some blooms now. Please feel free to

advise further with the information I have given.

I owe you one or three. Aren't you a chocolate fiend?

Deanna

[Guest guest]

Deanna,

FWIW, your chickens could be contributing to the fruitless eggplant problem.

Insects are great for pollination, and pollination is a must for eggplants.

Here's a helpful chart that I've used (have given up on eggplants - the

woodchuck got all of mine this year and the little brat has been grazing in

my grass, taunting me, making me think " hey, grassfed woodchuck - must be a

recipe online for that! " ). Here's the helpful eggplant chart I've used...

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:XKtM-u33tt8J:www.hgic.umd.edu/pubs/onli

ne/ipm_eggplant_pfv.pdf+eggplant+pollination & hl=en

-Sharon, NH

Deut 11:14 He will put grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will

have plenty to eat.

Yes, the eggplant are beautiful and bushy and don't have the bug leaf

holes this year at all, probably thanks to the chickens. It's

depressing to see how much bigger they are this year, but not to have

ANY fruit, let alone the scrawny stuff a year ago.

Deanna

[Guest guest]

Sharon,

>FWIW, your chickens could be contributing to the fruitless eggplant problem.

>Insects are great for pollination, and pollination is a must for eggplants.

>Here's a helpful chart that I've used (have given up on eggplants - the

>woodchuck got all of mine this year and the little brat has been grazing in

>my grass, taunting me, making me think " hey, grassfed woodchuck - must be a

>recipe online for that! " ). Here's the helpful eggplant chart I've used...

>

That nasty little bugger! Woodchuck Stew, there ya go. Do you have any

cats or dogs? My kitty gets the bunnies out of the garden every time,

and has a juicy meal out of it. Heck, maybe you should grow eggplant in

pots too, but sometimes it's just not worth the effort when smart

critters taunt and scheme.

Thank you for the chart reference. The chickies can't get into the pot,

it's too big with a flared rim. But maybe they are eating pollinators.

I'm going to move the pot to the patio off the east side of the house,

where the chickens don't frequent.

Deanna

[Guest guest]

At 08:14 AM 8/15/05 -0500, you wrote:

>Thank you for the chart reference. The chickies can't get into the pot,

>it's too big with a flared rim. But maybe they are eating pollinators.

>I'm going to move the pot to the patio off the east side of the house,

>where the chickens don't frequent.

That'll help with the heat problem too, if that's it.

MFJ

Everything connects. The universe is not THAT chaotic. Beauty can

still be found in the most amazing places.

[Guest guest]

Deanna, I put umbrellas up over my sensitive plants in the heat. They

love it! But you probably don't have umbrellas in Texas?

:-D

~Robin Ann