Solanum melogena
Fairy Tale eggplant, an All-American Selections (AAS) winner is an attractive ornamental landscape plant with bright purple flowers. It produces attractive lilac purple and white eggplants with wonderful non-bitter flavour, tender skin and very few seeds. Compact 18 – 24″ (46 – 76 cm) plants will produce early and heavily with clusters of elongated 2 – 4″ (5 – 10 cm) oval fruit. Eggplants are very versatile as they will absorb the flavour of whatever they are cooked with.
The plants may be pruned and staked to keep the fruits straight. The eggplants can be picked young at 1 to 2 ounces (28 – 57 grams) or they can be left on the plant until double the weight, and the sweet flavour and tenderness remain. There is a long window for harvesting. Fairy Tale will thrive on a patio or deck in a large container.
To harvest, clip fruit stem with shears. Pick fruits of the desired size on a regular basis to encourage further production.
To store, refrigerate unwashed eggplants in storage bags for about 5 days.
| Maturity | 50 - 65 days |
|---|---|
| Height | 18 - 30" (46 - 76 cm) |
| Spacing | 12 - 24" (30 - 61 cm) |
| Light | Full Sun |
| Soil | Rich, organic and well-draining |
| pH Range | 5.5 to 6.3 |
| Watering | Moderate and even |
| Fertilizing | Apply balanced fertilizer in planting hole at time of planting transplants. |
| Nutrients Required | Nitrogen=moderate, Phosphorus=high, Potassium=high |
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