AUBERGINE - BLACK BEAUTY

 Organic Aubergine Black Beauty

        20 Seeds Pack   

 The Black Beauty eggplant, a classic and beloved variety, was first introduced in 1902 and has since remained a staple in home gardens and farms due to its excellent qualities. This variety is known for its striking, large, teardrop-shaped fruits with a glossy, rich purple skin so dark it often appears black under sunlight. The fruits are not only visually impressive but also prized for their culinary qualities.

Inside, the flesh of the Black Beauty eggplant is a creamy, cotton-white colour, providing a delicate texture that’s both tender and firm, making it perfect for a variety of dishes. Scattered throughout the flesh are small, soft seeds that add a subtle bite without being overly noticeable, allowing the vegetable's mild, slightly sweet flavour to shine through.

Each Black Beauty plant is highly productive, yielding at least six large fruits per plant, often even more with optimal care and growing conditions. This variety is celebrated for its adaptability and reliability, performing well in both garden beds and pots.

To ensure successful seed germination and healthy plant growth, begin by soaking your seeds a few hours before planting—ideally overnight. When starting seeds indoors, it’s crucial to disinfect any reusable plastic grow trays, seed cells, and seedling tray covers thoroughly to avoid damping-off disease, which can hinder young plants.

Eggplants, also known as aubergines, have a long growing cycle, taking up to six months from sowing to harvest. Because of this, starting seeds early in the season is key. While they can be grown outdoors in the UK, eggplants generally only thrive in mild climates or during particularly warm summers. For best results, grow them in a greenhouse where temperatures remain between 21 and 30°C (70 and 85°F). Like their nightshade relatives—peppers and tomatoes—eggplants grow very slowly in cooler weather.

Sow eggplant seeds between late January and early March, ideally in a heated propagator or on a sunny windowsill. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, gently prick them out and transplant them into 7.5 cm (3-inch) pots. As the plants grow, continue potting them up until they’re ready for planting out into the garden border (once frost risk has passed), into grow bags, or into larger 20–25 cm (8–10 inch) pots.

If planting outside, be sure to harden off the plants first, then space them 60–90 cm apart to allow adequate room for growth and good air circulation. When the plants reach around 30–40 cm in height, pinch out the top growing tips to encourage a bushier form. To ensure quality fruit, allow only four or five fruits to develop on each plant; producing more may lead to smaller fruits that are slower to ripen.

Eggplants pair well with companion plants like potatoes, spinach, and both sweet and hot peppers, as they share similar growing requirements and face the same types of pests and diseases. Tomatoes are also good companions, but make sure they don’t shade the eggplants. To minimize disease risks, avoid planting eggplants or other nightshade family crops in the same location more than once every three to four years.