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The pattern "eggplant is a southern vegetable, in the north there is nothing to grow it" is successfully destroyed today by the eggplants themselves. More precisely, those varieties of eggplant, which successfully bear fruit in open Siberian soil. Moreover, they show good yields.
Of course, when growing eggplants in Siberia, certain nuances must be taken into account. But in general, in terms of labor costs, the Siberian eggplant does not differ from the southern one.
The best "Siberian" eggplants can be of various sizes, shapes, colors and productivity, but they are united by frost resistance and the ability to produce early fruiting.
The late-ripening variety will not have time to ripen, since the summer in Siberia, although hot, is short. At the same time, there is a threat of frost until June, due to which eggplants can be planted in the ground only from mid-June.
The main problem of eggplant in Siberia: draft and cold wind. Even when growing eggplant seedlings on the windowsill, gardeners try to protect them from the cold air blowing through the window cracks. When planting in the ground, eggplants are often covered with a film on arcs.
Due to the large difference between the external and internal temperatures, condensation accumulates under the film, which increases the humidity of the air inside the shelters and contributes to the development of fungal diseases. For this reason, many gardeners are beginning to use mulch as a thermal insulation material.
Growers are constantly looking for the best plant varieties for their regions. Often, in order to choose a variety to your liking, you have to experiment. To narrow down the range of searches, you can select by one or two parameters.
Varieties that can bear fruit in the open field of Siberia
King of the North F1
The most popular hybrid in Siberia, although it grows well in other regions. This variety greenhouses and greenhouses are contraindicated. He can't stand the heat. At the same time, light frosts do not bring him any harm. TO in addition, in greenhouses, the risk of damage to the plant by spider mites increases.
The eggplant is early maturing with a surprisingly high yield even for southern varieties. It can give up to fifteen kilograms of fruit per square meter. Plants are planted at the corners of a rectangle with sides sixty by forty centimeters.
Eggplants ripen from the moment of full germination in ninety-five days. The fruits are usually twenty-five to thirty centimeters long. They can grow up to forty. Such a length of eggplants with a bush height of only forty centimeters creates certain problems for gardeners in the form of eggplants lying on the ground.
This variety of eggplant bears fruit all summer long until frost, bringing up to ten fruits from each bush... There are no thorns on the calyx.
Eggplants of this variety do not need to be soaked before cooking, their white flesh does not taste bitter. The eggplant was positively assessed not only by the gardeners of the Trans-Urals, but also by the eggplant growers of the central regions of Russia.
Diamond
An old, proven variety, more than thirty years ago included in the register for cultivation in the rather cold Trans-Ural regions and in the warmer Far East.It grows well in the Middle and Lower Volga and the North Caucasus.
In the northern regions, seedlings of this eggplant are recommended to be planted in greenhouses and under film. But the recommendations have not changed since the eighty-third year, when the variety was entered on the register. Perhaps it is worth taking into account the modern experience of Siberian eggplant growers and planting the eggplants in a sunny and wind-protected place. Especially considering that with resistance to mosaic and pillar, the variety is susceptible to fungal diseases.
The bush is up to fifty-five centimeters high. Branches early and amicably, therefore, a higher and more harmonious harvest is formed. The ripening period is mid-season. The ripening time for eggplants depends on the region and can range from one hundred and ten to one hundred and fifty days. The absence of thorns on the calyx makes harvesting easier.
Fruits are medium-sized, elongated. Weight is one hundred - one hundred sixty grams. Length from fifteen to eighteen centimeters. The cross-sectional diameter is three to six centimeters. Ripe eggplant has a dark purple skin. Overripe (for seeds) brown-brown.
The yield of the variety is average. From two to seven and a half kilograms per square meter. The disadvantages include a large number of seeds in the fruit and the contact of the lower eggplants with the ground.
The latter is much more pronounced in the King of the North and King of the Market varieties. They learned to deal with this problem by mulching the soil under the bushes. The method is also applicable to Diamond.
Big lug F1
The name speaks. The variety is distinguished by simply huge spherical eggplants. The average weight of the fruit is seven hundred grams. They can grow up to one and a half kilograms. The record eggplant of this variety, only one hundred and eighty grams, did not reach two kilograms.
The crop is harvested in the fifth month after sowing the seeds. Seeds for seedlings are planted in March. In the last week of May - early June, after the guaranteed end of frost, the seedlings are planted in open beds.
Bushes grow from sixty to eighty centimeters in height. The crop is harvested starting in July. At the end of July, all ovaries are removed from the bush, except for the six to seven largest ones. The yield of the variety is up to seven kilograms per unit area.
Eggplant pulp contains a small amount of grains, white, dense consistency... The variety is versatile and suitable for cooking and preservation. True, some housewives note as a minus the impossibility of placing the whole eggplant of this variety in a container for conservation. You have to cut it in pieces, since the whole fruit of this size will only fit into a bucket or barrel.
For the prevention of fungal diseases, spraying with fungicides can be carried out. For the first time, spraying is carried out at the stage of the fourth to sixth leaf. Further with a break of seven to ten days. Spraying stops twenty days before the start of the harvest.
King of the F1 market
Another popular variety bred for open ground in the Trans-Urals.
Seedlings sown at the end of February - March are planted in the ground. Like any other variety eggplant king of the market prefers the sun and sheltered from the wind.
When sowing seeds for seedlings, a special soil is prepared: half the volume of humus is added to the sod land, mixing a little peat for looseness. If the seeds were sown in a common container, the seedlings are dived.
Plants do not like picking, they often get sick after it. Instead of picking, you can immediately plant the seeds separately in small containers.
The height of the bushes of this variety is from forty to one hundred and fifty centimeters.
Important! If the height of the bush is too high, a garter is required. If the bush is low, the lower eggplants will be in contact with the ground.In this case, it is necessary to mulch the soil.
The variety is mid-season, begins to bear fruit in the fifth month after sowing the seeds. Differs in high productivity. Suitable for industrial cultivation. The fruits are well kept. They have an excellent presentation due to the same size and beautiful purple color. The pulp is of medium consistency, white. There is no bitterness.
The fruits are long, on average twenty centimeters, with a small cross-sectional diameter, making them ideal for canning or stewing vegetable platters.
Nutcracker F1
A high-yielding, unpretentious hybrid that grows well in the open air. Medium early variety. Fruiting in a month and a half after planting seedlings in the ground.
The seed is planted on seedlings at the end of February. It is transplanted into the ground at the age of seventy days. The optimum air temperature when germinating seedlings and when planting them on an open bed should be about twenty-five degrees. Seedlings are planted in rows at a distance of thirty centimeters. The row spacing is forty centimeters.
Bushes are tall and spreading. They can be up to eighty centimeters high. On average, three to five kilograms of eggplants are harvested from a bush.
The main advantage of the Nutcracker is its regular fruit production. The fruits are tied even at the top. For this reason, eggplants from the Nutcracker bushes are harvested several times over the summer. With this feature, the variety is similar to cucumbers, which also ripen unevenly.
The fruits are almost black with a purple tint. Glossy. Length up to fourteen centimeters. Weight from two hundred and fifty to six hundred grams. The white pulp is not bitter.
Precocious 148
A long-established and widely known variety. Early ripening. Suitable for open ground. In the North, it ripens among the first. This eggplant is unpretentious, guarantees a harvest even in Siberia in open beds. True, it is not very productive. From a square meter, you can get from two and a half to five kilograms. You can harvest the crop four months after planting the seeds.
The variety is grown through seedlings, the seeds on which are sown in late February - early March to a depth of one and a half centimeters.
Bushes are undersized. The minimum height is twenty, the maximum is fifty-five centimeters. Compact. The planting density is one and a half plants per square meter. A stimulant can be used to accelerate the growth of eggplant bushes.
The fruits are pear-shaped, five to eight centimeters long and five to six in diameter. Weight one hundred - two hundred grams. You can collect eggplants after they acquire a black-purple color. Eggplants left on the seeds, while ripening, acquire a yellow-brown color.
The pulp is light green, with a dense texture, there is no bitterness.
Early dwarf 921
Multiple early ripening variety. Fruiting already in the fourth month after seed germination. The height of the bush is small. Does not exceed forty-five centimeters. Weak branching, from three to five purple stems. Due to the low height and location of the fruits in the lower part, the stems do not break.
The variety is unpretentious and only needs to remove yellowing leaves and stepchildren for better illumination of flowers and leaves on the main stems. It is also necessary to loosen the soil and remove weeds... The yield of this multi-fruited variety can reach six kilograms per unit area.
Fruits are round-pear-shaped, matte, weighing up to three hundred grams. Overripe eggplants turn brownish brown. It is necessary to collect eggplants for processing at the stage of purple color before the beginning of browning. When overripe, the eggplant skin coarsens.The variety is used in cooking, eggplants have good taste.
Conclusion
Thus, the best of the best eggplant varieties can be selected based on the variety descriptions and the experience of more experienced eggplant growers.
Eggplants need to be fed twice with complex fertilizer: a week after planting seedlings in open ground and a month later. You can also fertilize the soil well with organic matter in advance. Before planting eggplant seedlings, add humus or compost to the soil and dig it up well.
