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Eggplant is a thermophilic culture that migrated to Russia from India. To grow these plants, a high temperature is needed, so they are planted in open ground in the southern regions.
Eggplants can also be planted in greenhouses in central Russia. One of the common varieties, which is shown in the photo, is Alekseevsky. You can get a good harvest from the bushes in temperate climates.
Description of the plant
Variety Alekseevsky refers to early eggplants, reaches ripeness 98-132 days after germination. Produces a bountiful harvest. Forms an eggplant, a slightly spreading bush of small height - up to 70 cm.
The stem is slightly pubescent. The leaves, as seen in the photo, are medium in size, with uneven edges.
The variety is zoned primarily for the North Caucasus and the Lower Volga region. However, this eggplant can also be planted in a greenhouse or in a film tunnel in central Russia. The variety is also grown in Moldova and Ukraine.
Fruit characteristics
The Alekseevsky variety produces cylindrical fruits. Their weight reaches from 100 to 190 grams, the average length is up to 15 centimeters. The eggplant skin is smooth, glossy, dark purple in color. The pulp of the fruit is white, has no bitter taste.
The variety has the following advantages:
- high productivity;
- rich skin color;
- correct and uniform fruit shape;
- taste qualities.
Eggplant has a high taste and is versatile in use. The fruits can be used for cooking sauté and other dishes, as well as for preservation. Well transported.
On a cup of eggplant, thorns are either absent or present in small quantities.
Seed preparation process
Before growing seedlings at home or in a greenhouse, you need to prepare the seeds well. As you know, germination is difficult for eggplant seeds. To get a good result, the following steps are required.
- Seed quality check... To make sure that the planted seeds will sprout, they are pre-soaked in warm water. After waiting 5 minutes, the floating seeds are separated. Those that have climbed are fit to land.
- Soaking before sowing... To facilitate the germination of seeds, they should be placed in aloe juice for a day.
In order for the seedlings to grow strong, careful soil preparation is equally important. Eggplant is a culture that is demanding on the composition of the soil. It is preferable to take sod land for sowing seeds. It is enriched with peat, humus, wood ash, sawdust and superphosphate are added.
As for containers, special cassettes, plastic cups or large containers are used. The seeds are lowered into the soil to a depth of 1.5 cm. Then the containers with seedlings are covered with a film until shoots appear. They are left at a temperature of 25 degrees.
Features of growing eggplant
Eggplant is first sown for seedlings. For the emergence of seedlings, a temperature of about 25 degrees is needed. In such conditions, sprouts can be seen in two to three weeks.
Seedlings can be placed directly in the greenhouse. Before planting seeds, perform the following operations:
- pickling the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate, it is better to do this twice;
- seeds are sown at intervals of 3 cm;
- until shoots appear, maintain a temperature of 25 degrees;
- when the seeds hatch, the temperature is lowered to 18 degrees to avoid stretching the sprouts;
- if some seedlings are still stretched out, sprinkle with soil.
If the seeds are purchased with a reserve, you can sow them with an interval of 1 cm, and leave 4 cm between the rows. After the emergence of seedlings, their condition is assessed. The weak are cut off, and the strongest are left at a distance of 3 cm from each other.
It is not necessary to use top dressing when growing eggplant seedlings. For the seeds to sprout, the soil temperature must be at least 14 degrees. Otherwise, they will not sprout.
Planting seedlings in the ground
The optimum age of eggplant seedlings for transplanting into the ground is 60 days. It is recommended to harden the sprouts beforehand. For this, the sprouts are kept for 2 hours at a temperature of 15 degrees. Within a few days, the temperature is reduced to street readings. The holding time is extended to 24 hours.
For a bed with eggplant, it is better to choose an area with fertile soil in a well-lit area. It is also important that the site is protected from the wind. In this case, it is preferable that the site is located on a hill.
It is necessary to take into account what kind of culture was previously grown on this site, and what neighbors the eggplant will have.
- The best predecessors are onions, carrots, cabbage and legumes. Do not plant eggplant after nightshade crops. These include peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and the eggplant itself (even a different variety). Before planting, you need to withstand a gap for at least three years.
- It is important to pay attention to which crops are located in the neighborhood. Eggplant does not tolerate shading. Therefore, there should be no crops with a tall bush nearby. The best neighbors for eggplant are garlic, onions, sorrel.
For each sprout in the garden, you need to leave a place with an area of 60 × 40 cm.When the temperature drops, the first flowers in the bushes may fall off. You should not be afraid of this, this fact does not indicate poor quality seeds or an incorrectly selected variety.
How to care for eggplants in the garden
Immediately before planting, a hole is prepared in the soil, which is spilled with two liters of water. Plants can be planted if the soil has warmed up well, and the threat of frost has definitely passed.
To grow your eggplant, you need to take care of the seedlings after planting in the open ground. This includes:
- regular watering;
- deletion weeds;
- protection against pests.
Water the eggplant once every 10 days. To calculate the amount of water for irrigation, you need to remember: the soil must be moistened 50 cm deep.
A great danger to a culture such as eggplant is Colorado beetle... Among the often used by gardeners means - tinctures of garlic and pepper, it is worth noting that the effect of them is only insignificant. The use of chemicals is also not to everyone's liking.
A good option for protecting bushes is agrofiber. Eggplant is covered with this soft material. As the bushes grow, the cover rises without causing any damage to the leaves.
Another important point is that plants need feeding. This procedure is carried out in three passes:
- During the flowering period.
- Before the main harvest.
- After removing vegetables.
In order for the fruits to be large, only 4 of the strongest branches are left on the main stem. The rest are cut so that moisture and nutrients are not wasted.
Reviews of gardeners about planting eggplants
The issue of planting eggplants is of interest to many gardeners. Further, several reviews have been collected about the Alekseevsky variety, which is shown in the photo, and other varieties.
The Alekseevsky variety is known to many gardeners. Although it is zoned for the North Caucasus and the Lower Volga region, such eggplant can be grown under a film cover in the central regions. The bushes give oblong fruits up to 15 cm long and weighing about 150 g. They have excellent taste and are suitable for both saute making and canning.
