Best growing tips for Black Beauty Eggplant

For this beautiful vegetable, we bring some of the Best growing tips for Black Beauty Eggplant. An old heirloom cultivar of eggplant that is still highly prized in backyard gardening is Black Beauty. These juicy eggplants thrive in both northern and southern climes and weigh well over a pound.

Quick takeaways:

• Black Beauty, a huge, dark purple, meaty, and tasty eggplant that is almost a century old, is the standard eggplant variety.
• Burpee first released this common variety in 1902, and gardens all over the world have since cultivated it.
• The great size, delicate creamy flavor, and surprisingly quick maturity for such a giant eggplant make Black Beauty highly coveted.
• It can mature as quickly as 75 days after transplanting.

Black Beauty eggplants are also prolific, growing up to 12 enormous fruits in a single season and at least 6 large fruits per plant. The plants themselves are perfect for container planting because they never grow taller than 3 feet, with a 5-gallon pot being the smallest size advised to guarantee a fair yield of large-sized eggplants.

Black Beauties are a big, meaty species that work well for grilling and stuffing. Alternatively, you may cut it up and add it to other eggplant meals.

Instructions for Growing Black Beauty Eggplants from Seed – Best growing tips for Black Beauty Eggplant

Instructions as to how one can grow Black Beauty Eggplants from Seed are as follows: 

1. Before transplanting Black Beauty eggplant outside, sow the seeds 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep and wait 8 to 10 weeks (or 4 to 8 weeks before your average last frost date). Maintain seedlings in a bright area or a south-facing window. After the last frost and when the overnight temperature remains above 50°F (10°C), transplant. Plant seeds in potting soil or rich, well-draining soil. 

2. As a warm-weather crop, Black Beauty eggplants should be treated similarly to their tomato and pepper relatives. It is advised to plant the seeds 8 to 10 weeks before transplanting, which can be between 4 and 8 weeks before your typical last frost date depending on your climate. While still keeping your eggplants small enough to avoid becoming root-bound in their pots, this will give you a head start on the growing season.

3. In a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch, sow the Black Beauty eggplant seeds. You can plant them in a 3-inch pot or a seed-starting tray (if you start your eggplant seeds earlier, you should eventually grow your seedlings in 3-inch pots before transferring). Although they will grow nicely at room temperature, eggplant seeds will grow more quickly around 75-86°F (24-30°C). Sprouts should appear in one to two weeks. 

To know more about the plant world, you may also read related articles, When to Harvest Black Beauty Eggplant?

4. Like tomato and pepper seeds, eggplant seeds can also be germinated in a paper towel. With tweezers, slowly and delicately transfer the seed into a container filled with the moist seed-starting mix as soon as you notice a tiny primary root appearing. 

5. Before you see the first few genuine leaves, fertilizer is not necessary for eggplant seedlings (the leaves that come after the two initial seed leaves). Applying a light feeding of diluted liquid fertilizer (at least 1/4 strength or less) can be done once the real leaves emerge. If the potting mix has some nutrients already, fertilizing is put downable till after transplantation. 

6. Plant Black Beauty eggplants as soon as the nighttime low reaches 50°F (10°C). Long stretches of extremely cold weather might limit their growth or have a severe effect on yields. 

7. Before transplanting, you can add some slow-release tomato or vegetable fertilizer to the soil. Water in your grafts thoroughly after transplantation to lessen transplant shock. 

8. Tomatoes thrive from deep planting, while eggplants can handle being planted deeper than the top of the root ball but do not. 

9.   Space your Black Beauty eggplants 18 to 24 inches apart if you’re planting them in a row.

Care Instructions for Black Beauty Eggplants

Things to consider while taking care of Black Beauty Eggplants are mentioned as follows: 

1. Rich, well-draining soil is necessary for Black Beauty eggplants to develop strong foliage and abundant fruit sets. It is advised to use either a liquid fertilizer administered every one to two weeks or a well-balanced fertilizer with additional phosphate and potassium that can be used as a continuous-release feeding every one to three months. Although they shouldn’t be allowed to dry out, eggplants cannot accept damp soil. Water them frequently.

2. Although eggplants are a reasonably hardy food in the garden, they do need some attention, just like peppers and tomatoes, to provide decent harvests (especially for large-fruited varieties like Black Beauty). Due to their intense feeding habits, Black Beauties demand rich soil and profit from additional fertilization. 

3. Fertilizers for eggplant are probably not available, although tomato and vegetable fertilizers can be used. The nutritional needs of eggplant are comparable to those of tomatoes and peppers. Higher phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) content in the NPK ratio will promote more blooming and fruiting. Use a high-nitrogen (N) fertilizer to grow lush, healthy plants, but fewer actual eggplants may result from this practice.

4. During the growing season, most liquid fertilizers can be applied every one to two weeks, and slow-release fertilizers like Jobe’s tomato spikes or Dr. Earth organic vegetable fertilizer can be applied every two months or so. However, always follow the instructions that come with the fertilizer you use. 

5. Maintain constant, uniform moisture in the soil around your eggplant plants. When the top inch or two of the soil is dry, you can water eggplant plants that are fully grown. Avoid letting your eggplants entirely dry out or wilt as this might cause blossom end rot in addition to reducing fruit size. 

6.   Black Beauty eggplants grown in containers will require more frequent watering than those grown in the ground. 

Conclusion

75 to 90 days after transplanting, your first Black Beauty eggplants should be ready for harvest. They should have glossy purple skin and be at their full size (at least 5 inches long). To prevent bitter, tough eggplants, harvest before the skin begins to turn yellow-brown.

You must “sacrifice” one of your eggplants by allowing it to become entirely overripe on the plant if you wish to keep your Black Beauty eggplant seeds to replant them the following year (it will be fully yellow-brown).

Even though the fruit will be almost inedible, the mature seeds will still be there, and one eggplant frequently produces enough seeds for several years’ worth of replanting.

Thanks for reading! Happy gardening!