Plant Finder

Moana Nursery High Desert Plant Finder & Guide

Description:

Easy to grow and easy to harvest, this variety is perfect for gardens and patio containers; producing round and squat, deep purple fruit with a white halo around the calyx; mild, nutty and sweet flavored, ideal for roasting, stuffing or grilling

Edible Qualities

Barbarella Eggplant is an annual vegetable plant that is commonly grown for its edible qualities, although it does have ornamental merits as well. It produces deep purple oval eggplants (which are technically 'berries') with hints of white and white flesh which are typically harvested when mature. The eggplants have a mild taste and a firm texture.

The eggplants are most often used in the following ways:

• Eating When Cooked/Prepared
• Cooking
• Baking
• Preserves
• Sauces

Planting & Growing

Barbarella Eggplant will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 24 inches apart. Because of its vigorous growth habit, it may require staking or supplemental support. This fast-growing vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop.

This plant can be integrated into a landscape or flower garden by creative gardeners, but is usually grown in a designated vegetable garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. This plant is a heavy feeder that requires frequent fertilizing throughout the growing season to perform at its best. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Barbarella Eggplant is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.