Growing eggplants

Space individual plants 12 to 18 inches apart.
Before planting, add some general purpose fertilizer to the soil.
Eggplants love heat, so do well in raised beds and with dark mulch.
Harvest when the skin is still smooth and shiny.
PLEASE NOTE: The plants on my farm table have NOT been hardened off. They are straight from the greenhouse.
You can do one of the following:
1. Expose them gradually to outdoor conditions over a week
-OR (as I do)-
2. Plant them immediately and give them protection from excess sun, wind, and rain for a week or two.

Fairy Tale

Purple-and-white mini eggplant.

Attractive fruits measuring 2–4" long by 3/4–1 1/4" diameter are borne abundantly on compact 18–24" plants. Wonderful flavor with no bitterness and very few seeds. Some fruits may be harvested in clusters. Green calyx. AAS Winner. (Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

Patio Baby

45 days. Ideal for containers but right at home in any garden, this spineless, compact variety provides incomparable early and sustained yields of 2–3 inch long, egg-shaped fruit on plants no taller than 24 inches. The almost-black fruit are deliciously mild with less bitterness than comparable varieties, helping to garner All-America Selections honors.
(Territorial Seed)

Antigua

75 days. This beautiful heirloom eggplant is white with streaks of violet that fade to soft lavender. Eggplants grow to about 8 inches long and 3 inches across and have creamy white flesh that is tender and very mild tasting. (Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)