Eggplant Profile: Little Fingers

"Little Fingers"  (Solanum melongena) is a compact eggplant cultivar from Japan. It forms small purple, finger-length eggplants and is tolerant of the verticillium fungus. The flesh has a silky texture with few seeds and mildly sweet flavor needing very little cooking time. Tender, thin skins do not require peeling or salting before cooking. Grill whole. A great variety for large containers! This productive plant does not need much support, fruit can be harvested small or left to grow without sacrificing texture or flavor. ~65 days

Remember eggplants are a hot weather crop. You can start them indoors 8-12 weeks before planting outside, BUT you must take precautions. Before planting them out, nighttime temperatures must be above 55F.  Harden them off well, at least 7 days, before planting out. Make your you have good drainage with plenty of organic matter.  Bring the heat with row cover, cloches, raised beds, or plant them in containers. This is an easy eggplant to grow and these simple tips should improve your eggplant crop.

This is a fasciated eggplant. Parts of the flower have elongated or fused together and after they were pollinated, they produced triplet eggplants.