Plant Encyclopedia

Group/Class:  Heirloom

Description:

Visually stunning and delicious, this heirloom variety produces clusters of dark purple fruit that can be harvested at 4" or longer; compact habit, perfect for containers or gardens; sweet and tender, great in stews, fried, stuffed and grilled

Edible Qualities

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

The eggplants are most often used in the following ways:

• Eating When Cooked/Prepared
• Cooking
• Baking
• Canning
• Freezing

Planting & Growing

Little Fingers Eggplant will grow to be about 22 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 16 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 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, and it is considered by many to be an heirloom variety.

Little Fingers 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. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.