Scientific Name: Solanum melongena

Common Name: Eggplant 'Snowy', White Eggplant

Family: Solanaceae

Origin:

The origins of this open-pollinated, heirloom white eggplant are unknown.

Culinary Uses:

Snowy is a great tasting, versatile eggplant variety ideal for roasting or stuffing, using in curries, stir-fries, vegetable bakes, stews or for just about any other dish requiring eggplant.

Growing Tips:

Choose a growing spot in the garden for your eggplants that receives full sun or light shade for best fruit production.  Eggplants grown in heavy shade will grow leggy and produce few fruits.  Dig through lots of compost, worm castings, organic fertiliser or well rotted manure prior to sowing to give your eggplants the nutrients they need to thrive.  Tie the stems of your eggplants loosely to stakes to help support the heavy weight of their fruit and prevent them from toppling over in strong winds.  Pinch out the very end of each shoot tip as your eggplants are growing to create bushier plants.  Mulch around eggplants well to keep the soil cool and moist and reduce competition from weeds.  Eggplants have a deep root system so water them thoroughly to ensure you reach their deepest roots.  Let the soil dry out between waterings to prevent your eggplants from catching certain diseases such as verticillium wilt and root rot.  Picking eggplant fruits regularly will encourage them to produce additional flowers which in turn will lead to even more fruits.

When To Sow:

Sow Snowy eggplant seeds from September to January in temperate and subtropical regions of Australia.  In tropical areas of Australia sow Snowy eggplant seeds during the dry season from May to July.

How To Sow:

Sow Snowy eggplant seeds 6mm deep in the soil.  Eggplants can get quite large so you'll need to space plantings about 50cm apart to allow them plenty of room to grow.

Germination Time:

Eggplant seeds take between 5 and 14 days to germinate after sowing.

Time To Harvest:

You can expect to harvest your first Snowy heirloom eggplants 10 to 12 weeks after sowing the seeds, depending on growing conditions.