Gardening

Eggplant

WORDS LYNDA HALLINAN

IMAGES ASHLEE DECAIRES

Summer is the only gardening season that catches me unaware ... every year. How can it be time to dust off the beach bags and stock up on sunscreen when I haven't even sown my eggplant seeds yet?

Summer gears up as the rest of the year winds down, but now is not the time to take your foot off the pedal. Now is the time to sow, plant, water, feed and repeat, then you can get on with cleaning the barbecue, stocking the beer fridge and relocating the stash of garden hose fittings you tidied away – somewhere – at the end of last summer.

It's funny how our taste buds seek out summer's succulence long before our gardens are ready to supply its most famous flavours: tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, peppers, basil and sweetcorn. I find it impossible to resist the first small bags of green beans that appear in supermarkets just as my homegrown seedlings are barely breaching the soil. Ditto cherry tomatoes; boutique hothouse varieties are available at my local farmers' market before I've even dared introduce my baby seedlings to the great outdoors. But better late than never, right? If, like me, life got in the way of your seed sowing plans (fantasies?) this year and you missed the boat to sow eggplants, tomatoes, capsicums and chillies, garden centres are well-stocked with an increasingly diverse range of gourmet varieties. I've raised eggplants from seed before, but I don't think I'd bother again. For starters, there's nothing to gain by getting a jump start on summer, as eggplants sulk in cold soil and won't set fruit until it warms up. Unless you have a heated glasshouse to cosset them along indoors until November, when the weather gods are less tetchy, it's far easier to buy large sturdy seedlings from garden centres now – even better if they're grafted for extra vigour and faster fruiting. Prepare a sunny spot for planting, enriching the soil with compost and general garden fertiliser. (If you have a keen fisher in the family, the finest eggplants I've ever seen in a friend's garden were grown on top of a trench of fish frames buried a foot deep so the family dog didn't dig them up!) Protect seedlings with slug bait, and water deeply throughout summer, soaking the soil around the plants rather than spraying the foliage. Mulch to conserve soil moisture and, once the plants start flowering, feed regularly with liquid tomato fertiliser. Then it's just a waiting game until it's baba ganoush season again.

VARIETY GUIDE

• Eggplants have a reputation for being pernickety prima donnas but that's largely due to our climate, rather than their constitution. They need shelter and heat (especially warm nights) to flourish.

• The easiest eggplants to grow outdoors are the small-fruited aubergines, such as the purple chipolata-shaped Ping Tung Long, which crops all summer long, and the green speckled Thai types (sold as Kermit or Green Egg). As a general rule, the smaller the fruit, the more you'll get off each plant. • In pots, plant compact hybrid varieties such as Patio Baby or

Ophelia (these may simply be labelled as “dwarf eggplants” in the shops). • Large, plump, pear-shaped purple eggplants are skite-worthy but also, in my experience, a little sulky. Black Beauty, Black King and Florence Round Purple all need staking, otherwise these buxom beauties are liable to split their stalks under the weight of the fruit. It's also a good idea, after each large fruit has set, to carefully pick off the old flower petals so they don’t rot onto the fruit, causing botrytis fungus to set in.

Lynda Hallinan

Waikato born-and-raised gardening journalist Lynda Hallinan lives a mostly self-sufficient life at Foggydale Farm in the Hunua Ranges, where she grows enough food to satisfy her family, free-range chooks, kunekune pig and thieving pukekos. She has an expansive organic vegetable garden and orchards and is a madkeen pickler and preserver.

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SMALL WONDERS

WORDS JANET WALKER

Janet from Pacifica gives us some great tips on how even with just a small space you can grow so much.

HANGING BASKETS

Right plant, right place! Location of your baskets is crucial when choosing plants for a basket. Will it be shaded or in full sun? Using a quality potting mix is essential, alongside regular watering and feeding. Think “thriller, spiller and filler” when planting – a middle focal plant, with some cascading varieties (ivys etc.) and some flowering fillers to bulk up the colour (lobelia etc.). Succulents, strawberries and herbs can also flourish in a basket situation and bulk planting of one-colour annuals (petunias, pansies, violas – depending on season) is another option for some real wow effect.

POTS THAT PRODUCE

You don't need to dig up a huge plot in your back yard to grow your own food. Even if you have only a small space available on your porch or patio, you can create an edible container garden. Just find a sunny spot in which to place your pot and the world's your oyster! Fruit trees, tomatoes, herbs and vegetables can all be grown in pots. Be sure to choose pots that will work for the space you have and the produce you want to grow, and remember, your plants will always do best in potting mixes made for containers. If growing herbs, be aware that there are definite sun/shade lovers – so don't mix the two.

POTS THAT CATCH THE EYE

There is a myriad of plants available which will create easy, eyecatching planters in your garden. Turn your entrance way into a stylish feature by flanking your front door with potted plants. Use striking shrubs, grasses and colourful flowers to create drama. Create a structural bowl of succulents to feature on your outdoor table. Use container gardening to add beautiful highlights to all areas of your garden, adding rich textures, bright colours and fresh display ideas to your outdoor area.

SPECIALISED CONTAINER PLANTING

There are some great options for larger container planting for small patios, apartments etc. The Vegepod for example – an innovative growing system which stands at waist height for easy workability and provides a controlled environment with near perfect nutrient and water availability. These are great if you're serious about producing a decent amount and variety of vegetables etc. They come with a mesh canopy for pest control, cat and bird control, and also reduces the need for sprays. See your local garden centre for a demonstration.

PROJECT PLANTERS

The truly inspiring containers are often bespoke and come in all shapes and sizes. Create your own personalised containers – upcycled metal bins, pallets, old boots and suitcases, sinks, colanders and tins. Let your imagination run wild – they can all be adapted and used as planters. Ensure that the drainage is appropriate in them and only grow plants which require similar growing conditions.

TOP TIPS FOR CONTAINER GARDENING

• Source the right size and shape of pot for your preferred plant • Drainage is key! Make sure your pot has appropriate drainage • Use water retainers, such as Saturaid, Crystal Rain etc., to prevent your plants from drying out • If using annuals change plants with the seasons

• WATER AND FEED! – as appropriate

For more gardening advice pop in and chat to the team at Pacifica, 112 Tara Road, Papamoa