Kurume Eggplant
 

Just thought of sharing my eggplant growing here. I wanted a fast bearing eggplant and chose this variety, the Kurume. Seeds are probably from Japan and I wasn't sure how well it would grow in region 9.
There is a trick to accelerating growth, which is just a plastic covering around the planter. To compare growth, I planted some seeds in an open container, shown in photo 1. Photo 2 shows seeds planted in a covered container. They were planted 5 weeks ago. Quite a difference. The covering is removed when plants are about 2 feet tall.
Photo 3 shows plants that were also grown in covered containers 4 months ago. They have been bearing fruits for a month now. Photo 4 shows plants that are now 9 months old, and they are still bearing fruits.
The Kurume eggplants are supposed to be about 9 inches long, but I am getting fruits that vary from 4 to 10 inches long. They take about 2 weeks to get to picking stage. I've been picking them and cooking them three times a week. Makes a great side dish at dinner.
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aloha HiPoha,

your kurume experiment is fascinating to me, esp since you're in HI like me. i'm tempted to try this. i can't believe how big the plant got! i know that eggplant loves heat so it makes sense that creating a sauna environment with the plastic really got it going. i've got some kamo seedlings i may try this with!

Hello Tekaha, yes please try using the plastic covering. Allow a handhole opening for watering and also small holes on the top for rain water draining. This method can also be used for other hard to grow plants here, such as tomatillos. When removing the plastic, do it over a period of a few days to acclimate plants to full sunshine (make tears on plastic a little at a time).