Solanum melongena Seeds | Japanese Eggplant
LATIN NAME: Solanum melongena
COMMON NAME: Japanese Eggplant, Kurume Long Purple
Plant Profile
Japanese Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is a bushy, upright, tender perennial in the nightshade family, native to warm regions of south Asia, while it has been grown and selected in gardens of Japan, korea and China for a very long time. The Japanese eggplant is one of the most elegant of the kitchen vegetables, and its long, slender, glossy, purple-black fruits have made it a favourite of the gardens and the kitchens of the East. All of this makes Japanese Eggplant a satisfying plant to grow and to get to know.
Science & Biotechnology
As part of the nightshade family, Solanum melongena contributes to research on plant classification and adaptation, while nurseries and gardeners continue to trial it for cultivation. The Japanese eggplant has a real and distinguished place in research. Centuries of cultivation have left a detailed record of how it grows and behaves.
Uses & Benefits
Beyond its ornamental appeal, Japanese Eggplant has the practical versatility that makes a plant worth growing from seed year after year. Ecologically, the Japanese eggplant is a generous plant of warm kitchen garden. Its nodding, pale-violet flowers feed bees and insects of summer, and its bushy, leafy growth gives a fine cover and a shelter to small creatures, while its long, glossy fruits have made it a treasure of oriental kitchen. To raise the Japanese eggplant, sow seeds in pots of warm, moist compost in a bright, sheltered place, keep them gently watered, and grow little plants on in the warmth. A plant that has settled in will get along with only routine care.
The nightshade genus feeds the world, potato, tomato, eggplant, and arms it too: goji is its tonic member, while many ornamentals carry toxic solanine-type alkaloids, so identification is everything in this genus.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Japanese Eggplant under ordinary good conditions. Use a loose, well-drained seed compost, sow evenly over the surface and cover lightly, and keep everything evenly moist in bright light. A cool, moist period before sowing helps the seeds wake evenly — a few weeks in damp medium in the refrigerator is the usual approach. Move strong seedlings into individual pots, keep them in good light, and set them out when the weather and their size agree.
Our Take
Given the right start, Japanese Eggplant, Kurume Long Purple is a long-term garden companion. The seed responds well to a spell of cold stratification, a small step that pays off.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Japanese Eggplant often pair it with these related subjects: