Organic Rosso di Napoli Eggplant
Planting Method: Transplant Only
When to sow: Sow indoors, 6-8 weeks before final frost
Seed Depth: 1/4 inch Days to Germination: 7-14 at 80°F (26°C)
Sowing and seedling care: We recommend sowing in soil blocks and on heat mats. Good light is essential: Younger, less stressed seedlings are healthier and more abundant than older, more stressed seedlings. Increase pot size as they grow. Eggplants are heavy feeders, so nourish them with nutrient-dense soil as well as fish and kelp emulsion for an abundant harvest.
When to transplant: Harden off and transplant after final frost. Continue fertilizing throughout the season and use row cover to boost performance; remove when they flower.
Transplant Spacing: 18 inches Sun Needs: Full
Though we generally don’t need to stake or trellis eggplant, we’ve found Rosso di Napoli to be so prolific that staking helps the sheer abundance of fruit from breaking branches, it’s true! Even the tender buttons of fruit we love to harvest before our first fall frost for a warm, sumptuous curry to welcome autumn.
Days to Harvest: 65
Height: 2-3 feet
Harvest… and cook!: Far sweeter than most eggplant varieties, we never salt Rosso di Napoli and love them tucked into ratatouille and simmered in coconut milk, taking care to not cook them at temps higher than ~300 F / 150 C which bring out bitterness in otherwise buttery, sweet fruit.