Content
Eggplant Black Beauty belongs to the mid-season varieties and is intended for growing both in the open field and protected. The period from germination to fruit emergence depends on the growing conditions. In the open field, the crop can be harvested after 120-140 days, and when grown in a greenhouse, the first fruits can be harvested two weeks earlier. The eggplant variety is valued for its resistance to many diseases and the ability to bear fruit in adverse weather conditions.
Black handsome. Characteristics of the variety
The fruits of the Black Beauty are elliptical in shape with a dark purple shiny rind, growing up to 13-15 cm in length and 11-12 cm in diameter. The eggplant pulp is creamy, tasty and without bitterness. The black handsome man is suitable for all types of home cooking - from drying to canning.
A description of the Black Handsome can be seen in a short video:
Black handsome is considered one of the highest yielding varieties of eggplant. From one square. m with proper care, you can collect about 12 kg of fruit. Accordingly, one bush can give more than 3 kg per season.
The plant is short, branched, fruits begin to form in the lower part of the plant.
Growing and care
The Black Handsome variety is grown in seedlings. Eggplant seeds can be sown from February to April. The specific sowing time depends on the further growing conditions. Eggplants are planted in the greenhouse at the end of May, and the seedlings are taken out into the garden as soon as stable warm weather is established (at least 15 degrees).
Seedling preparation
The black handsome man is a thermophilic variety. Before planting in open ground, eggplant seedlings must be hardened and prepared for "moving" to a new place, in more severe conditions. 2 weeks before the expected date of disembarkation in a room with seedlings, the temperature is gradually reduced to 17-16 degrees. You can take out a box of eggplant seedlings outside, you just need to make sure that there are no drafts.
Seedlings are fed a week before transplanting. Mineral (potassium sulfate) or organic (humate) fertilizer is diluted with water and the sprouts are watered.
After feeding, eggplant seedlings are subjected to antifungal treatment with a solution of Bordeaux liquid or boric acid, and two days before planting, the seedlings are watered abundantly.
Soil and bed preparation
While the eggplant seedlings are growing, hardening and being prepared, you need to take care of the garden bed. The optimal timing for applying fertilizers to the soil coincides with the autumn cleaning of the garden and vegetable garden. Therefore, at this stage, you need to immediately determine the place for future eggplants. Ideally, if it will be a bed of onions, carrots or cucumbers. Not recommended to be planted after corn and other nightshades. It is believed that these crops deplete the soil, and the land after such plantings needs rest.
Before digging into the place of the eggplant beds, you need to scatter fertilizer. Its composition can be as follows: for each square. m 4-5 kg of manure, 30-50 g of ammonium nitrate, 80 g of superphosphate and potassium. Separately, you need to prepare compost soil for seedlings.
Some gardeners prefer to cover the soil with plastic to create a microclimate in which all fertilizers are absorbed into the soil. This is not necessary at all. After digging, fertilizers will be under a layer of soil, which will then be covered by snow.
In the spring, it is necessary to dig up the ground for eggplants again, add ash and sawdust and form a bed about 60 cm wide.This should be done two weeks before transplanting. During this time, the land will settle and will be ready to accept new "tenants".
Transplant and follow-up care
The readiness of eggplant seedlings for transplanting is easy to determine by their appearance: the stem has reached a height of 20 cm, and there are 5-6 well-developed leaves on it. It is impossible to overexpose the seedlings - if they are not planted in the ground in time, then there simply will not be enough space for the development of the root system. The photo shows eggplant seedlings that have reached transplant maturity.
Prepared seedlings are planted at a distance of 40-50 cm from each other. The first feeding with mineral or organic fertilizers is carried out on the 10th day. The black handsome man, like other varieties of eggplant, does not tolerate drought. Excess moisture can also harm young plants. Therefore, watering should be frequent and moderate.
Treating eggplants with biological stimulants will help you achieve a good harvest. During the entire growing season, this is done only three times. The first is to soak the seeds in a solution before sowing, then during the flowering period and with the appearance of the first ovaries.
For the entire period of growth, the Black Beauty bush, if you do not follow it, can grow up to 1.5 m. The formation of a bush is a mandatory procedure when growing this variety. All leaves and shoots that are below the first fork are removed. The top of the main trunk is gently pinched as soon as it reaches a height of 30-35 cm.The smallest buds and ovaries should also be removed - for good fruiting, no more than 10 of them are enough for one bush.
