Palermo Eggplant

Palermo Eggplant is a hybrid, Sicilian type eggplant with beautiful, round fruits. Sicilian-type eggplants are great for cooking because they're easy to slice into patties. The sliced eggplant patties are great for grilling, eggplant parmesan and frying. Palermo produces medium-sized plants with medium-sized fruits that average 0.5-0.75 lbs each. Fruits are light purple with a dark purple shadowing that give it a shiny, almost mirror-like appearance. They also have a distinguished white border around the calyx. Fruits hold well in the field without getting seedy, which allows for a longer harvest window.

Eggplant is in the nightshade family along with tomatoes and peppers. Plants in the nightshade family are susceptible to blossom end rot, which is a result of a calcium deficiency. To prevent or alleviate this problem, apply pelleted gypsum at the base of the plant at bloom set. Eggplant does best when transplanted, as the germination time can be longer than most vegetable seed. Eggplant grow very well in our heavy-duty seed starting trays. Plants should be started 4-6 weeks before the intended outdoor planting date.

If conditions outside are favorable, transplants may be planted directly from our 162 cell trays. If conditions are still too cold for planting eggplant, transplants may be "stepped-up" to 4" pots to provide more room to grow. For best results, plant transplants on top of buried drip irrigation to provide adequate water while reducing leaf moisture. Eggplants produce heavy fruits and will require some form of support to keep the plant upright. We recommend using the Florida Weave trellising technique that involves using stakes and twine along the row. This ensures that plants and fruits stay off the ground, reducing the possibility of disease and keeping fruits clean.

Palermo Eggplant Planting Information

Planting Method: transplant

When to Plant: after last frost

Planting Depth: 1/4"

Seed Spacing: 2'

Row Spacing: 3-4'

Days to Maturity: 70

Disease Resistance: None