Eggplant Vera: description and characteristics of the variety, cultivation and care with photo

Vera eggplant appeared in the register of agricultural plants no more than twenty years ago. This culture is specific: ordinary eggplants are heat-loving, while Vera is quite suitable for growing it in the harsh climate of Siberia. Her germination, however, is low, therefore it is recommended only for small farms that will use the crop in home spins, and not for mass sale.

Description and characteristics of the variety

Vera's stats look like this:

height - standard for eggplant, from 75 centimeters to 1 meter;
spreading of the bush is small, with regular pruning it remains compact;
yield is also small, 1-3 kilograms can be harvested from one square meter;
trade quality - high, the fruits are beautiful, smooth, attractive.

Vera's color is dark, the skin is thin, the flesh is white, without bitterness - if not overexposed. Fruit weight varies from 100 to 300 grams.

You can harvest about three months after planting the plant in the ground. Thus, bushes planted in May can be harvested by the end of August.

Pros and cons

If you look at Vera without prejudice, her virtues are as follows:

cold climate tolerance - most other species do not grow in the north;
early harvest - three months is considered short waiting time;
high commercial qualities - if you are still going to sell eggplants, Vera, with its output of ninety percent of quality fruits, will do;
stability - Faith is unpretentious, you need to try so that it cannot bear fruit.

The disadvantage is actually one: a small yield of the finished product. However, for a private house and your garden, this is not so important. The disadvantage is more likely to be noticeable in large farms, where Vera does not pay for the costs herself.

Planting and growing

In order to achieve the promised stable fruiting from Vera, you will first have to spend time and effort on planting and care. And they must be correct.

Date of planting

There are two ways to plant seeds:

In the open ground. Suitable only for warm areas, where in spring the soil temperature at a certain point rises to a stable thirteen degrees. In this case, it is carried out at the end of April-beginning of May.
In seedling boxes. Suitable for cold regions where seeds cannot be planted, but germinated seedlings are completely. Sowing is carried out in late February-early May.

You need to focus not so much on the specified dates as on the temperature of the soil.

Planting seeds

Before planting seeds, they need to be prepared:

Check for germination. To do this, they are lowered into the water for half an hour and the floating ones are screened out.
Warm up. The stove is not suitable for this, the temperature in it is too high. But the heating battery is quite.
Disinfect. You can do this with a solution of potassium permanganate or aloe juice - while the juice also acts as a growth stimulator.
Treat with a growth stimulator. It can be not only aloe juice, but also a specially designed composition from the store.

It takes several days to process - you need to warm up at least two, dry the seeds treated with a growth stimulator.

Processing is carried out both before planting in the ground and before planting in boxes.

Growing seedlings

Growing seedlings is quite difficult - you need consistency and accuracy:

Sowing. Sow seedlings in any container - boxes, plastic cups, bags with earth. The main thing is that there should be one plant per container.
Shoots. The container must be closed with polyethylene and put in a warm place where it will be about twenty-five degrees. Seedlings will emerge in about three weeks.
Temperature regime. When the seedlings sprout, you need to reduce the temperature to sixteen degrees during the day and thirteen at night. After five days, set the mode close to the state in the open field.
Light. Eggplants love a long daylight hours, so you need to extend it with the help of lamps - phytolamps or fluorescent lamps.
Watering and fertilizing. Water regularly to keep the soil slightly moist, using only warm water. First feeding with a mixture of fertilizers containing phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen, when the plants release two leaves.

Two weeks before planting, seedlings should be taken outside for a couple of hours a day.

Choosing a landing site

In order for Vera to bear fruit well, the place must be:

On light soil with a neutral reaction. If rosemary, sedge, bent grass, ranunculus or mint grows on your site, then the soil needs to be limed - it is too acidic. This is done in 3-4 months.
On soil fertilized with organic matter. Organic fertilizers should be applied in autumn.

If you have a cold region, you need to insulate the bed - lay it with grass or sawdust at a depth of 30 centimeters.

Planting seedlings in open ground

Whether you are planting seeds or seedlings, you need:

Make holes. Depth - 15 centimeters, distance not less than 35, distance between beds from 6 centimeters.
Pour a glass of warm water into each well.
Plant seeds or seedlings, sprinkle them with peat.

You need to plant either in cloudy weather, or make sure that there is a shadow over the eggplants.

How to care for eggplant

When the landing is over, all that remains is to provide Vera with the right care.

How to water

Eggplant should be watered every day or every other day so that the soil is always moderately moist. Water should be heated in the sun - you can leave it in a barrel just for this purpose.

Water exclusively under the root, after each watering, remove emerging weeds and gently loosen the ground around the bushes.

Proper feeding

Eggplants need regular feeding, and if there are not enough nutrients in the soil, then episodic feeding is indispensable:

With a lack of nitrogen, bird droppings are introduced. The leaves on the plant are shrinking, fading and partially falling off.
Phosphorus is added if the leaves turn deep purple.
Ash (a source of potassium) is added if the leaves turn yellow and their edge dries.
Calcium is added if white stripes appear along the contour of the sheet.

The main top dressing is complex, it is applied 3-4 times per season.

Formation of bushes

The bushes do not need supports, and no more than 10 ovaries are left on them.

Protection from diseases and pests

Pests on eggplant are rare. The exception is the Colorado potato beetle, which is scared away by planting basil nearby.

Diseases are also rare, and most often fungal. Prevention helps from them - the soil is treated with fungicides in advance.

Sick plants are removed from the garden.

Harvest and storage of crops

Harvest in late August or early September, and as the eggplant ripens, it makes no sense to overexpose them, they will increase in size, but their skin will become thick, tough, and the taste will begin to give bitterness.

Cut carefully, with a sharp knife or secateurs, leaving 5 centimeters of the stalk along with the fruit.

Store in a cool place, no more than a month and a half.

You can use Vera in seamings, you can eat it raw, or you can use it in a variety of homemade dishes like ratatouille and vegetable stew, which is more familiar in Russia.