Eggplant Robin Hood: description and characteristics of the variety, reviews of summer residents with photos

Culture is not widespread among summer residents. Her fans and admirers choose varieties that suit them in all respects. One of the representatives of this vegetable, Robin Hood, an eggplant that breaks records for taste among its own kind.

Description and characteristics of eggplant Robin Hood

In order to correctly position the plant on the site and avoid mistakes when growing it, it is necessary to study the characteristic properties of the variety.

Bush:

height: 70-90cm;
little side shoots;
set a lot;
matures in 90 days.

Vegetable:

shape: pear-shaped;
color: purple;
weight: 300g;
length 20cm;
diameter: 9cm;
pulp: seedless, tender and without bitterness;
thin skin.

Thanks to these characteristics, the Robin Hood eggplant variety is gaining recognition from summer residents and gaining popularity.

What are the disadvantages of the variety

The Robin Hood type of eggplant has many positive properties. There are practically no cons to the variety. On bushes with a small number of branches, a lot of fruits are tied, so it is necessary to tie the bushes to the supports.This is the only drawback of this type of eggplant. Preventive treatment against diseases and pests is also required.

How to grow eggplant

A large percentage of the future harvest depends on how correctly agricultural technology is carried out. To do this, you need to study the information on when and how to properly grow a vegetable. If you follow all the recommendations exactly, it is possible to get the declared volume of fruits.

Date of planting

It is impossible to give a specific date for sowing eggplant seeds. The timing depends not only on the variety chosen by the summer resident, but also on the climate of the growing region. Another criterion to consider is the method of cultivation, open or covered, direct seed or seedling.

When grown in seedlings in a greenhouse, seeds are sown in the last decade of February. Provided that the finished seedlings will be planted in the greenhouse in early May.

If the crop is grown in open ground, in seedlings, then the seeds are sown in mid-March, planted in a permanent place in early June.

If the greenhouse is well heated, then they start sowing from the end of January in order to get an earlier harvest. It is impossible to name a specific date, it all depends on the choice of the summer resident.

Planting seeds

When planting eggplant seeds, you need to follow simple recommendations, and the plant will be pleased with the results.

Planting material for sowing is taken 2 years old, no less. And the germination of such seeds is excellent, and the yield is high.

Prepare fertile soil, water and make grooves. Planting material is dipped in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes. After it is washed with running water and allowed to dry, then sown.Seeds are buried to a depth of 2 cm. Then they are covered with polyethylene and placed in a warm, dark place until germination. It takes 10 to 14 days.

The optimum temperature for germination is +22… +25 ⁰С, after germination, reduce it to +13… +15 ⁰С. In 3-5 days, the root system will form, and the temperature will again be raised to +25 ⁰С.

Eggplant seedlings do not tolerate diving. Therefore, it is desirable to place it in separate pots. And transplant immediately to a permanent place.

Soil preparation

In order for plants to develop and grow well, you need to make fertile land for them. The site is chosen suitable, on the sunny side and closed from the wind.

Planting in open ground should not be in a hurry, the culture is susceptible to night frosts. If there is a decrease in temperature, it is better to play it safe and cover the sprouts with covering material.

The soil for the beds should be fertile and loose. With a lack of nutrients, humus is added, at the rate of 3-4 kg per 1 m 3 ^{2. If necessary, add complex mineral supplements.}

To ensure the friability of the beds, river sand, peat or humus is added to it. The earth is mixed and holes are prepared for planting.

Sprout care

After the seedlings begin to rise, it must be watered, preventing drying and waterlogging. Water in moderation, several times a week.

Feed with a complex plant support fertilizer. The most necessary elements are:

nitrogen;
phosphorus;
minerals.

When yellow leaves appear, they are removed.

Planting seedlings

Before planting plants in a permanent place, you need to make sure that the plants have 5-6 leaves.

In advance, 7-10 days in advance, hardening is carried out. Seedlings need to get used to the sun and cold air and wind.

The containers are well watered and are beginning to be transferred to the beds.

Rules for crop care

After the transplant process is completed, the plants are further cared for. They should be watered, fed and shaped in a timely manner. In gratitude, the plant will repay the declared yield.

How to water

Irrigation rates and timing depend on where the eggplant is grown, in a greenhouse or open field, and weather conditions.

Water abundantly 1-2 times a week, until flowering. Then increase to 3 waterings within 7 days. You can water less often, but more abundantly. If the weather is rainy, then watering is reduced to 1-2 times in 10-15 days.

Growing in a greenhouse, you should strictly observe the temperature regime.

How to properly feed

To improve the conditions for the growth and development of culture, fertilizing is carried out. Use organic fertilizers or store-bought complex mineral compounds.

Experienced summer residents recommend using a natural mixture. You will need:

straw;
stems and roots of nettles;
legumes;
compost soil;
wood ash.

All this is chopped and put into a container, poured with water at the rate of 1 part of the chopped mixture to 3 parts of water and infused under polyethylene or a lid. The mixture must be stirred several times. Water the ground around the eggplants, you can not pour under the root.

After transplanting Robin Hood eggplant plants stop growing, don't be afraid. This is a normal response to stress.

Shaping a bush

To increase the yield, eggplants are recommended to be formed. When the height of the bush reaches 25 cm, they remove the growth point. This stimulates the growth of side shoots. Of the stepchildren, you should also choose the strongest in the amount of 6 pieces, remove the rest.

After carrying out the main work, it remains to observe the plant, timely removing yellow leaves, fruits with obvious signs of deformation and shoots with no fruits.

The peculiarity of the variety is that it is not able to hold heavy branches with vegetables. They must be tied to supports.

Pest control

Eggplants, as representatives of the Solanaceae family, most often suffer from the attacks of the Colorado potato beetle. Fight them with chemical means or folk remedies. It is recommended to use methods without the use of chemicals. The disadvantage of such methods is a short action and multiple repetitions. But nothing harmful to the human body is deposited in the fruits.

Chemicals are more effective and last longer, harmful substances accumulate in the plant and pass to vegetables.

For small areas, the following mixture will help:

1 part slaked lime;
2 parts wood ash;
1 part tobacco dust.

Everything is mixed and scattered between rows of plantings.

Protection against diseases

The best defense is good prevention. It consists in processing the soil, planting material and observing crop rotation.

Eggplants are prone to the following diseases:

black leg;
late blight;
gray rot;
mosaic;
stolbur.

Processing is carried out in a timely manner, such means are chosen that have the least effect on the plant itself, decompose quickly and do not remain in eggplant fruits.

Collection and storage

It is difficult to determine the degree of maturity by the appearance of the vegetable, so they are guided by the length of the fruit.

Another way to know if an eggplant is ripe or not. You should press on the fetus, if the dent does not straighten for a long time, then it is not yet ripe. If it flattens quickly, carefully cut the eggplant using garden shears.

Eggplants are stored fresh, for this they are shifted with straw and stored in a dark, cool room. Thus, the vegetable is stored for 1-2 months.

For longer storage, eggplants are cut into rings and hung to dry in a dry, cool, well-ventilated area.

Robin Hood is suitable for any method of pickling or s alting. Perfectly retains taste and nutritional composition.

Reviews of summer residents about the eggplant variety Robin Hood

For information, beginners seek feedback from experienced vegetable growers. The comments contain useful information about the care and cultivation of this crop variety:

Evgenia: “I never grew eggplant myself.A neighbor gave a couple of Robin Hood bushes. Planted in May, a month later the first harvest was taken. The taste is excellent, they made caviar and even dried it. The next year, inspired by the results, we decided to prepare a garden bed and plant a vegetable ourselves.”
Anton: “I started growing eggplants with Robin Hood. Grown by seedlings. The seeds were sown in February. Since the culture is light-loving, I organized additional lighting. When 56 leaves appeared on the plants, he planted them in a greenhouse. He looked after with high quality, fertilized, sprinkled the aisle with ammonium nitrate. After 30 days, the first harvest was taken. In the family-favorite vegetable stew, eggplants proved to be excellent, no bitterness. Next year I plan to grow outdoors.”
Maria: “I love Robin Hood for germination and productivity. Bed 6 m long, 0.6 m wide, I put 20 bushes. I grow seedlings myself, from one plant I get 2 kg of vegetables. I’m not looking for a replacement, I’m completely satisfied.”

Growing eggplant Robin Hood is easy, they are undemanding to the composition of the soil. Perfectly adapt to any climatic features of the region.