Days to Maturity: 60 to 65 from transplant
A traditional black Italian-type eggplant, Black Stallion is a hybrid fruit vegetable that is also highly ornamental and suitable for an edible landscape. The robust plant grows approximately 3 feet tall and 2½ feet wide and sets small, drooping violet flowers followed by beautiful, blemish-free, teardrop-shaped fruits that have smooth and particularly glossy purple-black skin that resists fading. The eggplants are a uniform size8 to 9 inches long and 4 to 5 inches wideand have a creamy white interior with few seeds and a tender texture. Black Stallion is a great garden performer. Its early yields are abundant, and it continues producing over a long season, even persisting into cooler temperatures.
A Solanum melongena variety, commonly called eggplant, Black Stallion is a member of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), which contains plants that typically grow in temperate to tropical regions. Black Stallion has an upright, well-branched habit that provides the fruits with good cover, which helps prevent sunscald. The medium-sized plant is sturdy but may require staking or caging to support its heavy yields. In the flower garden, Black Stallion makes a stunning centerpiece grown in a large 18- or 24-inch container.
A warm-season vegetable, very sensitive to cold temperatures and frost, Black Stallion eggplant seeds can be direct sown into warm spring soil after the last frost date. Black Stallion eggplant grows best in a sunny spot with fertile, moist, freely draining sandy and loamy soil having an acidic pH of 5.5 to 6.5. Eggplants need plenty of moisture for fruit development and should be watered consistently, especially when young. If temperatures are expected to dip below 50°F, consider protecting plants with row covers. A layer of mulch helps to moderate soil temperature as well as to maintain soil moisture and control weeds. Succession plant throughout summer for continuous harvests.
For expert advice on growing a successful eggplant crop, visit our Know Before You Grow: Eggplant guide. It's filled with tips to help you nurture your eggplants from seed to harvest. Plus, check out the top Apps to Help You Grow and Answer Gardening Questions to make your eggplant-growing journey even easier.
