Can you list the specific varieties your are growing?

I'm afraid not. I got the plants from a vendor at an outdoor market place. It was simply listed as asian eggplants.

Are these eggplants long and slim?? Asian eggplants are long and slim and are usually very tender. Not sure why they are tough?? if you are referring to LIttle Fingers, they can be a bit tough and bidder, unlike the asian long that I am used to... eggplants are such prolific produers..

Well since posting my question, I finally discovered the eggplants I have were wrongly labelled. They grew fat and round and so they are definitely not asian types. In fact, I still don't know when they do get to ripen. I bought these batch from a seller at a market place and I'm very disappointed by this.

I have tried to start my eggplants from seeds before but it takes too long to germinate and too difficult to maintain before it can be planted out. I wish there was an easier way I can get my eggplants. I really like the asian varieties because of it's sweetness. Ignore me, I'm just feeling frustrated by this....

Ianna

Possible for you to post a pic? "Asian eggplant" does not necessarily only refer to elongated varieties. There is still a chance yours are Asian.

I'M frustrated because eggplants are very hard to grow in Tennessee. They don't like the clay soil, and they sure don't like the flea beetles. Some years when I get them past the flea beetles, blister beetles will totally strip the plants of leaves. After years of killing off one cellpak a year, I finally started doing better, and so this year I planted seeds of Applegreen, Pingtung Long, Turkish orange, and Thai green pea, plus I bought some plants labeled 'Indian eggplant". The Applegreen and Turkish orange have made a few fruits. The Thai Green pea has made huge beautiful plants with not a flea beetle hole on them, but they wont' bloom. I finally went to the site where I ordered them, www.rareseeds.com and found it says "Late Maturity". It's the only one of all the Thai eggplants they carry that they say that about. I only have about 8 weeks till frost, and they haven't even bloomed yet! We are desperately short of water and I have been most generous to these plants, and have nothing so far to show for it. Have any of you tried this variety? If it's not going to start blooming in time, I may as well chop them down now, or at least quit wasting precious buckets of water on them. Donna

I know this is a very late response, but a lot of times eggplants (the fat ones) are just too big when seen in the grocery store. In the garden we always pick our fat eggplants when they are very small. They don't set large seeds and you are able to get so much bang for your buck you are not forgoing quantity for quality...especially if you have a few plants. As for the asian eggplants...you can let those grow longer than usual. I don't think there is ever a point when they are "ripe". They just get tougher the longer they stay on the stem.