While it's not always 100% accurate, and environmental conditions can cause flower drop, you can usually tell if a flower has pollinated by looking at the flower stem. An unfertilized flower is held on by a relatively thin stem. When the flower is fertilized, almost immediately, the flower's stem begins to swell and prepare to hold the weight of the developing fruit.

As far as fruit set with your plants, there are a lot of factors, including temperatures, variety, fertilization, watering, soil... etc...

If they are flowering, and you begin to see the flower stems swell, hopefully you'll see some fruits.

Thanks, I do see flowers, but no fruit. Though there could be fruit under some of the flowers. Its hard to tell. I use miracle grow and this bonide vegetsble spray. For the past few years I had good luck, only recently did it get eggplsnt this late. Im doing well with my herbs, tomatos (which arent yet in season on li, but I have a lot on the vine so far. Hopefully they will be good and sweet when in season) and flowers. My zuchini, not so good. This is the first time I didnt have luck with eggplant. Could I have riuned the fruit by checking it?

What is the NPK levels of the miracle grow? At that stage of growth, I probably would have wanted a fertillizer that was geared for blossom or fruit. And I forgot to mention... you may have damaged the flower, but if you were gentle, you probably didn't hurt it... time will tell.

Okay, well the flower looks in tact, but there is a small dirt spot, hopefully that will wash off with rain. I guess I was gentle, but for now on to be safe I wont man handle them. Thefertilizers I use are bonide blossom set spray which has a hormone to help plant growth, the salesman at the garden store told me to use it and miracle grow shake and pour which has a variety of nutrients. Not sure the npk level but its what Ive used for years snd in the past it worked. Also I added some decomposed egg shells, decomposed unused vegetable parts (which I normally like to use in my broth) unused fruit parts and tea and coffee grounds all decomposed. This method has worked for years. Also I rotated where I planted stuff as I know thats suppose to help. Also the miracle grow I used earlier in the season. Now I use the blossom set.

I think that you have a handle on things, and I doubt you hurt that flower with all that manhandling lol.

Eggplant can be fussy with temps, but since you are seeing flowers, hopefully this will be one of those better-late-than-never years.

looks exactly how mine looks right before a black nub comes out of it. drops the stem like that and the flower base gets fat. i think you'll see a black nub pop out in 2 days.

Thznks hopefully.

Hello,

I live on LI as well and it's my first year growing eggplant. My plants looked exactly like yours up until about a week or two ago. I was concerned that they weren't setting fruit, but now they are slowly starting to form. I would give it some more time. The weather seems to be getting warmer, so hopefully they start setting fruit soon!

Yes, thanks mine are growig better too. I GUESS its not in season til August. Last few years I had some early bloomers.

sk4044 and krissy canto, what part of Long Island are you? Eggplants peppers, squash, etc...all did great for me. My only issue is the ripening of tomatoes. I have plants that are 6-7 feet tall, loaded with tomatoes and none are ripe, yet. Some tomatoes have been there for about three weeks. Do either of you have ripened tomatoes?

I am North of you guys in Rockland and have both tomatoes and eggplants. The regular sized tomatoes did not start ripening until about a week ago, the eggplants I have had for a few weeks (they are suffering from Verticillium Wilt too.) The eggplants are early varieties.

I think because I'm down on the shore and 100% raised beds or containers that most of the potential pest issues are minmalized. Last year early blight hit late August and blew all my tomatoes up. The only other issue I have is WPM, but nothing too severe.

I do have a lot of wildlife, but I enclosed it up to 7' high and lay turkey wire across the ground under the RCA to keep the burrowing terrors out.

I struggle with spacing. No matter what I do, everything seems to grow into each other. I have a white scallop squash plant that cover a ground area of 7' x 5' and a zucchini that is bigger. I put six tomato plants in a 4' x 8' bed and the branches all extend into its neighbor.

Me too, lots of tomatos but not quite red yet but tomatos are not in season on Li yet, as the farmstands dont have the local LI tomatos (except ones that grow hot house) until late August. I started to get mine red last year around mid August. Tomatos ripen good in the counter and supposedly even better in a paper bag and some say adding a ripe fruit such as a rippened tomato or banana could be benificial. But I usually leave them on the vine and let nature takes its course until tge whethers below freezing aroun November. Then I bring in and oftenbtgey ripen before I get around to bagging them. My eggplants finally are growing nicely now. We have a beautiful sunny week comming up which should benefit our plants. My peppers, which I usually do well with, are comming around.

Good for you Krissy! Yep, sometimes there are serious problems, and sometimes patience wins the day. Enjoy! :-)

Yes unforunately I xant say tge same for my xuchini. The plant perked up but the grow half the size they are suppose to grow and if I dont pick them small tgey overrip, so next year I might just stick to eggplant flowers hebs tomstos and peppers.

How small are you talking? Some people actually prefer to pick the zucchini small. Could argue that they actually taste better smaller. They are like cucumbers in the sense that they can be picked at any size.

Since they can get so big, it is pretty cool to see just how big you can get them. But you sacrifice flavor when you let them get too big.

Say my first year with eggplants was so so but this year I planted peppermint as a companion. WOW. They are going gangbusters ....... This ping tung long is AMAZING it is almost 4' high and have produced about 10 good eggplants with as many starting formation. I planted as a plant but will order seeds next year.

http://www.southernexposure.com/ping-tung-long-eggplant-025-g-p-1109.html

Only a few inches small, not ideal for stuffi g but luckily I have big ones from the farmers market. Stuffed zuchini soubds good. My grandmother used to stuff eggplant thst way but without riccotta. Riccotta sounds great though and I make fresh riccota I could even try stuffing my eggplant that same way. Those zuchini look very good.