Rehoboth

  Harvest 65 to 80 days after transplanting , depending on the variety . The skin of the fruit is shiny and unwrinkled and a uniform color when it is ready for harvest As soon as the skin does not rebound to gentle pressure from your finger , it’s ripe. Japanese eggplant may be ready to harvest when the size of a finger or hot dog Cut the fruit with a sharp knife or pruning shears close to the stem, leaving about an inch of it attached. Once ready , eggplants are harvested at least once per week, preferably twice a week.

  Flea Beetles is the most common pest , but a healthy eggplant will be able to withstand damage . Grow plants under row covers until they are large enough to tolerate leaf damage.   Powdery Mildew can affect eggplant. This appears as white, powdery spots on the leaves which may turn yellow and die. Planting resistant varieties when available, planting in full sun , and provide good air circulation .  Tomato Hornworms are sometimes an issue as are potato beetles , lace bugs, and  mites . If the flowers on your eggplants form but then fall off , or if fruit does not develop these are symptoms of pests in the plants Most pests and diseases can be controlled organically with Insecticidal soap and Neem oil mix spray . Home Gardening Ideas

  Apply a balanced fertilizer like cattle compost every month during the growing season.  Fertilizer to be applied through side dressing , a process of digging a 6-inch trench around each plant and applying a fertilizer to it to keep nutrients available to the plant on an as-needed basis. Side dress again in after one month . You can also fertilize your seedlings with vermicompost As brinjal grow, it will need regular replenishment of nutrients in the soil. A good-quality organic NPK fertilizer can also be used for this purpose, which contains high nitrogen , phosphorus, and potassium Liquid fertilizer like Fish emulsion can be applied to increase the immunity and promote plant growth .  Epsom salts can also be provided to aid flowering and healthy plant growth as they are rich in magnesium .

  Brinjal grows best in a well-drained sandy loam or loam soil that is good in organic matter Select a well drained pot with drainage holes so that they would help to drain out excess water present in the soil so as to reduce the risk of root rot . Fill the pot with two parts potting soil and one part sand. Mix organic fertilizer to the soil balanced ratio of 20-20-20 of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium Sow the brinjal seeds over the potting mix and cover them with thin layer of soil Water regularly and the seeds generally germinate within 2-3 weeks After 30 days , sapling would have grown by 3 to 4 inches and will be ready for transplanting. During Transplanting you may need to carefully slide a gardening trowel into the side of the pot and remove the saplings and plant them in individual pots

  About 50 days after planting, Okra plants will start flowering and pods  will start to appear at the base of the plant and then keep producing upward First harvest can be done after 60 days of planting. Harvest the okra  when it’s about 4 to 5 inches long.  Use sharp knife or scissors to harvest okra when they are  are still tender and easy to cut. Okra can be picked  every second day , so that they don't get too hard .  Be sure to remove and compost any mature pods you might have missed earlier. Home Gardening Ideas

  Okra grows well if the soil is well fertilized . After 30 days of planting okra,  enrich your soil using organic fertilizer  like cattle compost, or balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer with primary nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus , and potassium Before  applying  the compost , remove some of the soil around the plants and apply the compost and cover them with the soil and irrigate them Liquid fertilizer like Panchagavya and  Fish emulsion  can be applied to increase the immunity and promote plant growth .  Mix the 30 ml of the liquid fertilizer with water in a  sprayer and spray the diluted mix over the okra plants. Epsom salts can also be provided to aid flowering as they are rich in  magnesium . Home Gardening Ideas

  Weeds should be eliminated  when the okra plants are young . Then  mulch the okra plants to reduce the weed growth and the retain more moisture in the soil. Water the Okra plants  every morning thoroughly during summer . During winter plants can be watered every alternative days. Okra are prone to be damaged by  Aphids , stinkbugs, beetles and worms if the plants are not monitored and not maintained properly .  Organic neem based pesticides can be applied every 15 days to keeps the pest away. Home made pesticide liquid (5 ml) made of ginger , garlic and chilly can be applied in 1 ltr of water is also effective . Home Gardening Ideas