I don't think you did anything wrong. Mine did nothing this year, and I spent good money on plants instead of planting from seed. I doubt they'll live through the winter, so that was just a big waste of time and $$.

At least I have some company. I bought a plant too and it start getting blossoms right away but they kept falling off. These were the only two that produced fruit and sad fruit it is!

I had tons of eggplants this year, for some reason. I usually get the long purple types Ichiban or semi long Fairytale. The Black Beauty round types dont general do as well for me. However, this year, even the BlacK Beauty did great. I think our new raised beds combined w the xtra hot rainy summer helped.

I still have eggplants growing but they have slowed wayyy down and barely getting bigger. The plants themselves still look good. If it freezes tonight they may be mush by tomorrow lol.

FWIW, I've had the worst outcomes from store bought transplants. You also might have nematodes.

Starting from seed has yielded more success, IMPE. Variety is key though. The best production was from long purple and Ichiban.

Hard might be good - you'll find out when you cut them open. Very immature ones tend to be firmer than overly ripe ones. if seeds are fully developed and brown/tan, then you'll know.

And overly ripe can show some bronze tinge to the skin - also IMPE.

Gardening is a learning process for sure!

Well it did freeze last night and some leaves are bad but they look good for the most part. A lot of other stuff really took a hit!

Sultry, your results don't count, because you are the Magick Woman when it comes to plants. LOL I"m glad you got a good crop, though. Sounds like your new place is working out really well for you.

Surprisingly, my eggplant plants are still alive and growing. I'm going to try to save one for next year. I believe mine came with leaf roller caterpillar larvae on them, because they were on all the eggplants, but nowhere else in the garden. I finally gave up and cut them back by half, taking off all the leaves, and now they're coming back out.

Can gardening in FL get any stranger?

DG have you froze yet where you live? I think we are in for round 2 tomorrow night.

I'm not magic when it comes to Bell Peppers- they hate me lol. Could grow them just fine in other places..not Florida. Anyone know of a good variety?

I might not waste the space on Bells next year :( Hot peppers do great here but usually really get going later in the summer.

I miss growing sweet peppers! I grew chocolate & purple beauty successfully in the past, but not for years now because of chili thrips 😔

I also grew Corno Di Toro and Sweet Bananas, along with some mild chiles that were also quite sweet - my fave was Pasillo Bajio. And I grew Aji Dulce too, a no-heat chile with a flavor like habanero. Chiles always did very well for me and lasted over a few seasons.

I grew mostly hot peppers but did grow Banana peppers. DH likes to burn his tongue off with Moringa Scorpion and Ghost peppers etc.

I like smoky peppers that aren't super hot like Anchos/Poblanos or Chipoltle type heat or something like Serranos.

I usually grow the purple jalepenos from Totally Tomatoes but when you cook them, sometimes they get pretty hot lol.

This year I got some new pepper varieties to try like the Habanada (fruity like a habanero but no heat).

Dieghito Jalepeno which is short and chunky and seems like it would be a good spicy stuffing pepper.

Buena Mulata, and Sugar Rush Peach also got planted today.

I planted one that is a sweet pepper called Quadrato D'Asti Rosso that seemed like it might do okay based on some reviews I read..we will see lol.

I remember growing a brown/red chile called Mulato Isleno - super sweet when ripe, and spicy, but the heat was only in the seeds & membranes. It was so sweet I used it raw in salads.

Here's hoping you get a good crop 🙂

I just wanted to let you know that I pickled the sad eggplants and they ended up being delicious! Vinegar (and garlic) fixes everything!

Sultry, it got down to 32 here, but only for an hour or so. Of course, the banana leaves burned back, but almost nothing else was damaged except coleus. I really want a hard freeze this year so I can dig all the bulbs and redo the garden.

I think it was Bea who told me about substituting bell peppers with Cubanelles. I can't grow bell peppers for the life of me! I've tried every which way, and they just won't do. I grow a few Cubanelle plants, harvest some green, and let some get ripe. They aren't as plump and juicy as bell peppers, but the taste is wonderful.

Also, I love Poblano (Ancho) peppers. They're thick skinned like bells, but a bit spicier. Not too hot. I like them in my salads, and the dried ones are not spicy enough to cause me problems with my reflux.

jerzeegirl - I'm going to try to "bonsai" my pathetic eggplant plants over the winter and see what happens with them next year. Maybe if I can get them big enough, I will actually get eggplants from them.

I would have done something similar because\ the plant itself was in perfect condition but honestly I think I can find a better cultivar of eggplant that won't be so fussy. Those tiny little globes didn't cut it for me....lol.

I grew Astrakom eggplant from seed. It's mid-sized and elongated. I started the seeds in May, set them out in mid-August and harvested the first one around Thanksgiving. There are still a few fruits on the plants, but after the latest cold snap and all this wind, the plants are not looking happy. The only problem I had with the plants is that they were attacked by whitefly in late August. and September, but they recovered nicely once cooler temperatures put an end to the whitefly infestation. .

I still have two eggplants going. One is blooming. This is just strange, since they are supposed to do well in the summer, but these did nothing, now they are coming back out and blooming. I just hope they survive the winter so I can see how big they will get and maybe get some actual fruit from them.

Deb I'm glad the cubanelles are working for you. I turned to them years ago because I too can’t grow any other sweet peppers to save my life But can grow habinaros! I lost all my plants this year when we had two nights when temps when down to freezing. Those plants had produced for two years. I get to vrow some new ones for this year.