The Thai Kermit Eggplant is an hybrid version of Thai round eggplant. Thai Kermit resembles a green and white ping pong ball. Sometimes called bitter ball or garden egg.
It has a green and white variegated skin and the fruit, when eaten young has an excellent flavor either fresh or cooked.
The plant is compact, height is between 2 1/4 and 3 1/2 feet. It has multiple branches which are highly prolific in producing their bounty of little green Kermit eggplants.
For best results keep well harvested, allowing produce to linger on the vine too long will slow down subsequent eggplant production. Overly ripe eggplants of this cultivar also are less appealing so far as taste goes, although not unpalatable.
The eggplants themselves are approximately 2″ round and weigh less than an ounce each. They are commonly used in the Asian culinary realm for curry dishes,stews and soups, pickled and served a la carte.
Start seeds indoors 6 – 8 weeks before planting outdoors.
Maturity at 60 – 70 days from transplant.
Germination from seed 10 – 14 days.
USDA Hardiness Zones 4 – 11
Fruit Size 2 ” Round
Not Drought Tolerant
Color – Green – White
Average Plant Height – 2.25 – 3.5 ft.
Spacing – 12″-18″
Indeterminate
Full Sun
Above Average Yields so far as quantity, average yield so far as total weight.
Eggplant grows best in a well-drained sandy loam or loam soil, fairly high in organic matter. Start early indoors in peat pots or cell packs
All eggplant varieties are highly susceptible to flea beetle attack particularly early in the season. Aphids also attack these plants and come later in the season. Varieties of Aphids that attack eggplants are generally either a light blue-green or amber, sometimes black.
Hardening Off
The outdoor environment can be very harsh for a transplant. So, harden the transplants before planting outdoors to increase their survival rate.
Place them outdoors in their original containers where they will receive direct sunlight and some wind for a few hours each day for a week, possibly more. Gradually lengthen the amount of time outside each day. Move the plants inside at night.