Kamo
ナス, Nasu, Eggplant
Solanum melongena
Known as the “Queen of Eggplants”, this traditional Kyoto vegetable is revered in Japan for it’s texture and flavor. There’s no question as to why they’ve gained this reputation. One of our challenges early on was the downside of their personality, which was understood to be more water and fertilizer heavy, and relatively lower yields than other varieties. Our appreciation of their culinary merits led us on a seven year journey, developing our variety to need less water and supplemental fertility.
Seeds per Packet: 25
A highly prized Japanese heirloom variety associated with Kyoto. Small, round fruits are dense with an incredibly smooth texture. We spent several years working to improve heat and drought tolerance with our variety.
Days to Maturity: 65-75 days from transplant. Growth will be slow when field conditions are cool.
Growing Tips: Eggplants need reliably warm weather and soils to healthily establish. Our variety has been selected for an ability to grow well without external fertilizers, but they still appreciate reasonably loose soils with a healthy supply of organic matter. They thrive in nice fall conditions. After a few rounds of harvesting, we recommend either pruning the plants, or giving them a good dose of comfrey tea.
When to Plant: Warm season annual. Start indoors 8 weeks before transplanting and put in field only after temperatures have adequately warmed, well past frost danger. Cool soils will negatively impact vigor.
Planting Depth: Seed 1/4”deep in shallow flats or 200 cell trays. Move into bigger pots or 50 cell trays when they have their first true leaf.
Spacing: 18” between plants
Sun: Full or Partial.
Water: Intermittent, moderate watering.
Grower: Namu Farm, Winters, CA