📋 Key Characteristics
- Scientific Name: Solanum melongena
- Plant Type: Annual
- Variety Type: Heirloom
- Growth Habit: Upright, Bushy
- Mature Size: 2–3 ft tall × 18–24 in wide
- Fruit Type: Elongated
- Fruit/Flower Description: Smooth, creamy white skin with a delicate, ghostly sheen; lavender blossoms
- Fruit Size and Weight: 6–8 inches long, 4–6 ounces each
- Days to Germination: 7–14 days
- Days to Maturity/Harvest: 70–75 days
- Hardiness Zones: 4–10 (grown as annual)
- Ideal Growing Temperature: 70–85°F (21–29°C)
- Lowest Survivable Temperature: 50°F (10°C)—this spooky sprout hates the cold!
🌞 Growing Information
- Sunlight Requirements: Full sun (6–8 hours minimum)
- Ideal Soil Type: Well-drained, fertile loam rich in organic matter
- Watering Needs: Moderate; keep soil evenly moist but not soggy (eggplants hate wet feet!)
- Spacing: 18–24 inches apart
- Planting Depth: 1/4 inch for seeds; transplant deeply enough to support stem
- Ideal Planting Time: After last frost—ghosts don’t like chilly toes!
🌼 Planting & Care Tips
Casper might look ghostly, but this heirloom beauty is no slouch in the garden. Start seeds indoors 8–10 weeks before your last frost date, then transplant when soil temps warm up. Stake or cage your plants to keep those snowy fruits off the soil and out of slug territory. Feed monthly with a balanced fertilizer, and prune lower leaves to improve airflow (and keep mildew from haunting your harvest). Aphids, flea beetles, and spider mites may creep in—blast them off with a strong stream of water or neem oil. Remember: a well-loved eggplant doesn’t ghost its gardener.
🍆 Ghostly gardening tip: Whisper sweet nothings to your Caspers… they’re deadicated to good vibes only.
🥗 Culinary or Ornamental Uses
Casper’s flavor is as dreamy as its appearance—mild, tender, and less bitter than many darker varieties. It’s practically born for roasting, grilling, and sautéing into silky perfection. Slice into creamy white rounds for a spectral caprese, or dice into hauntingly good baba ghanoush. The skin is thin and doesn’t require peeling (unless you’re peeling out of excitement).
👻 It’s frightfully good in curries, pastas, stir-fries, and garden-to-table bragging rights.
📌 Companion Plants & Recommendations
Plant Casper next to bush beans, marigolds, thyme, and nasturtiums to keep pests boo-hoo-ing elsewhere. Need a boost? Try Eggdrasil Farms’ compost-rich soil mix or our heirloom tomato neighbors for a ghostly-good garden lineup.
🎃 Final pun: Why did the eggplant cross the garden? To ghost its pests and haunt your harvest with delicious flavor.
🔖 Keywords & Tags
casper eggplant, white eggplant, heirloom eggplant, ghost eggplant, mild flavor, creamy texture, elongated fruit, beginner-friendly, easy-care, full sun, summer planting, roasting, grilling, baba ghanoush, garden beauty, pest resistant, upright growth, annual vegetable
📍 Local Pickup Information
This plant is only available for local pickup in Jonesboro, GA—just a short broomstick ride from Lovejoy! Each seedling is packed with care by your friendly neighborhood garden ghouls to ensure it arrives in boo-tiful condition.
