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Less than two months after planting our Japanese eggplant and jalapeño pepper, we were able to harvest a handful of each vegetable.

Both the eggplant and jalapeño pepper were transplanted as seedlings, which gave us a jump-start on the season. Even with the head start, we weren’t expecting to harvest these crops so soon.

While there have been some unseasonably cold, wet days this spring and summer, there have been plenty of hot days fueling the growth of heat-loving jalapeño peppers.

Earlier this month, I noticed several large jalapeño peppers, which I thought looked ready for harvest. But as an inexperienced gardener, I wasn’t so sure since peppers are usually ready for harvest in September or October (in order for the peppers to change color).

But it turns out my instinct to harvest was right. When Jeanne Nolan, Adrienne Detanico, and Stephanie Drozd, stopped by our garden on Friday, July 18, we harvested a handful of jalapeño peppers.

We also harvested a handful of Japanese eggplants, even though (according to the harvesting guidelines I was following) the earliest the plant should be harvested is 60 days after it is planted. The 60-day mark for our eggplants will be Aug. 6.

However, the harvesting guidelines also stated to harvest the eggplant if is touching the ground or seems ready to be harvested. While our eggplants weren’t touching the ground, several were coming close to reaching that point. Using a serrated knife, Drozd cut the eggplant at the stem to harvest.

Several other eggplants and jalapeño peppers are already sizable and might be ready for harvest soon.

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