Black Brinjal Seeds (Black Beauty)

Brinjal (eggplant) is the fruiting crop in this otherwise leafy-greens-heavy line-up, and it behaves differently on a balcony as a result — you're not harvesting leaves as you go, you're waiting for the plant to flower and set fruit, which takes longer and asks for more sun than something like pak choi or spinach. It wants 6-8 hours of full sun daily, the most of any crop in this range, plus soil kept evenly moist throughout. Space plants 45-60 cm apart once thinned, and keep a stake handy — it isn't always necessary, but it helps once the plant is carrying fruit and starts to lean. Harvest runs 75-90 days from sowing, with germination itself taking 7-14 days.