Amazing! Actual eggplant plants

Unlike every other year I've tried to grow eggplants in Virginia, this time I succeeded in beating the flea beetles (at least so far):

This was taken right when I got back. The plants on the deck are about to flower now.
I also have several plants in the garden. I did a little experiment in pest control. A few plants were left completely uncovered in the garden while I was gone. I kept a few others in the garden completely covered in row cover material (in the center of a row) until I got back in late June, then took off the row cover. The ones on the deck were never covered.

Results: The ones on the deck, 10+ feet off of the ground, did great without being covered at all. The ones in the garden under the row cover, then exposed, are doing OK. They have some flea beetle damage, but I don't think it's terminal. The ones that had no protection look stunted and punctured with thousands of holes in the leaves.

So there ya go- the easiest thing to do is to get the eggplants way up off the ground in pots.