ichiban 2

black beauty, some slow flowering no fruit yet, and yellowing bottom

black beauty pic 2

I have never grown Black Beauty but have grown Ichiban many times. They are very prolific and also taste very good and produce till fall.
I have tried 3 or more other varieties and have concluded that overall Ichiban is the best.

Looks like may have just got watered little too much or watered on those bottom leaves and sun burned them

I grow both but the black beauty is way better IMO

That plant looks healthy to me though.

My black beauties always take a bit longer to start producing than my ichibans.

Yours looks pretty healthy. I cant really tell from the pic, but the container may be a tad bit undersized IMO. Also, does it have drainage?

Make sure you are fertigating regularly too if you want good production since you are growing in pots.

I dont see anything of extreme concern in your pics.

It may be lacking some nutes though which could be from not fertigating at all and/or over watering, or poor drainage.

Fyi, plain water on the foliage in direct sun does not cause any sunburn. A fertilizer or pesticide solution (neem oil? Etc...) applied in direct sun could though.

I planted black beauty a week after Ichiban. Both were same size. Both in same soil and all other same conditions. In over a month, black beauty has tripled in size and is blooming while Ichiban has done absolutely nothing, same size as when planted. Figure that.

there is a drain hole and i have been using liquid plant food in the water mix about every two weeks. ya was just shocked to see so many ichiban growing fruit when i came back and none yet on the black beauty and also the yellow leaves, so just wanted to make sure. guess we shall see. pot may be tad undersized too i suppose, first year trying eggplants so all new to me

They'll start producing soon. Mine are usually about 3 weeks or so behind the ichibans. Seysonn is right, ichibans produce early, prolifically, and through to fall. The black beauties are later, not as prolific, and don't last quite as long. They are still respectable producers though and are good for culinary variety.