More on this soon...
Also, a new photo of my scallion experiment is here:
Update on the eggplant: The whiteflies didn't get it. After a few applications of Neem Oil, they decided to come indoors and attack my petunias instead. The eggplant which nursed one bud for what seemed like months before it opened then suddenly started spewing out new buds and new blossoms on a daily basis. It has not set any fruit yet, however.
In the many years we have lived in this area I had never seen whiteflies before, but at our new location we have a row of lovely Yellow Bird of Paradise shrubs, unrelated to the regular Bird of Paradise plant, which apparently attract the little varments big time.
These thrive in the desert, and come in a red variety, too (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) which is more ubiquitous. Here is a photo of ours (Caesalpinia gilliesii):