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Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Eggplants
Planting
Where to Plant Egglant
For the best results, plant eggplant in a location that gets full sun鈥攁t least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day.
Eggplants grow best in a well-drained sandy loam or loam soil that is fairly high in organic matter. To improve soil fertility, mix 1 inch of well-rotted manure, compost, or a general fertilizer such as 5-10-5 throughout the planting bed about a week before planting. (Apply 2 to 3 pounds per 100 square feet. Or, apply 1录 pounds of 5-10-5 per 10 feet of row when the row spacing is 4 feet.) Soil pH should be between 5.8 and 6.5 for best growth.
Growing Eggplant in Containers
If you鈥檙e growing eggplant in pots, use a dark-colored container that will absorb more sunlight. Put one plant per 5-gallon (or larger) pot in full sun and outdoors so it can be pollinated. Use a premium potting mix to avoid disease. Raised beds, which warm more quickly than ground soil, are also ideal for growing eggplant.
When to Plant Eggplant
- Start seeds indoors in flats or peat pots 6 to 8 weeks prior to the last spring frost date. Seeds germinate quickly at temperatures between 70掳 to 90掳F (21掳 to 32掳C). Alternatively, buy 6- to 8-week-old nursery transplants just before planting.
- Do not plant eggplant transplants into the garden until well after the last threat of frost.
- If purchasing transplants: Buy high-quality specimens. Do not purchase tall, spindly plants or young plants that already have blossoms (ideally, young plants should spend energy becoming established before they begin flowering).
How to Plant Eggplant
- Start seeds indoors, sowing them 录 of an inch deep in flats or peat pots.
- After the risk of the last spring frost has passed and daytime temperatures are 70掳 to 75掳F (60掳 to 65掳F at night), set seedlings in holes 24 to 30 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart. Use a covering of black plastic mulch to warm soils before setting out transplants if soil temperatures aren鈥檛 yet high enough.
- Immediately after planting (in-ground or pot), set 24-inch-high stakes 1 to 2 inches from each plant or use cages to provide support and avoid disturbing the soil or roots later. Eggplant will fall over when laden with fruit.
- After planting, water well. Add a layer of mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
- If you live in a cold climate, consider using row covers to keep the young eggplants warm and sheltered. Open the ends of the row covers on warm days so that bees may pollinate the eggplants鈥 flowers.
Types
The standard eggplant produces egg-shaped, glossy, purple-black fruit.
- 鈥楤lack Beauty鈥 is the traditional eggplant size. One plant produces 4 to 6 large rounded fruit. Other regular types include 鈥楤lack Magic鈥, 鈥楶urple Rain鈥, and 鈥楨arly Bird鈥.
- 鈥楤lack Bell鈥: classic oval to round, 6-inch, purple/black fruit; disease-resistant
- 鈥楧耻蝉办测鈥: classic pear-shaped, 6- to 7-inch, glossy purple/black fruit; excellent flavor; disease-resistant
Other interesting eggplant varieties include:
- 鈥楢辫辫濒别驳谤别别苍鈥: oval, 5- to 6-inch, tender, pale green fruit
- 鈥楤补尘产颈苍辞鈥: oval, walnut-size, purple/black fruit; 1 1/2-foot-tall plants
- 鈥楥补蝉辫别谤鈥: cylindrical, 6-inch, snow-white fruit; mushroom flavor
- 鈥楥loud Nine鈥: teardrop-shaped, 7-inch, white fruit; disease-resistant
- 鈥楰别谤尘颈迟鈥: Thai type; round; 2-inch, green fruit with white-striped shoulder
- 鈥楻辞蝉颈迟补鈥: pear-shaped, 6- to 8-inch, rose-pink fruit; sweet flavor
The long, slender Japanese eggplant has a thinner skin and a more delicate flavor.
- 鈥业肠丑颈产补苍鈥: 10- to 12-inch, slim, purple/black fruit; bears until frost. Expect a dozen or more fruits from one plant.
- 鈥楲ittle Fingers鈥: finger-sized purple/black fruit; good for containers. Small-fruited varieties tend to be especially heavy bearers.
Ornamental varieties are edible but of poor eating quality.
- 鈥楨aster Egg鈥 is an ornamental eggplant, usually white in color. (Not edible.)
Harvesting
- Harvest eggplant 65 to 80 days after transplanting, depending on the variety. When starting from seed, expect 100 to 120 days to maturity. July, August, and September (even into October) are all harvest months for eggplant, depending on where you live and the variety you planted.
- Eggplant tastes best when harvested young as soon as it鈥檚 dark and glossy purple. Fruits are ripe when their skin doesn鈥檛 rebound to gentle pressure from your finger. If you cut into an eggplant and find an abundance of brown seeds, it鈥檚 already too late.
- Harvest early and often, and the plant will be quite prolific. Once ready, check on your eggplants every 2 to 3 days.
- Japanese eggplant may be ready to harvest when the size of a finger or hot dog.
- When harvesting, do not pull the fruit (it won鈥檛 come off). With a sharp knife, cut through the tough stem above the green cap, or calyx, on the top. The calyx can be prickly, so want to wear gloves.
- You can cut these plants back like peppers if your season is long enough for a second crop.
How to Store Eggplant
- Eggplants can be stored for up to 2 weeks in humid conditions no lower than 50掳F (10掳C).
- In the refrigerator, they will keep for several days.
- Do not wash or cut in advance to avoid damaging the skin, which will quickly perish if exposed.
- To avoid discoloring of eggplant after cutting open for cooking or grilling, use a marinade with salt, vinegar, and/or lemon juice.
Cooking Notes
- Eggplant is excellent grilled, roasted, breaded, fried, or baked! The thinner varieties (鈥業chiban鈥) are more ideal for grilling and roasting and the traditional varieties (Black Beauty) are great breaded or fried; the round fruit is also good as a 鈥渂oat鈥 for stuffing.
- Use a stainless steel knife (not steel) to cut eggplant or it will discolor.
- If your eggplant is oversize, the skin may be too tough to eat. Peel before cooking or bake the eggplant and then scoop out the flesh. If you’re baking eggplant, first pierce the skin a few times to allow steam to escape.
- Many Italians will tenderize an eggplant so it’s less bitter. Slice them and sprinkle with salt at least one hour before use.
Catherine Boeckmann
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Hi Experts,
I live in Cary, North Carolina. Is it too late to plant eggplant seeds for Fall?
I am very new to gardening and can't wait till spring to plant :) Hence , would appreciate your answer.
Thanks,
Vr
No worries, we welcome beginner questions! Yes, it is too late to plant eggplant. This heat-loving vegetable has a long growing season. You’ll want to plant in the spring, well after all danger of spring frost has passed, and then it must harvest well before the first fall frost. See our Vegetable Planting Date calculator for your zip code here: /gardening/planting-calendar
I am growing Black Beauty eggplants. I just noticed that all the eggplants are soft to the touch. I live on Long Island NY and they are planted in full sun.
Soft eggplants may mean that they are past their prime. If so, and they are just a little soft, they can probably still be used in cooking, although they might be more bitter. If mushy, discard. Certain diseases can also cause fruit to soften before they would normally be ripe. Check for other signs of disease, on stems, leaves, and the fruit itself (mottling, watery areas, yellowing, mold, wilting etc.)
Thanks for the information, i will like to get some update regarding seeding planting.
I have a healthy 3 foot plant with 10 blossoms. The white falls off and a prickly fruit appears . Nothing purple at all. , This is a Black Beauty. I'm perplexed. Please help.
Hi, John, We’ll take a stab at this: Many eggplant varieties have prickly thorns on the stem and calyx (the whorl that encases the flower). That may be the prickliness you experience. Our best hunch about the flowers falling off is that something is interfering with the plant’s fruit production鈥攁nd sources back that up: Eggplant flowers fall off and fail to produce fruit (eggplants) when 1) they have not had enough water 2) they were not pollinated. Deep and infrequent watering is best. Wind can interfere with pollination; if you can shelter the plants a bit (in place), try that. We are also thinking that there has been intense heat across many parts of the country this summer. High heat sometimes causes vege flowers to fall off of plants before pollination/setting fruit and that might be the case here. Consider it too much of a good thing!
We hope this helps!
I knew new things about eggplant from your healthy article. Great. I recommened anyone to read this blog.
As my Asian eggplants gain size form about baseball size toward softball size they get white striations on the purple skin. Am I waiting too long to harvest them?
You are probably OK. Several eggplant varieties naturally have that white striping (variegation). Check the variety that you are growing for recommended harvest size and coloring. Calliope, for instance, has a teardrop shape and is a medium purple with white stripes; it can be harvested small, when about 1-1/2 inches, or mature--about 3 to 4 inches long.
