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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 Delia,
The eggplant likes warm weather and soil. Plant it in a sunny spot and it should set fruit before fall. It all depends on the variety and also how long your growing season is.
I'm planting brinjal plant in my garden. But I don't know which type of fertilizer to put in the plant to make it healthy and free from any kind of pests.
I stared growing my eggplant seeds in March. The plants came in good but are now in early April starting to wilt. Should I plant them into my raised bed this early? Or are they goners? Let me know. Thanks.
Hi Renee,
We suggest that you move the seedlings into bigger pots and put them in a sunny window if it is still too cold outside. If the day temps are warm you can put the seedlings outside in the sun during the day and bring them in for the night.
Hello...my eggplant has been planted in vermicompost soil...n it has come out well in beginin but as the time goes the plant has started droopin down to the soil as it seems like the leaves ws heavy fr the thin stem.... What is the rwason behind this and what shall i do
Looks like the roots are not getting enough space for spreading.Also check if the trunk roots is healthy enough.
You can tie the plant to a stake for support. You can also mound some soil up around the stem and it will grow new roots from the stem section that is covered with soil. This will help to support the plant.
Dear 蜜桃恋人 members,
Wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2015.
I am having trouble getting seed from some eggplants growing in green house. Please help me with you valuable suggestions and comments.
The plants have grown well. Majority of the plants have standard sized fruits. But in some plants (5 out of 20)the fruits are either not setting after pollination or the small/medium sized fruits are becoming soft and shrunken while still attached to the plant.
I am in Hyderabad, India and the temperature is maintained in greenhouse at 25 degrees Celsius. The eggplants are growing in GH from Nov 2014.
I will highly appreciate your help in this regard. Help me please.
Thanks and regards.
Indrajit Dutta.
I have Egg plants in big pots that produce lots of fruit in the summer and are flowering like crazy now, but the petals fall off and no fruit is developing. What can I do to have fruit this winter season in Phoenix ?
Eggplant loves to be toasty warm. It will not withstand much frost or cold temperatures. In Phoenix, the first expected fall frost is around December 5. Some gardeners have had luck in getting their eggplant harvest to last through part of December, but you would need to keep the plant protected from cold temperatures.
The flowers falling might indicate a lack of water (be sure to place mulch on the soil to help with consistent moisture in the pot), disease (check for other symptoms on the plant), too low or too high temperatures (or extreme fluctuation), or lack of pollination. Eggplant is pollinated by wind; in humid air, very hot temperatures, calm days, etc., pollination will suffer. You can take care of this by hand-pollinating--use a small paintbrush to brush the inside of each flower for a few seconds (to move the flower's pollen onto the central pistil).
Eggplants like daytime temperatures between 70 and 85 F, and nighttime temperatures of at least 65 F. Temperatures below 60 or above 90 may cause troubles, such as stunted growth or failure to fruit. If temperatures in your area have been straying out of the ideal range, that might be causing the flowers to drop.
