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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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We’re not sure what you mean by pruning. When growing eggplant, you prune the 鈥渟uckers鈥 at the base of the plant early to encourage early and abundant fruiting.
As eggplant stems grow, you will need to stake the plant similar to tomoates so that the fruit doesn’t touch the ground.
You harvest eggplant when the color is glossy. Do NOT pull eggplant from the plant. Use shears to clip the fruit from the plant, leaving about 1 inch of stem. Also be very gentle as eggplant is tender and can be accidentally pierced easily.
Where are the recipes you promised. What did deception. Did not want but you offered instead. This is my first and my last time I will visit this site.
Eggplant recipes are listed just below the 鈥淲it & Wisdom鈥 section, above. We also have a separate collection of eggplant recipes here!
I can't find information on how long an eggplant can grow? I know that once cooler weather comes, I take my peppers into the greenhouse and they do well over the winter. I want to know if I can do the same with Eggplants. My peppers are now 1m trees and are 3 years old. Each year they yield bigger peppers of Bell and other chili varieties. I know they need temps at least to 21C and my greenhouse is warm in the winter because I live in the Adriatic Sea so our winters are not that cold and we get a lot of sunshine.
Eggplants, like tomatoes and peppers, are actually tropical perennials plants in the wild. Gardeners in temperate areas tend to grow them as annuals, since they do not tolerate cold temperatures. However, if you’ve got a warm greenhouse where they can spend the winter, you can certainly treat your eggplants much like you would your peppers! I would only recommend disposing of the plant if it looks diseased or heavily impacted by pests.
My wife is a Filipina and I plant the long slender eggplant and the way she prepares it is beyond description. Traditionally I have problems finding the plants to set out and to find the seeds to get started early is always a challenge. This year I didn't cage them which was a mistake as the story goes, they will fall over. But they produce beautifully. They are one of my garden staples and thank you for the story with the good tips.
The bug in the size of a flea. It is black and can fly. They have peppered my eggplant leaves with holes. What are they and how can I control them?
Those are the calling cards of flea beetles! They are a common eggplant pest, but luckily, they aren’t too much of an issue on adult plants. See our pest page for more info on them: Flea Beetles
Hi
I bought little fingers verity from winco and transplanted in my veggie bed and it gets sun morning to till 11am and from 3pm to till sun set. It has so many blooms but not a single egg plant I got. We have bees to pollinate. I am from Portland OR. Plz help what can I do to get egg plants
the books on planting vegetables are very interesting.
