Tony O’Neill , expert gardener and well - sell author of the notable “ Simplify Vegetable Gardening , ” “ Composting Masterclass , ” and “ Your First Vegetable Garden , ” combines lifelong warmth and expert cognition to simplify gardening . His missionary work ? Helping you domesticate a booming garden . More on Tony O’Neill
{ “ statusCode”:401,”message”:”License key missing ” }
Eggplant , Solanum melongena , is a democratic daylight - achromatic vegetable grown in the Torrid Zone and semitropics . predict mad apple in Europe and brinjal in India , eggplant is a warm - time of year craw that does n’t permit frost and requires a long produce time of year .
This article will help you beat the odds in growing what is broadly speaking considered a challenge – know - how makes everything easier . fan out across ten fact about growing aubergine , and you ’ll find all the knowledge to put into drill in growing the very in force mad apple .
Most commercially grown eggplants are cultivated in New Jersey , California , Florida , and Georgia – yielding an average of 25,000 pounds per acre .
Table of Contents
1. Maximize The Season When Growing Eggplants
This heat - loving annual ’s dramatic leaf and intense fruit ( deep purpleness , green , cream , and other hues ) make it a superb alternative for eatable cosmetic pots- and veggie gardens .
Eggplants originate well in hardiness zone 5 to 12 , requiring at least two months with nighttime temperatures in the seventies .
Eggplant is well start by transplanting , and getting the plant off to a good starting line is crucial . Plants with well - developed ancestor in the grime ball should be choose .
It is not a good estimation to start planting too presently . When the soil has warm up up , and the threat of frost has go through , plant . tomato plant plants are more susceptible to hoarfrost than eggplants .
Growing eggplants is easy — plant life eggplants in quarter - inch - deep flat or cell - eccentric pots . warm up the soil ( preferably between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit ) till emergence — heating mat may be required . It ’s important to remember that eggplants will not germinate in parky filth . continue the seeds lightly with dirt and plant them in a fond , well - lit location .
To provoke secure development and prevent flora from arise leggy , extra light may be ask ( in their effort to pass for light ) . Install lights 6 inches above the plant and leave them on for 14 time of day daily . To keep the plant moist , irrigate the ground with a slender mist .
Before transfer the plant life into your garden , temper them off . This can be accomplished by letting them outside for two or three days and bringing them inside each night . Leave them outside for 24 hours on the quaternary day .
flora transplants two weeks after the median last frost date , or when the casual fair temperature is 68 ° F , and the grunge temperature has reached 60 ° F , consider that a cold snap can stunt the plant life .
Eggplant plants are significantly larger than pepper plant life ; therefore , they should be spread wide aside , and optimal eggplant production require deliberate attention . Small - fruit , exotic - coloured , and attractive cultivars can all be grown in container . There will be more on this later .
2. Homegrown Eggplants Taste Better
Most commercial varieties in the U.S. are violet - black and usually oval or teardrop shape . Less unremarkably produced variety include Asian eggplants , which incline to be retentive and slight , and infant , or miniature , Solanum melongena .
Exceptional tastes , shapes , and colors are available for the base gardener .
The All - American Selection ( AAS ) winners are an splendid topographic point to find recommended varieties.[link ]
Icicle F1 – 2022 AAS Winner
This cylindrical blanched eggplant earned the esteemed AAS award for several reason . The Icicle plant life has fewer thorn than most Solanum melongena , making for a less abominable harvesting ! With large fruits than other lily-white eggplants , it produces an splendid yield while providing few seeds .
The big , undestroyable , and vigorous plant withstand insect damage and the environs . The perfect white tegument does not tend to be xanthous like many other snowy change of eggplant . The improved taste and grain have oecumenical appeal ( whether fresh or cooked )
Patio Baby F1 2014 AAS Winner
Patio Baby is a very early and extremely rich eggplant bush with a compact habit , make believe it an splendid option for containers or in the garden . Deep purpleness , egg - shaped yield should be harvested at baby size-2 to 3 inches and are delicious roasted or in dips and salad .
Thornless leaves and calyx allow for painless harvesting and make Patio Baby child - friendly . works will continue to produce yield throughout the total time of year .
Gretel F1 – 2009 AAS Winner
flyspeck fruit , petite works , consummate for container . Gretel has clusters of pure white , elongated tear - shaped fruit that can be harvested in 55 Day from transplant . It is the earliest white garden egg and offers gardener a high yield of 3 - 4 column inch fruit with supply ship skin , few seed , and the sweetest flavor .
Mature plants are about 36 to 52 inches improbable and spread 2- to -3 feet . Gretel is promiscuous to spring up in containers or garden soil . plant opt warm growing shape .
For maximum yield set , glean the clusters of eggplant bush on a regular basis . There are many originative mode to slit , marinate , grillroom , or sauté the attractively shape brinjal .
Hansel F1 – 2008 AAS Winner
An eggplant lover bred Hansel . Many eggplant disadvantage have been bred out of Hansel . Take seeds , for example . They interpose with chewability and texture . Young Hansel eggplants have very few ejaculate .
Bitterness is another trouble . Generally , the Captain Cook hit the glossy imperial peel to eliminate the bitter gustatory modality of most aubergine . Not so with Hansel ; the fruit is tender and non - bitter . Another advantage is the harvesting window . Gardeners can glean the finger - similar clusters of fruit when 3 inch in distance . If the fruit stays on the plant until about 10 inch , they continue tender and unfermented .
This trait offer gardeners a long harvest time for Hansel . The industrial plant is small , no marvellous than three foot , and perfect for grow container , and Hansel will thrive on a terrace or pack of cards in a large container . diminished eggplants can be harvested only 55 day after set into container . Hansel is a miniature plant with improved eating quality and gamy yields for all eggplant aficionados .
Fairy Tale F1 – 2005 AAS Winner
Fairy Tale is a petite plant with decorative miniature eggplant that seem as luscious as the taste . Fairy Tale eggplants are clean with purplish / royal stripe , are dulcet with no bitter appreciation , and have tender skin and few seeds . Another superior quality is the windowpane for crop . The elongated oval eggplant bush can be picked when relatively little at 1 to 2 snow leopard , or they can be allow on the plant until double the system of weights and the spirit and tenderness stay .
I recommend Fairy Tale eggplants for marinating and grill whole , and the crop can begin in just 49 to 51 daylight from transplanting . The petite plant reaches only 2½ feet tall and wide , double-dyed for container horticulture . Before this 2005 win , eggplant had not won an AAS award since 1939 , so Fairy Tale is an exceptional variety .
3. Growing Eggplants In Containers
utilize one plant life per 14 - inch container ( 7 - Imperial gallon ) . Any of the potpourri recommended above will grow well in this size passel . you could also implant up to three plants in a 20 - in pot . Remember that when you are mature aubergine , they are prolific ascendent growers , so deepness is essential . The by and large accept received pot sizes are standardized in that the profoundness equals the diameter at the flange . Some of the larger size are prostrate to variances in height , width , and depth of the heap – below is a ready to hand size converting mesa :
Some publication will advise that you fertilize your Solanum melongena well . If you do n’t apply your fertilizer in sync with bloom timing and yield production , you may finish up with less yield than the plant life can . It is essential to provide nutrient that help the plant found and up the available plant solid food once it blooms and grows yield . A suggested starting portmanteau word incorporated in a cubic cubic yard of potting soil might be – insure it ’s well mixed in :
Sidedress with 0.15 nitrogen per 10 - foundation hebdomadary rowing after the first bloom are rig . In wet years you may want to increase the weekly side dressing .
Keep the flea beetle under command . Their impairment can vary from make spate of modest pickle in your leaves to , as the universe grows , dramatically reducing the leaf area and , therefore , the fruit proceeds . The Tanacetum coccineum does an excellent job of controlling flea beetle .
The only organically approved weedkiller registered for use in aubergine is GreenMatch , a broad - spectrum post - emerging - direct herbicide that burns down emerged weeds . This product only kills little , emerged widow’s weeds on contact and has no filth activeness or residual .
lend oneself the fluid formulation after sundown to belittle the damage to pollenate bees , mainly bumblebees . Always follow all label directions when using any pesticide . Although aubergine have perfect flowers , and ego - pollination would not be expected to be a problem , bees are required for upright pollenation .
rise eggplant in container do n’t necessarily need financial backing , but if you ’re growing a heavy toter , you may want to install a love apple cage soon after planting . It ’s critical to install livelihood early as adding it later can damage origin .
Growing eggplant bush is a perennial ( avoiding frost is essential ) . You may need to prune the plant to optimize yields .
The first main sectionalisation , where the first two stem turn emerge from the Qaeda and one other robust stem , should be left alone . All others must be removed .
This may appear a fleck severe at first , but the plant should fleetly convalesce with new greenish growth and fruit .
4. When Growing Eggplants, Ensure to Add Supports With New Transplants
contribute livelihood after your eggplant has grown will damage the rootage and may kill your plant life . living potty plants with cages or trellis to prevent living accommodations ( flora descend over ) . mature eggplants as perennial ( are able to protect them from rime and freeze effectively ) , you should take using bamboo stakes and twine to support fruit when they come out .
Consider huge containers or raised beds in accession to the usual garden when maturate outside . Plants should be spaced according to their mature plant size : larger types should be spaced 18 to 24 inches asunder , while humble cultivars should be spaced 12 to 18 inches apart .
Ascertain that the soil is well - debilitate and that the plant receive at least six to eight hours of verbatim sunlight per day . Before planting , sour flock of compost into the bottom . If you ’re using container soil , employ a slow - handout plant food .
continue immature plants with red-hot caps or a run-in cover framework during the night , then remove during the day . Because aubergine are primarily made up of water , they require at least an inch of water on the soil every workweek while grow .
A bed of organic mulch , about an inch or two thick , will help keep the soil moist . When fruits are forming , lachrymation is passing significant .
Stake large - fruit form to keep them from collapse under the free weight of their yield . bet the long , svelte - fruited kinds to further consecutive yield development .
look into for flea beetle or Colorado spud beetle holes in the leaves weekly or more frequently . material course covers , used during transplantation , will keep these out .
ascertain these pesterer with biological pesticides , such as a new one based on soil bacterium that is n’t as hazardous to beneficial insects like ladybugs and predatory mites .
5. Eggplants are Ideal Candidates for Ground Covers and Row Covers
Ground mulches made of pitch-black plastic may raise grease temperature , concentrate weed , and save moisture , resulting in increased takings and a debauched harvest . The ground surface must be quiet , and the charge card must bewilder securely to the surface for black charge plate mulch to boost soil warmth .
This can only be done using a machine specifically develop and configure . Clear charge plate mulch is excellent for transporting heat to the filth but does n’t keep mourning band at bay laurel .
A new propagation of plastic mulch motion picture , IRT ( infrared transmit ) or wavelength selective films , is between the black credit card and transparent movie and provides improved weed control and dirt warming .
Although they are more expensive than black or limpid films , they incline to be cost - effective when dirt heating is decisive .
Crop covers made of plastic , spun - attach , and nonwoven stuff have been used for windbreaks , frost auspices , and increased takings and earliness . In many crop , they mold well with charge plate mulch and drip watering .
run-in natural covering made of nonwoven or birl - bonded polyester , polypropene , and perforate polythene can be used 4 to 8 weeks after transplanting . When the plants start to flower , the covers should be removed for enough pollenation .
Row coverings increase rut unit of measurement accumulation by 2 to 3 meter above ambient temperatures during the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. , and gains of two to four degrees can be hit as Robert Frost protection overnight . Under row masking , soil temperature and etymon growth rise , as do early yields and , in some instance , overall yields .
Yellow nutsedge has sharp leaves that can fall into place shaping film ; research has shown that put a layer of composition between the territory and plastic motion-picture show can thin the emergence of nutsedge through plastic mulch .
Gleaming cutis ; a plump elongated shape : the eggplant is a veg you ’d want to caress with your eyes and finger’s breadth , even if you did n’t make out its luscious flavor .
6. Eggplants Are Part of the Nightshade Family
Eggplants are kin to potatoes , tomatoes , and black pepper as part of the Solanum family . All these industrial plant are twenty-four hour period - impersonal , have in mind they do n’t need a sure amount of darkness to blossom – unlike other photoperiod - tender plants .
It is believed that photoperiodism plays a role in the migration and hibernation of animal , though the effects are not as patent as in plants .
7. Growing Eggplants is all About Sun, Soil, and Water
When grow eggplants , you must read that they are warm - time of year crops that can not be frost - hardened . For the transplanted harvest , an 80 - day growing season is necessary . Temperatures of 79 ° atomic number 9 during the 24-hour interval and 68 ° F at night are ideal when growing garden egg . Plant development slows at temperatures below 63 degrees Fahrenheit or above 95 degree Fahrenheit , and pollination issue arise .
The length of the day has little effect on flowering . cool temperatures might hamper fruit sets . temperature and humidity story that are too high can affect harvests . Drought and extreme rain are not a problem for eggplant . Due to the build - up of root - rotting diseases , it will not withstand prolong menstruum of concentrated soil .
garden egg flourish in a wide compass of soil types . As a standard practice , you should incorporate at least 4 inch of compost into the top 12 inches of all vegetable bed . A ground pH of 5,5 to 6,5 is ideal for eggplant increment . Eggplant is often found on illumination or sandy loam soils with good drainage and ordered temperature .
8. Eggplants Can Have A Root Depth of up to Four Feet
Because eggplant tooth root to a depth of 35 to 48 in , sandy loam or silt loam soils with no physical obstruction are preferable for sound plant emergence and exploitation .
Furrow or drip irrigation can be used to cultivate aubergine . Some farmers habituate bootleg charge plate mulch and drip tape to regulate weeds , moisture , and soil temperature in spring plantings . Flowering , fruit solidifying , and expansion are all critical watering times .
The amount of H2O used is determined by the time of twelvemonth and the stage of flora evolution . The top 17 inch of grunge stop most of the water and alimentary - absorb roots . Irrigation should be cautiously controlled in this radical zone to keep the soil moist . damp soil better calcium availability which in turn forbid blossom - last rot .
9. When Growing Eggplants, They Need to be Harvested with Care
lead off harvesting the large , oval kind when the fruit is 2 inches in diameter . Continue to reap the fruit until they are 4 to 6 inches across . At the proper harvest time stage , the fruit will be steadfast and glistening . Overmature fruit will be muffled , seedy , and tough and tend to be bitter . transfer the fruit with a knife or mitt shears , leaving an inch of stem on each fruit .
Fruit that is picked too soon may contain solanine , a poisonous chemical substance . If the fruit is firm and your ovolo can not create an embossment on it , it is still immature . It is ready when an indentation produced by pushing your ovolo into the skin springs back . It is overripe if the fruit is spongy and your thumbprint is still visible .
10. Eggplants Don’t Store Well
Eggplants bruise readily , so pick with attention . Always rationalize the eggplant with the cap and a stem portion still entire . Because brinjal dislike parky temperature , they do not keep well .
reap and utilize them as soon as potential for the fine taste . If you must preserve them , wrap them in plastic or habituate plastics and place them in the icebox for 1 to 2 daylight . Be cautious since it will quickly grow flaccid brown patches and turn bitter .
Use them when the stem and diadem are still greenish and supple .
Further Reading
17 Vegetables you’re able to originate On A Balcony
Conclusion On Growing Eggplants At Home
Growing eggplants is fun , especially if you plant hybrid cultivars . Pot plants with shiny yield and purple basil can make a delightful display . You ’ve got what it takes to be successful , now get garden .
