Growing Eggplant

Growing Eggplant

Eggplants like it hot! They need 100-150 warm days to produce a crop. Start seeds indoors, six to eight weeks before last frost, and keep the seed trays or pots on a warm surface.

The soil needs to be warm before transplanting for the plants to do well. Do not transplant until all danger of late frost has passed.

Start hardening off the plants once temperatures are above 50 degrees overnight, reducing their water and temperature each day. Soil and air temperatures should be at least 70 degrees to avoid weakening the plants.

Planting Eggplant

Raised beds are the best layout for eggplants, leaving 12 inches of space between each plant in the bed. In rows, allow 24 to 30 inches between plants, and two to three feet between rows.

Grow them in the same bed as peppers, which have similar habits. Adding a layer of black plastic mulch will help increase soil temperature and retain moisture.

Heavy bearers may require staking to support the weight of the fruit. Eggplant can be grown in large containers, allowing one plant per five-gallon pot.

Care of Eggplant

Fertilize when transplanting with manure tea or a vegetable plant fertilizer high in potassium and phosphorous and low in nitrogen content. Once the plants set flowers, fertilize again, and then every month.

Plant an early crop of lettuce between the plants to help control weeds and utilize space. The plant requires one to two inches of water weekly.

Eggplant Pests and Diseases

The biggest problem with growing eggplant is the number of pests that attack the plant. Flea beetles chew tiny holes in the leaves. They are the biggest problem for eggplants. Use pyrethrins or rotenone.

Check the plants periodically, as these pests tend to return. Colorado potato beetles have yellow and black stripes, and their yellow eggs are found in a mass on the undersides of leaves.

Tomato hornworms are 4-inch long caterpillars that are green with white stripes. They can all be handpicked and destroyed. For other pests, use a strong spray of water from the garden hose to knock them off. Verticillium wilt is a common disease that can be avoided by selecting resistant cultivars. Crop rotation every year also helps prevent this disease.

Varieties of Eggplants

Some popular varieties for the home gardener include Black Beauty, a classic eggplant with large fruit; Italian eggplant, a deep mauve-purple oval; Antigua, an white heirloom with violet streaks and a mild taste; White Lightening, a snow-white hybrid favored by cooks; Japanese eggplant is small and long; Round Mauve, a 4-inch round variety popular for its lack of any bitter taste; Chinese eggplant is almost banana-shaped and smooth purple; and Pingtung Long, a favorite among Oriental cooks.

Growing eggplant is fast becoming a part of every home vegetable gardener's routine, for the variety in both the garden and in the kitchen.

Buy Eggplant

"Eggplant, Black Beauty Organic 3 Plants"

"Over 100 years old, this 1902 Burpee introduction remains a standard worldwide for large-fruited black eggplant. It was an immediate hit because the plants ripened perfect fruits dramatically earlier than other varieties. It became the common market eggplant of today. Harvested fresh, however, makes all the difference."

"Eggplant, Fairy Tale 1 Pkt. (30 seeds)"

"All-America Winner. Tender, plump and sweet, these luscious-looking mini marvels are little jewels of delicious creamy flavor. The short, slender fruits make tasty conversation pieces, with their beautifully marbled purple and white tones. In clusters of six fruits, the mini eggplants 4-5" x 1" grow on prolifically branching compact plants. Perfect for growing in containers."