Growing Eggplant – Tips on How to Grow Eggplant

Eggplant is one of those crops that adults seem to love but the kids aren’t so crazy about. But if you are wanting to give growing eggplant a try, you’ll find that they are relatively easy to grow, and the unique colors of the eggplant will make a nice visual impact in your garden. Here’s a few quick tips on how to grow eggplant.

There’s several different varieties of eggplant. They come in many shapes and colors, the most common are the dark purple Black Beuty and Black Magic, but another favorite are the white skinned varieties like Easter Egg. If you want to try growing them in a container try a smaller variety like Dusky or Morden Midget.

Planting – The most common way to plant eggplant is to transplant them, starting them as seedling inside 6-10 weeks before planting. Eggplants really do well in warm weather, and are very intolerant of frost. They need full sun (at least 6-8 hours of sun a day). The soil pH should be 5.5 to 6.5.

Don’t plant any sooner than 1-3 weeks after the last frost date. Soil temperatures of 65 ot 85 degrees are needed for germination, and even warmer air temperature of 75 degrees is best for growing eggplant. The plants spread a lot, so space them 18 to 24 inches apart. Many of the larger varieties will need to be staked or you can use smaller tomato cages to support them, as a fully developed eggplant can easily break of the branch in the high winds of a storm.
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Organic Black Beauty Eggplant $3.45 Store: Gardens Alive! Dusky Hybrid Eggplant $2.75 Store: Gurney’s Seed and Nursery Co.

Watering – 1 to 1.5 inches of water a week, with an emphasis on conistent watering once the eggplant has started to develop after flowering.

Fertilization – These members of the nightshade family are pretty heavy feeders, so in addition to adding a slow release fertilizer at planting time, you may want to side dress the plants every 2-4 weeks with a light fertilizer. Avoid too much nitrogen, as that will just encourage leaf growth at the expense of the eggplant.

Pest Control – The biggest pest that you’ll probably have to deal with is the flea beetle. These pests create small holes in the leaves of the plant, and they are small (1/10 inch long) and are black and shiny, with the occasional white or yellow marking. For those interested in organic controls can try pyrethrum, or better still conver the plants with agricultural fleece until blooming time.

If the plants carry through the summer, you may want to start removing the blossoms about 3 weeks before the last frost since they will not mature in time if left on the plant.

Harvesting – Eggplants should be picked when firm and before their skin loses its glossy appearance. Do this by cutting them off the stem with a knife, as you can damage the plant by trying to pull it off. Eggplant will become more bitter the longer it’s left on the plant, so get them while they are young.