How to Grow Eggplants

Written by Amanda Brookhouse // August 8, 2012 // Comments Off

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Eggplant is a wonderfully easy vegetable to grow in a home garden. Eggplant is a hearty essential for vegetarians, as it makes for a wonderful meat substitute. It tastes great when grilled and when placed in a delicious eggplant parmesan. And what’s better than eggplant parmesan? Making it with an eggplant that you grew yourself!

Location

Eggplants appreciate warm, sunny weather. It’s important to plant the seeds where there is a lot of sun. It will also need well-drained soil. You may choose to create a raised bed for growing eggplants if you are not sure that your soil drains well. Eggplant also does well in containers. Choose a deep container that is about 18 inches in diameter. Make sure there are drainage holes in the bottom of the pot.

Soil prerequisites

Your eggplant will grow better in fertile soil. If need be, amend the soil with manure to up the fertility. Eggplant also likes calcium, so you might consider adding some lime to the soil. For the best growing, soil acidity should be about 6.3 to 6.8. Amend as necessary to get the pH to that level.

Other requirements

Using mulch is very helpful with keeping roots happy and moist. If you live in an area with cooler weather and still want to grow thriving eggplant, use a black plastic planter, rather than planting in the ground. Black pots will keep the plant warmer, and that’s exactly what an eggplant needs.

If you are growing multiple eggplants in a garden, plant them at least 24 inches apart. Whether planting in containers or in the ground, use a well-balanced, time-release formula of fertilizer. Follow standard directions on the product’s packaging.

If you live in colder weather and are keeping eggplants in a container, bring them into a safe location when the cold spells hit. If you have them planted in the ground, you may need to cover them in the case of a cold snap. In both containers and in the ground, plants may need to be staked, as fruit can be heavy and weigh the plant down.

Watering is very important to pay attention to. Water plants about once inch every week. The soil needs to be kept moist, but not overwatered. Plants that lack adequate watering will produce small, bitter fruits.

Harvesting

Generally, you can use the plant tag to guide you on the size of a mature fruit. However, some fruits can be smaller than usual, and they are still okay to harvest. In addition to the size, you also need to inspect the color of the fruit. When it is the appropriate shade of purple or white, ready fruits will have a nice gloss to them. Once they dull, they are likely past their prime.

If you press your finger gently into the fruit and it stays depressed, that is another sign of maturity. They will also stop growing larger. So if you think a fruit is ready for picking, watch it for a couple of days. If there is no change to size, it means you’re right. You will need shears to remove fruit from the stems. Do not pull off by hand because it will destroy the plant.

When you cut an eggplant fruit open, look for the seeds. It should contain soft, lightly colored seeds. If there are none, your plant isn’t mature. If the seeds are dry and dark in color, your eggplant is overripe. Store the washed eggplant in the fridge for a few days, but try to use it fairly quickly. Cut eggplant can also be kept for a short period if it is treated with lemon juice or a similar preservative.

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