Planting
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° and 90°F (21° and 32°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).
Where to Plant Egglant
For the best results, plant eggplant in a location that gets full sun—at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day.
Eggplants grow best in a well-draining 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 1¼ 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’re 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.
How to Plant Eggplant
- Start seeds indoors, sowing them ¼ inch deep in flats or peat pots.
- After the risk of the last spring frost has passed and daytime temperatures are 70° to 75°F (21° to 24°C) and 60° to 65°F (15° to 18°C) 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’t 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. On warm days, open the ends of the row covers so that bees may pollinate the eggplants’ flowers.
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’s dark and glossy purple. Fruits are ripe when their skin doesn’t rebound to gentle pressure from your finger. If you cut into an eggplant and find an abundance of brown seeds, it’s 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’t 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 you will 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°F (10°C).
- In the refrigerator, they will keep for several days.
- Do not wash or cut in advance to avoid damaging the skin.
- To avoid discoloring of eggplant after cutting open for cooking or grilling, use a marinade with salt, vinegar, and/or lemon juice.
Types
Though eggplant fruit are usually a beautiful dark purple color, they can also be white, pink, green, black, or variegated purple-white. Their size and shape vary as well, ranging from the large, gourd-shaped eggplants you’ll commonly find in stores to the more exotic, slender Japanese eggplant.
The standard eggplant produces egg-shaped, glossy, purple-black fruit.
- ‘Black Beauty’ is the traditional eggplant size. One plant produces 4 to 6 large rounded fruit. Other regular types include ‘Black Magic’, ‘Purple Rain’, and ‘Early Bird’.
- ‘Black Bell’: classic oval to round, 6-inch, purple/black fruit; disease-resistant
- ‘Dusky’: classic pear-shaped, 6- to 7-inch, glossy purple/black fruit; excellent flavor; disease-resistant
Other interesting eggplant varieties include:
- ‘Applegreen’: oval, 5- to 6-inch, tender, pale green fruit
- ‘Bambino’: oval, walnut-size, purple/black fruit; 1½-foot-tall plants
- ‘Casper’: cylindrical, 6-inch, snow-white fruit; mushroom flavor
- ‘Cloud Nine’: teardrop-shaped, 7-inch, white fruit; disease-resistant
- ‘Kermit’: Thai type; round; 2-inch, green fruit with white-striped shoulder
- ‘Rosita’: 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.
- ‘Ichiban’: 10- to 12-inch, slim, purple/black fruit; bears until frost. Expect a dozen or more fruits from one plant.
- ‘Little Fingers’: 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.
- ‘Easter Egg’ is an ornamental eggplant, usually white in color. (Not edible.)
More Like This
Eggplant does contain the toxin solanine, as do other plants from the nightshade family (tomatoes, potatoes) but it is not poisonous. Some readers, however, have reported sensitivity to solanine, especially when the eggplant is raw or lightly cooked--or, if they've eaten some other plants from the nightshade family in the same sitting.
Eggplant can be quite bitter, too, which is why we salt it. Salting releases the moisture which contains the bitterness, so you want to rinse off the eggplant and squeeze it dry before you prepare it.
Cooking eggplant transforms the taste and texture into something magical! It takes time, however, so the question is: learn to cook it yourself or go to an Italian restaurant? :-)
Eggplant is commonly harvested when it is purple in color, glossy, and six to eight inches long. They turn yellow when mature and aren't as good to eat at that point.
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