Home grown eggplants
Growing Eggplant - Bonnie Plants
Discover expert techniques for growing eggplant. When you learn how to grow eggplant the right way, you'll get a big harvest of these sun-loving veggies.
Growing eggplant is a must if you're a fan of outdoor grilling! These stately plants grow well and look beautiful in containers, ornamental borders, raised beds, and traditional in-ground gardens.
Small-fruited varieties tend to be especially heavy bearers, and you can expect to pick a dozen or more from each Ichiban plant over the summer in warm climates. Larger varieties like Black Beauty and White, which bear more traditional-sized fruits, are equally impressive whether in the garden or kitchen, where they can be stuffed, grilled, or combined with summer herbs and tomatoes in homemade eggplant parmesan. Whichever kind of eggplant you prefer, be sure to choose strong young Bonnie Plants® eggplant to get you off to a good start.
Quick Guide to Growing Eggplant
- Plant eggplant when soil temps are above 50° F and all chances of frost have passed.
- Space eggplant 24 to 36 inches apart and stake them once established to prevent toppling. Choose an area with abundant sunlight and fertile, well-drained soil.
- Improve native soil by mixing in several inches of aged compost or other rich organic matter.
- Keep soil moist but not soggy—soaker hoses are a great option.
- Keep your plants fed by feeding them regularly with a continuous-release plant food.
- Apply a layer of mulch made from organic matter, such as finely ground leaves or bark, once plants reach 6 inches tall.
- Harvest eggplant when fruits stop growing and their skin becomes glossy. Remove ripe fruit with gardening shears, leaving a small portion of the stem attached.
Soil, Planting, and Care
Eggplant loves warmth and grows best in very sunny, well-drained locations. Raised beds that have been filled with 100 percent organic Miracle-Gro® Raised Bed Soil (which is just the right weight and texture for optimum root growth) or in-ground in soil that has been generously enriched with composted manure or aged compost-enriched Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics®All Purpose In-Ground Soil are ideal.
When growing in pots, fill them with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose Container Mix, which also contains nutrient-filled compost.
Although their coarse, leathery leaves withstand hot weather in champion style, eggplants benefit from a generous mulch of hay, shredded leaves, or other biodegradable material beneath plants to keep the soil relatively cool and to hold moisture and keep down weeds. Because eggplant really needs warm soil to grow well, gardeners in cool climates often do best growing the plants in large, dark-colored containers. On a sunny day, soil temperatures inside black pots may be 10 degrees or more higher than in-ground soil temperatures. Row covers are also a good option in cool climates, or even to protect plants from cool spells in warm climates. Open the ends of the row covers on warm days to let the bees reach the flowers for help with pollination.
Eggplants grow into tall, angular plants, so they should be spaced 24 to 36 inches apart. Improve planting holes by mixing in 2 inches of compost to help hold moisture and fertilizer in the soil.
Set plants at the same depth at which they are growing in their containers, and water well before spreading mulch. To help keep plants strong and well fed, fertilize them regularly with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition Granules, following label directions. Combining great soil with premium plant food is a surefire way to have lots of success growing eggplants.
In the case of a late cold spell, you may need to delay planting seedlings until cool weather passes. Should this happen, keep the plants in a sheltered, sunny spot outdoors during the day, and bring them indoors at night.
Be sure to keep plants watered or they will be small and bitter. They need a nice, steady supply of moisture but not so much that the soil is soggy. Drip systems or a soaker hose are ideal.
Eggplants are prone to falling over when loaded with fruit, so you may want to tie plants to stakes to keep them upright. If you drive a stake into the ground just an inch or two from the plant at the time of planting, you won't disturb the plant by trying to do it later.
You can also use small tomato cages to support the plants.
Troubleshooting
The tiny, black flea beetle is by far the worst nemesis of eggplant, but big, healthy plants usually produce well despite tiny leaf holes made by lots of flea beetles. In some areas, a common soil-borne fungus, verticillium wilt, can cause lants to wilt and die. Where verticillium is a common problem with non-resistant tomatoes (they are close eggplant cousins), grow eggplants in containers filled with premium potting mix.
Harvest and Storage
Fruits can taste bitter if picked when underripe or overripe, so harvesting is part of the eggplant grower's art. A perfect fruit will stop growing larger, have a glossy skin, and show a sprinkling of soft, well-formed yet immature seeds when you slice it open. Fruits with no visible seeds are immature, and hard, dark seeds are found in overripe eggplants. Use pruning shears to harvest fruit with a short stub of stem attached, because the fruits will not pull free by hand.
Rinse clean, pat dry, and store in the refrigerator for several days. Eggplant discolors rapidly when cut open, so work quickly when preparing slices or skewers for grilling. Marinades that include salt, vinegar, and/or lemon juice will keep cut pieces from darkening.
FAQs
Where should I plant my eggplant?
This plant despises cold, wet weather. It grows best in warm or hot weather and a very sunny garden.
In cool mountain climates, you may need a greenhouse. Some varieties, like Ichiban, do exceptionally well in containers.
Does eggplant grow upright or is it supposed to fall into a vine and grow on the ground?
It grows upright on a shrubby plant, but the fruit can get so heavy that it pulls the plant down. Use a plant stake or cage to hold the plants upright.
Can Ichiban eggplant be grown in a container?
It is great for a container. Plant each plant in a five-gallon or larger pot in full sun.
Does my container-grown eggplant need to be outdoors for pollination?
Yes, it needs to be outdoors for bright sunlight and because bees are needed for good pollination.
What causes eggplant fruit to become distorted and strangely colored?
Very high temperatures and low moisture give rise to poor-quality, misshapen fruits. Eggplants fade in color when they over-ripen. Avoid both scenarios by watering regularly and harvesting fruit early.
How do I know when to harvest my eggplant?
Fruits are ripe when their skin first fails to rebound to fingernail pressure.
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How Do I Grow Eggplant? | Planting, Care & Harvest Guide
Eggplant is a warm-season crop that you’ll love eating, and as a bonus, it adds a lot of visual interest in the garden with its purple flowers and gorgeous fruit. Eggplant is related to tomatoes and peppers, so if you’ve ever grown either of those, you’re already off to a good start — but no worries either way. If you want to grow eggplant in your garden, here’s everything you need to know.
You can also download my How Do I Grow Eggplant? one-sheet and keep the free resource handy for your reference.
The fruit comes in all shades of purple, some with white streaks, and some varieties are all white or even green at maturity. Depending on the variety, the fruit can be egg-shaped, round, long and skinny, and even curved. It is so much fun watching them grow. In the kitchen, eggplant can be baked, roasted, grilled, pan-seared or fried. There’s nothing quite like eggplant parmesan with home-grown ingredients.
Eggplant is easier grown in the South, though it can also be a successful crop in cooler climates with a little extra care. Because eggplant and tomato are both nightshades, they run into a few of the same pest and disease issues. But don’t let any of this dissuade you from growing eggplant, which really is a pleasure.
Eggplant adds a lot of visual interest in the garden with its purple flowers and gorgeous fruit.
When and How to Start Eggplant
Eggplant can be bought as seedlings or started from seed indoors four to eight weeks before the last possible frost date for your area.
Buying seedlings is much easier, but it does cost more than seeds do and there is less variety to choose from when picking out plants rather than seeds.
Sow eggplant seeds a quarter-inch deep in sterile seed-starting mix in small pots; the plants are prone to transplant shock, so avoid starting seed in flats.
Use a thermostat-controlled seedling heat mat to maintain a soil temperature of between 75° and 90°F. In this optimal temperature range, especially toward the higher end, the seeds should germinate in one week.
Eggplant seeds should be started under grow lights. The seeds don’t need light to germinate, but once seedlings emerge they will begin to reach for light, and this can cause them to stretch, becoming leggy and weak. Under a grow light, seedlings will develop shorter, sturdier stems. Running a fan gently on the seedlings will prevent damping off disease, a fungus that is fatal to seedlings before they grow their first true leaves.
As the seedlings grow, they should be “potted up” to larger containers.
When the seedlings begin to approach 4 inches tall, it’s time for a bigger pot.
Seed started in sterile mix under grow lights will produce the healthiest and strongest eggplant seedlings.
When, Where and How to Plant Eggplant
Eggplant seedlings can be planted outdoors after the last possible frost date. Even better, wait until overnight temperatures are consistently above 60° Fahrenheit because eggplant really hates cold.
Before eggplant seedlings are planted outdoors, they should be gradually introduced to the new environment in a process known as “hardening off.” Put seedlings out in the sun for a short time on the first day — a half-hour — and gradually increase the time spent outdoors each day for a week to 10 days, so by the end, the plants will be ready to receive a whole day’s worth of sun.
Plant the eggplant seedlings in a sunny spot — a place that gets between six and eight hours of direct sunlight daily. The soil should be well draining and amended with plenty of compost.
Eggplant grows best in soil with a pH between 5.5 and 7.0, which is a range of slightly acidic to precisely neutral. Adding compost will help bring the pH into balance, but getting a soil test will remove any guesswork. The test results will include the garden’s pH and the nutrient levels in the soil, so you’ll know what amendments to make, if any.
Eggplant prefers warm soil — at least 70°. This shouldn’t be a problem in the South, but in the North, you may need to employ this trick to raise the soil temperature: A few weeks ahead of planting time, cover the area with black plastic and let it capture solar energy to heat up the soil. When it’s time to put the seedlings in the ground, leave the plastic in place but cut slits into it to allow for planting. Backfill the planting hole with the same soil that was dug out, and take care not to bury any of the stem.
Cut off any fruit or flowers that have developed prior to transplanting so the plant can put its energy into root and stem development and acclimate to the outdoor environment.
The plant will then produce new flowers and fruit with a stronger foundation and in warmer weather. The yield will ultimately be higher.
Space eggplant seedlings at least two feet apart, or follow the spacing instructions on the seed packet. Support the plants with a stake or a tomato cage, installed at transplanting time or not too long after. Adding supports once plants have grown larger is a risky endeavor because stem and root damage may occur.
Water immediately upon planting and cover the ground with a layer of two to three inches of organic mulch, like wheat straw. Mulch will retain moisture between waterings and will keep the soil warm on cool nights.
Eggplant seedlings can be kept warm by covering the garden with floating row cover, like Reemay. The cover can stay up until the summer heat sets in, but be sure to adjust it as the plants grow taller. Eggplants are self-pollinating, so there is no need to remove the cover to give pollinating insects access.
Varieties of Eggplant
All varieties of eggplant — also known around the world as aubergine and brinjal — are the same species, Solanum melongena.
Black Beauty is an heirloom and the classic eggplant variety, with its large, dark purple fruit. The plants grow 18-24 inches tall and fruit is ready to harvest 74 days after transplanting.
Galine is a reliable variety in the North and very productive. It’s a hybrid with “black bell” fruit that grow 6-7 inches. It matures in 65 days.
Green Knight produces long, glossy, jade green fruit with dense flesh and few seeds. This hybrid variety grows 34-36 inches tall with 7-inch fruit.
Listada De Gandia is a European heirloom with 14-inch-tall plants that produce purple and white streaked fruit shaped like eggs and up to 8 inches long.The fruit have mild flavor and tender, thin skin. It matures in 80-90 days.
Michal is a hybrid variety that grows great in a high tunnel or greenhouse. The black, tasty fruit have few seeds. It reaches maturity in 60 to 75 days.
Pot Black is a great container variety with compact plants and 3-ounce fruits that are free of any bitter flavor.
The days-to-maturity is just 58-62.
Purple Blaze has attractive neon purple fruit with white streaks. The plants grow 18-20 inches tall. The 4-inch fruit are white on the inside.
Ping Tung Long is an open-pollinated eggplant that matures in 65 days. It’s a great pickling eggplant with glossy-skinned, bright purple fruit that are best at 9 inches long, slightly curved and 1-2 inches wide.
White Star Hybrid has shiny white sweet and tender fruit. Like other white varieties, it lacks the bitterness that some purple varieties have. The plants grow 30-36 inches tall and the fruit grow 5-7 inches long.
“Black bell”-type eggplant varieties like Black Beauty and Galine grow large, deep purple fruit.
Watering Eggplant
Plants that receive inadequate water will develop small, bitter fruit. Keep eggplant happy with at least an inch of water per week, and up to two inches during the hottest stretch of summer.
If it has rained any less than an inch in a week’s time, make up the difference with supplemental irrigation.
Always water under the foliage, right at ground level. (Overhead watering leaves the fruit and foliage wet, which invites disease.)
A drip irrigation system is great for growing eggplant. It will prevent vulnerable seedlings from drying out and will keep water off the foliage of mature plants.
When watering eggplant, avoud getting the fruit and foliage wet, which creates conditions in which plant pathogens thrive. Instead, apply water at the base of the plants manually or use a drip irrigation system.
Fertilizing Eggplant
In addition to amending the soil with lots of finished compost, adding well-rotted manure to the planting area a week or two before putting the eggplant seedlings in will give them most of the nutrients they’ll need. Alternatively, use blood meal or cottonseed meal at planting time.
Organic foliar fertilizer can be sprayed on as the plants mature, in accordance with the product’s directions.
(More does not equal better.) Be sure any fertilizer you use after planting time is either balanced or lower in nitrogen than phosphorus. A high-nitrogen fertilizer will lead to more foliar growth at the expense of fruit production.
Never apply more fertilizer than the manufacturer’s instructions. More does not equal better, as over-fertilizing can cause more harm than good.
Eggplant Pests & Diseases
Without a doubt, the No.1 pest of eggplant is the flea beetle — small black or bronze jumping leaf beetles, just an eighth of an inch long. These fast-moving pests chew pin-sized holes in the leaves. Plants are most prone to attack when the leaves are young and tender. By summer, the plants will be big and strong enough to shrug off flea beetle damage, and the pests’ presence then should not raise concerns.
The best natural defense is to cover your plants from the moment you put them in the ground with row cover. You can find it at some garden centers and always online.
Another strategy is to plant a trap crop of radishes, which flea beetles prefer over eggplant.
Aphids are sucking insects that are vectors for plant diseases. As they eat plant leaves they excrete honeydew, which attracts ants and other insects. They are easily controlled by knocking them off plants with a sharp stream of water.
Aphids are a common garden pest and are often found on tomato and eggplant seedlings. Fortunately, they are easy to control.
Fruitworms and armyworms are moth larvae that bore into the fruits of eggplants themselves. Handpick eggs on stems, under leaves and on fruit, and pick off any caterpillars, which may be green or black and gray. Bt is an organic control for moth and butterfly larvae that is safe around humans and pets and will not harm other wildlife. Just be sure not to apply it around butterfly larvae host plants such as milkweed and fennel.
In the disease department, verticillium wilt is the most common issue.
It’s a soil-borne fungus. So starting off with good, compost-rich soil in the ground and premium-potting mix in containers is the best defense against wilt.
Anthracnose is a fruit-rot fungus found on ripe and overripe fruit, presenting as small, round depressed areas that enlarge in time. Do not leave infected fruit in the garden, as the fungal spores will easily spread to other fruit and to the soil when water splashes around, and do not save seeds from infected fruit.
Phytophthora blight symptoms include small to large leaf spots, fruit rot, crown rot, and dieback of the growing tip. The fungus thrives in soil that’s saturated in water, so avoid overwatering. If the blight occurs, dispose of the affected plants — do not add them to compost — and remove any leaves or other debris from the garden.
Harvesting Eggplant
It’s important to note what variety you’re growing and its size at maturity so you’ll know the best time to harvest.
Most eggplant varieties can be picked when half-way to mature size. The smaller fruits often have the best flavor, and the more frequently you pick the more encouraged the plant will be to produce more fruit.
Don’t yank off the fruit — cut them off the plant carefully. The fruit are best enjoyed right away.
It’s important to note what variety of eggplant your plant is and its size at maturity so you’ll know the best time to harvest.
What are your secrets to successfully growing eggplant? Let us know in the comments below.
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Links & Resources
Some product links in this guide are affiliate links. See full disclosure below.
Episode 094: How to Start and Care for Seedlings Indoors: My Steps for Success
Episode 167: Managing Plant Diseases Organically, with Jeff Gillman
Episode 195: Identifying and Controlling Garden Pests Organically
Episode 204: Hardening Off and Setting Plants Up for Success in Spring
joegardener blog: How Do I Grow Artichokes?
joegardener blog: How Do I Grow Brussels Sprouts?
joegardener blog: How Do I Grow Cabbage?
joegardener blog: How Do I Grow Herbs?
joegardener blog: How Do I Grow Onions?
joegardener blog: How Do I Grow Peas?
joegardener blog: How Do I Grow Peppers?
joegardener blog: How Do I Grow Spinach?
joegardener blog: How Do I Grow Strawberries?
How Do I Grow Eggplant? one-sheet
joegardenerTV YouTube: Best Mulch for a Vegetable Garden
joegardenerTV YouTube: How to Design Your Vegetable Garden
joegardener Online Gardening Academy™: Three popular courses on gardening fundamentals; managing pests, diseases & weeds; and seed starting!
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Master Seed Starting: Everything you need to know to start your own plants from seed — indoors and out.
joegardenerTV YouTube
joegardener Newsletter
joegardener Facebook
joegardener Facebook Group
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joegardener Pinterest
joegardener Twitter
Growing a Greener World®
GGWTV YouTube
Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Vegetable Pathology – Eggplant
Floating row cover
Bt
Seedling heat mat with thermostat
Disclosure: Some product links in this guide are affiliate links, which means we would get a commission if you purchase. However, none of the prices of these resources have been increased to compensate us. None of the items included in this list have any bearing on any compensation being an influencing factor on their inclusion here. The selection of all items featured in this post and podcast were based solely on merit and in no way influenced by any affiliate or financial incentive, or contractual relationship. At the time of this writing, Joe Lamp’l has professional relationships with the following companies who may have products included in this post and podcast: Rain Bird, Corona Tools, Milorganite, Soil3, Exmark, Greenhouse Megastore, High Mowing Organic Seeds, Territorial Seed Company, Wild Alaskan Seafood Box and TerraThrive.
These companies are either Brand Partners of joegardener.com and/or advertise on our website. However, we receive no additional compensation from the sales or promotion of their product through this guide. The inclusion of any products mentioned within this post is entirely independent and exclusive of any relationship.
How to grow eggplants at home
Eggplant, like pepper, is even more thermophilic than tomato, and also has a lot in common with tomato. However, if there are no special difficulties in growing eggplants in greenhouses, it is very difficult to achieve the same result in rooms.
Aubergine is naturally a perennial subshrub with a strong, non-lodging stem that is woody at the bottom, but its cultivars, like sweet peppers, are usually grown as an annual crop. Eggplant grows slowly and therefore has a long growing season. The fruits on it are formed no earlier than after 90-100 days after germination.
Compared to tomatoes, eggplants have larger fruits on average and require more nutrients to form than tomatoes and therefore need a larger feeding area.
This is one of the main reasons that they are cultivated very rarely in rooms, given the relatively low yield with great inconvenience (needs a lot of space) and costs (a large amount of fertilizer and earth mixture), more often only seedlings are grown there. However, if desired, you can get room eggplant.
They require large pots (30 cm or more), tubs or containers as eggplant develops a strong root system.
Grades
The best varieties (usually hybrids) for growing indoors are those bred for extended growing in winter heated greenhouses:
Bagheera. Maturing terms are 100-110 days. The bush is tall. The fruit is oval, dark purple, calyx without thorns; the pulp is greenish, dense, without bitterness; average fruit weight 250-350 g.
Berinda. Maturing terms of 90-105 days. The height of the bush is 100-120 cm. The fruit is oval, dark purple in color, the calyx is prickly; the pulp is white; average fetal weight 280-364 g.
Giselle. Ripening terms 107-115 days. The height of the bush is 170-190 cm. The fruit is cylindrical, purple in color, the calyx is slightly or medium-spiky; the pulp is white, dense, without bitterness; average fruit weight 300-400 g
Combo RZ. Ripening terms 105-115 days. The bush is medium. The fruit is pear-shaped, dark purple, calyx without thorns; the pulp is yellowish-white; average fruit weight 300 g.
Orion. Ripening time is about 120 days. The height of the bush is up to 210 cm. The fruit is pear-shaped, purple, calyx without thorns; the pulp is white, without bitterness; average fruit weight 280-320 g.
Nutcracker. Maturing terms of 98-105 days. The height of the bush is 150-180 cm. The fruit is oval, purple, the calyx is prickly; the pulp is white, dense, without bitterness; average fruit weight 250-350 g.
Ekavi. Ripening terms 105-110 days. The height of the bush is 90-130 cm. The fruit is pear-shaped, purple or dark purple, the calyx is slightly prickly; the pulp is white; average fruit weight 285 g.
In addition to them, in the rooms you can grow special early ripe varieties with a compact or semi-spreading crown: Baby Ball, Vicar, Vera, Samurai Sword, Robin Hood, Japanese Dwarf and some others. Until recently, their seeds were rarely found on sale, but now they can be purchased in many cities.
Optimal placement
Eggplants feel best on southern windows, eastern and western windows are acceptable, northern ones are undesirable (intensive supplementary lighting is required).
Temperature and temperature requirements
Eggplant needs higher temperatures than tomato.
Soil mix requirements
Eggplants prefer sandy soils (loamy but not clayey are acceptable) with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction. In general, you can use all the same ground mixtures for them as for tomatoes and peppers.
Growing seedlings
With the exception of a different temperature regime and requirements for irrigation, its cultivation is very close to that of tomatoes.
Pollination
Eggplant is a self-pollinating plant. Its flowers are large, axillary, solitary or collected in small semi-umbrella inflorescences. For better pollination, it is recommended to shake the plants in the morning.
Particular attention should be paid to the fact that after the opening of the first flowers, no new flowers are formed for the next 2-3 weeks.
Irrigation Requirements
Eggplants need rather high humidity; plants shed flowers and even fruits from lack of soil moisture. However, they also do not tolerate stagnant water, therefore they must be watered, albeit often, but in small portions (the same volume as for tomatoes, based on a larger volume of the pot).
Atmospheric humidity requirements
Eggplants need more humidity than tomatoes and indoor peppers. It is advisable to spray them, although not too often, but regularly, especially in hot summer, taking a break only during the flowering period.
Spraying can be combined with foliar top dressing with microelements.
Top dressing
Seedlings are usually fed twice: in the phase of emergence of 3-4 true leaves and 5-6 true leaves. Mineral fertilizers are used for top dressing.
In the future, eggplant should be fed every ten days (at least 1 time in 2-3 weeks). You can use ready-made concentrated fertilizers, and from traditional agricultural fertilizers, mineral fertilizers are usually used for top dressing in an amount of about 50 g of a mixture of nitrogen, potash and phosphorus fertilizers per 10 liters of water, and phosphorus fertilizers (superphosphate is traditionally used) should be 3-3.5 times more than nitrogen. Eggplants make high demands on the content of potassium in the soil. In addition to mineral, it is very desirable to use microfertilizers, which are given in the form of foliar top dressing.
Other care
In general, as for tomatoes.
An important feature is that at room culture it is necessary to normalize eggplant fruiting, leaving no more than 4-5 fruits on the plant. Only if this condition is met, they will grow full-fledged.
Another important feature is related to the short-day eggplant: it blooms and sets fruits only in short daylight hours (optimally 10-12, maximum - 14 hours). At the same time, daylight should still be intense, so much so that during the same day, in addition to shading, it is often necessary to apply additional lighting. This should be done regularly, every day, since differences in the length of daylight hours will negatively affect the development of the plant. The pubescent eggplant leaves collect a lot of dust. They need to be cleaned regularly.
Eggplant growing in hydroponic culture
As for tomatoes, but you need to take larger containers and better tie up.
Based on materials from the book by Tsvetkova M.V. "Garden on the window and balcony"
on a balcony, on a window in an apartment, in a private house, suitable varieties, care tips Russian farmer
Homemade eggplant varieties
For the winter garden, varieties and hybrids of ultra-early and early varieties with a compact dwarf or semi-dwarf bush, resistant to diseases, are chosen.
- Diamond . Glossy, with dense greenish flesh, without bitterness.
- Albatros . Relates to mid-season.
- Afghan red . Ultra-early. Ripening period - 100 days from the first sprouts. Forms clusters of round, red, small fruits.
- Delicatessen A-163 . Early variety. The first fruits are removed 115-125 days after germination.
- Early dwarf 921 . Multifruit variety.
- Lolita . Hybrid. Recommended for extended and winter-spring cultivation.
- Maykop -15 . Table destination, mid-early.
- Solaris . Resistant to temperature changes. Sets fruit well.
- Station wagon 6 . The fruits are pear-shaped with a dark, almost black skin.
Two ways of growing on a window
Nursing
- Transplanted in autumn, grown in the open field , low bushes on which the ovary remains in pots with a volume of at least 5 liters and move them to an apartment.
- The soil in the pot is compacted towards the walls. Well watered . Cut off excess stems and leaves, put on a window sill protected from drafts.
- Spray and water the plant regularly until established.
- Further cultivated as indoor eggplant grown in seedlings.
- Growth continues 1-3 months .
Growing eggplants from seeds at home
Seed preparation Important! Be careful when buying seeds in the store. Check the expiration date. Soil . Prepare soil for planting. Garden land, high and lowland peat are mixed in equal proportions. Prepared pots and cups are filled with the mixture. Watered with a pink solution of potassium permanganate. Leave the earth to settle and compact. Important! Seedlings of this nightshade crop develop slowly. Calculate planting dates based on the fact that fruits ripen completely 130-160 days after germination . Seedlings . At a temperature of + 20-25 ° C, pre-germinated seeds germinate in 3-5 days, ungerminated - in 2 weeks. At lower temperatures, the germination period increases by 10-15 days. When sprouts appear, the pots are placed on window sills facing south, southwest. Windows are insulated. Under the pots put a board, a plastic sheet. Monitor soil moisture and temperature in pots. Eggplants are afraid of drafts , even a light breeze leads to the death of seedlings. When growing eggplants near radiators, they increase the humidity of the air by spraying bushes from a spray gun. If the eggplants were sown in a box, dive . After the emergence of cotyledon leaves, the sprouts with a clod of earth are carefully transplanted into large containers. If the root system is damaged during picking, support the plants with Kornevin growth stimulator. For active growth and setting of ovaries eggplants need to receive light and heat 12-14 hours a day . Special lamps for additional illumination of seedlings are fixed at a height of 15-40 cm from the plants. Important! If the seedlings are planted in autumn with the onset of short daylight hours, pinch the tops of the plants. From January to March, the seedlings are covered with a mini-greenhouse . To do this, a frame is constructed from wire or slats and covered with a thick film. The greenhouse maintains a temperature of +20-25°C in sunny weather, +17°C on cloudy days, +14-17°C at night. Eggplant seedlings are fed once every 7-10 days with any liquid universal fertilizer based on biohumus or diluted bird droppings, mullein, semi-decomposed compost. The last time before transplanting, mineral complete fertilizer is applied. Top dressing of plants is accompanied by abundant watering. Transfer eggplant seedlings at the age of 70-80 days after the pots are almost completely filled with overgrown roots. For autumn seedlings, this is the first decade of March. Pots for permanent growth should be 20-25 cm in diameter, depth of cassettes, boxes 15-20 cm. At the bottom of each container, lay out 5-7 granules of complex fertilizer such as "Giant", superphosphate to activate the ovaries. In cassettes, pots, buckets, eggplant bushes are planted in the center, in boxes they are left between plants 25-30 cm. In this case, the plant is transferred again into containers 2-3 cm larger than the previous ones, organic fertilizer for tomatoes and eggplant is added to the ground, for example, Senior Tomato. Eggplants transplanted into the main dishes are put on the windows in the second decade of February. Water regularly. Starting in May - daily . The soil must always remain moist. With a lack of moisture, plants will begin to drop flower buds and ovaries, taste will deteriorate, and bitterness will appear. Pinch off tops of lateral stems if growth is too vigorous. During flowering, pour 2-3 cm of fresh soil to the stems. When the ovaries begin to form, the procedure is repeated. Artificial pollination is carried out if the fruits are not actively set, slowly . Flowering plants are gently shaken, tapped on the stem with fingers, or carried pollen from one flower to another with a brush. The fruits are cut with a knife for better preservation. 20-35 fruits weighing 50-150 g are harvested from a bush. If you want to get large eggplant fruits, remove some of the ovaries, leaving 4-6 eggplants on one plant. How to grow eggplants on a balcony : Owners of private houses have the opportunity to grow eggplant all year round in heated greenhouses, getting decent yields. Practical tips for growing eggplant in a greenhouse: When growing eggplant in greenhouses , fertilizer is applied at least 3-5 times per season . First, phosphorus-potassium, during the period of active fruiting, nitrogen-phosphate. The first feeding is carried out 2-3 weeks after transplanting the seedlings, when the roots take root, they begin to actively absorb nutrients. If the plants do not bloom well, spray with a solution of boric acid. For this, 5 grams of dry matter are dissolved in 5 liters of hot water. In case of excessive leafing, excessive growth of green mass, potassium compounds are added. Frail, weak bushes are supported with preparations with a high nitrogen content. Important! In order not to abuse chemistry, eggplants are fed with solutions of fermented grass, mullein. Eggplant cultivated at home and in winter greenhouses susceptible to fusarium wilt, phytophthora, leaf mosaic . Traditional treatment: When growing eggplant at home beware of whiteflies, spider mites, orange aphids . Garlic infusion helps with spider mites . One glass of crushed garlic is diluted in 10 liters of water. Spray the affected leaves twice a week. Growing eggplant at home, in an apartment, on a balcony is an interesting, but troublesome and unproductive activity. A larger harvest, at comparable costs, is obtained by rearing and winter cultivation of eggplants in heated greenhouses on household plots. PLEASE NOTE! Find out what diseases eggplants are susceptible to: what to do if seedlings fall, stretch or die completely? Causes of white spots, yellowing and curling of leaves. And also what pests can attack young seedlings? Read other articles about growing and caring for eggplant seedlings: 
Remember that seeds obtained from their fruits remain viable for no more than four years. 
Sprinkle with warm water . If the soil is too wet, the seedlings rot. With a lack of moisture, it withers, dries up. 
The bushes are removed in the shade. Reduce watering of plants. Cut off withered leaves. Plants do not feed. In February, seedling containers are returned to a bright window, abundant watering and top dressing are resumed. 
Bushes with at least 8 true leaves and 2-3 buds are selected. In anticipation of the harvest
Eggplants in a private house
Top dressing in greenhouse conditions
Diseases
Pests
To get rid of insects, plants are treated with neonicotodine insecticides Aktara, Konfidor, Mospilan, which have a systemic effect on plants - they penetrate, accumulate in the plant sap, feeding on which adults and larvae die. Useful Resources
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