![]() To harvest, clip the eggplants off the plant with pruning shears, keeping the cap and about 1 inch of stem intact. If the indentation doesn't spring back, that fruit is ready for harvest. Pick eggplant when the skin takes on a high gloss. This lightweight, nonwoven material can be draped directly onto the plants or tented over the row, supported by wire hoops. Placing a floating row cover over seedlings right after planting offers a twofold benefit: It forms a physical barrier between the plants and insect pests, and the row cover acts as a greenhouse, heating the air around the plants above the ambient temperature. Avoid it by planting resistant cultivars and by rotating crops. The most common eggplant disease is Verticillium wilt. Tiny spider mites cause yellow-stippled leaves control these pests by knocking them off the plant with a spray of water. Don't destroy those covered with tiny white cocoons these contain the parasitic offspring of the beneficial braconid wasp. ![]() Hand picking is also effective for tomato hornworms, 4-inch green caterpillars with white stripes. Hand pick and destroy yellow-and-black-striped Colorado potato beetles and the yellow masses of eggs they lay on leaf undersides. When eggplants are grown in containers that are at least a foot-and-a-half off the ground, the flea beetles don't seem to find them as easily. If plants become infested, spraying Beauveria bassiana or spinosad may knock back the population of flea beetles and save your plants. To avoid this problem, keep plants indoors until early summer, or cover outdoor plants with floating row cover or dust the foliage with kaolin clay (re-apply it after rain). Eggplant Problemsįlea beetles, which chew many tiny holes in leaves, are eggplant's worst pest. Grass clippings make a good anti-weed barrier, too. Once the soil is warmed up, a mulch of straw or compost can be used. Stay on top of weeds by regularly hand-pulling or carefully weeding with a hoe or cultivator. Weeds will outcompete eggplants until warm summer temperatures come. Weeding around the young transplants is essential. To keep plants upright and fruit clean and intact, stalk plants with bamboo poles. In addition to making the plant develop several fruiting branches, this will encourage the plant to put more energy into creating leaves and roots instead of one big fruit. When the first set of flowers emerge, pinch them off. Interplant an early crop, such as lettuce, between the eggplant transplants. Mulch immediately after transplanting, and gently hand pull any invading weeds. Water well, pour 1 to 2 cups of compost around each plant, and firm the soil gently.Įggplants are also good for container growing, with one plant per 5-gallon pot. Plants given plenty of room are healthier and more productive, so space them 2½ to 3 feet apart in all directions. Try growing eggplants in raised beds, which heat up quickly in spring. ![]() Keep transplanting your seedlings into larger pots as you wait for both outdoor air and soil to warm up to at least 70 degrees. When outside nighttime air temperatures are above 50 degrees, gradually expose them to the outdoors to harden them off. Transplant seedlings to individual pots once they reach 3 inches. Use bottom heat to maintain a soil temperature of 80 to 90 degrees for the eight to 10 days required for sprouting. Soak seeds overnight to encourage germination sow them ¼ inch deep in a loose, fine medium, such as vermiculite. ![]() ![]() Give eggplants a head start on the growing season by starting them indoors, six to nine weeks before the average last frost. Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play Planting Eggplant Eggplants growing in cold soil or exposed to chilly weather will sulk and potentially suffer from insect and disease problems. But to succeed with eggplants, you'll need to supply them with steadily warm growing conditions for at least three months. In the sunny, dry climate of the Mediterranean basin, eggplant found the warm growing conditions it prefers and soon found its way into the classic cuisines of the region.Ī classic eggplant is deep purple and pear-shaped, but when you grow your own, you can try a cornucopia of other colors and shapes, from elongated lavender-and-white Fairy Tale to the round, violet-blushed Rosa Bianca. Native to India, where it grows wild, it has been cultivated in Southeast Asia for thousands of years.Įurope was introduced to the vegetable in the 8th century via the Moors, who brought it to Spain, Sicily, and southern France via North Africa. The range of sizes, shapes, and colors of the heat-loving eggplant ( Solanum melongena) tells the story of its enduring popularity. ![]()
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