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How long does it take for eggplant to grow?
Eggplants are ready to harvest as soon as 70 days after sowing the seeds. Harvest fruits with skin that is glossy and thin. Eggplants can be harvested when they are small, though growing them longer allows for a larger harvest.
How big does an eggplant plant get?
Plants can grow 2 to 4 feet tall and wide, which means they need to be staked. Eggplants also thrive in heat like their close relatives tomatoes and peppers, so they go outside until after cool spring temperatures pass. Fruit fails to set at temperatures below 65°F.
Do eggplant plants come back every year?
The plant is in the same Solanaceae family as tomatoes and peppers, so it may grow from year to year, depending on the climate. However, the old plants and the new ones initially grew at the same rate and yielded the same number and size of fruits.
How do you identify eggplant?
The plant is large, upright and branching. Leaves are broad and slightly fuzzy with scalloped margins. Stems are prickly, especially near the leathery, green cap where the fruit attaches. Fruits are oblong to round and may be green, white, yellow, bronze, orange, purple or most commonly purple-black.
What month do you plant eggplant?
When to Plant Eggplant Eggplants can only grow in warm soil—50 degrees Fahrenheit or above. The best time to plant eggplant is in late spring after the last threat of frost. Eggplants have a long growing season, so you’ll need to start them indoors around eight weeks before your region’s last frost date.
How long do Eggplants take to grow from seed?
But natural light may need help in the North. Eggplant seeds germinate in 7 to 14 days, depending on the heat, moisture provided, and moisture content and age of the seed. Seedlings with two sets of leaves can be transplanted into 4-inch or 2 x 2 x 6-inch pots two to three weeks after germination.
How many eggplants do you get from one plant?
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.
Do eggplants need a cage?
Like tomatoes and peppers, eggplants should be staked for optimum growth and yield (Figure 2). Staking keeps the eggplant fruit from touching the ground, which reduces disease and improves fruit shape, particularly on elongated fruit. Staking also makes harvesting easier.
What should you not plant next to eggplant?
Eggplant – A good companion for amaranth, beans, marigolds, peas, peppers, spinach, and thyme. Do not plant eggplants near fennel.
Do eggplant plants grow back?
Although eggplants will keep growing and flowering, they are more productive if cut back and allowed to regrow during late summer. Cut plants to about 6 to 8 inches in early August, cut at a crotch, fertilize and allow them to regrow. Fertilize and keep soils moist to force them to regrow.
How do I protect my eggplant in the winter?
To keep warm-season vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant from succumbing to a frost, try these methods: Plant after danger of frost has passed. Time seed starting so that plants get set up at the right time. Use a floating row cover. Try the Wall-O-Water.
What does the leaves of an eggplant look like?
Leaf Color Eggplant leaves are predominantly green, though color may range depending somewhat on type and the age of the plant. Leaves emerge a brighter green, but darken as the eggplant ages. Veins in between leaf surfaces are often purple, matching star-shaped violet blooms with yellow centers.
Can you eat eggplant leaves?
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, eggplant leaves are toxic and narcotic, like many members of the nightshade family, so they are inedible . The alkaline known as solanine is the toxic part of the eggplant leaves and flowers.
What is the shape of eggplant leaves?
The leaves are large, ovate, and slightly lobed. The pendant violet flowers are characteristically solitary and approximately 5 cm (2 inches) across.
When can you plant eggplant outside?
Eggplant needs warm conditions, and will not thrive during a cool season. If you buy plants from a garden center, choose sturdy plants up to a foot tall. Start eggplant seeds about eight weeks before planting outside. Transplant outdoors after nighttime low temperatures have risen above 50°F.
Does eggplant need full sun?
As a basic rule of thumb, vegetables grown for their fruit or roots—such as tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, squash, potatoes, or carrots—require full sun, which is defined as a garden location that receives at least six hours of direct sun each day. Keep in mind, though, that no vegetable can thrive in deep, dense shade.
How do you grow eggplant in Australia?
How to grow eggplant in a pot Choose a pot at least 300mm wide and deep and position in full sun. Fill pot with a quality potting mix, like Yates Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter. Sow seeds. Feed weekly with Yates Thrive Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food. A regular harvest promotes new growth.
Is eggplant easy to grow from seed?
Eggplant seed planting should occur four to six weeks before your last frost date. Although eggplant seeds are tiny, sow the seeds about ¼-inch (6 mm.) deep with good quality potting soil in flats or cell containers. Wait until the weather has settled, with no chance of frost and the soil is warm before transplanting.
How do you speed up eggplant growth?
You can speed up their growth, by laying black plastic over your garden soil a few weeks before planting or mulching the plants with dark compost. 8. The first few flowers may drop off of each plant and fail to produce, but the remaining flowers will each yield a single fruit.
How do you make eggplant grow faster?
5 Tips for Growing Excellent Eggplant Try growing small-fruited eggplant varieties. Start seeds late. Anticipate eggplant flea beetles. Invite native pollinators. Provide timely feedings.
Do you need 2 eggplants to produce fruit?
The answer is that the eggplant is self-pollinating due to its “perfect” or “complete” flowers. Perfect flowers contain both anthers (which produce pollen) and pistils (which receive the pollen). You can even say “There, there, good flower,” but it’s not really necessary.
Do you need to plant more than one eggplant?
Eggplants grow into large, stately plants that need plenty of elbow room. In containers, plant one per 18 to 24 inch container. Before fruits form, stake the stems to provide extra late-season support.
Can you grow just one eggplant plant?
Give eggplants a head start on the growing season by starting them indoors, six to nine weeks before the average last frost. Soak seeds overnight to encourage germination; sow them ¼ inch deep in a loose, fine medium, such as vermiculite. Eggplants are also good for container growing, with one plant per 5-gallon pot.
