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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. Harvestable fruits should be firm and inside seeds should not be visible once cut open.
How long does it take for eggplant to bear fruit?
Eggplant is easy to grow as long as the plants get enough light and heat. How long does it take to grow eggplant? In general, it takes 100 to 120 days to go from seed to harvestable eggplants.
How many eggplants do you get per 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.
How long does it take for eggplant to grow after flowering?
How long does it take for eggplant to grow after flowering? Depending on the variety and the region in which you are gardening, different cultivars of eggplant will develop mature fruit within 50 to 80 days after flowering.
How do you make eggplant grow faster?
Start seeds late Thanks to their broad leaves, eggplant seedlings grow quickly, gaining size faster than tomatoes or peppers. If you have a long, warm growing season and use a split season planting plan, you can start seeds in midsummer for a fall crop. Set out the seedlings out during a spell of cloudy weather.
How much water do eggplants need?
Watering. Eggplant also needs consistent water, at least 1 inch per week. It is better to give one thorough soaking than several frequent, short waterings, because frequent watering promotes shallow roots. Weather and soil type, of course, will affect water demand.
Why is my eggplant not fruiting?
Eggplants become stressed and stop producing fruit for several reasons, mainly insufficient water and temperatures above 90°F (32°C). Aside from dry conditions, flowers could be dropping because of cold weather, pollination issues, soil deficiencies, or pest damage.
What month 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.
Do eggplants like 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.
Should I pinch off eggplant flowers?
Pruning Eggplant Suckers Even if you don’t want to cut back your eggplant drastically, it’s a good idea to remove suckers. Pinching off these suckers when they’re small will allow the plant to focus more of its energy on fruit production, resulting in larger, more impressive eggplants.
How long does eggplant plant live?
The eggplant plants live through one season. After harvesting the final fruits, the plant dies, and it’s time to plant new one’s next season.
Are eggplants easy to grow?
Growing eggplant is easy where summers are long and warm. Where summers are short, varieties that mature quickly and produce medium to small fruits can easily be grown in containers. If you grow peppers, you can grow eggplant.
Does eggplant come back every year?
Although eggplant is a perennial, it is more commonly grown as an annual. Eggplant flowers are star-shaped in various shades of purple and usually form on opposite leaves as either solitary blooms or grouped in clusters of two or more.
How long does eggplant 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 big do eggplants get?
Whether you plant them in the vegetable garden or perennial garden, give eggplants plenty of space to mature. Plants can grow 2 to 4 feet tall and wide, which means they need to be staked.Eggplant. genus name Solanum melongena height 1 to 3 feet 3 to 8 feet width 1 to 3 feet flower color Purple foliage color Blue/Green.
How many days does it take for tomatoes to grow?
Tomatoes take 60 days to more than 100 days to harvest, depending on the variety (see more about varieties below).
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.
What is the best fertilizer for eggplant?
A balanced fertilizer (10-10-10) is often recommended for eggplant. Feeding too much nitrogen at this point can result in large, leafy plants that fail to produce fruit.
Can eggplants grow in pots?
Even if you garden in a small garden bed, or grow your vegetables in containers on the patio or balcony, you can grow eggplant. Plant one eggplant per container, 2-gallon minimum. Fill the container with a high quality potting soil that will drain quickly.
How can you tell a male from a female eggplant?
Male eggplants have fewer seeds and are less likely to be bitter. To differentiate between male and female eggplants, inspect the flower end. The male has a small, round, smooth end; the female has an irregular, less smooth end.
Do eggplants require pollination?
Eggplant blossoms need pollination in order to produce an eggplant. Generally speaking, they only need a draft of light wind or stirring of the surrounding air caused by the gardener walking nearby, or as in my case, the cat chasing bugs through the garden.
Do eggplants need bees?
An eggplant flower is normally wind pollinated, meaning it doesn’t rely on insects like bees and moths to pollinate it. When the air is very humid, moisture causes the pollen eggplant flower to become very sticky and it cannot fall down onto the pistil to pollinate the flower.
