Eggplants are one of the great quintessential summer vegetables. However, while eggplants love the heat, too much heat stress can cause flower drop and fallen immature fruits due to poor pollination. Fortunately, there are many eggplant varieties that perform better in the heat.
How hot is too hot for eggplant?
The optimum daytime growing temperature ranges between 70°F and 85°F. When temperatures rise above 95°F, eggplant ceases to set fruit and may drop flowers or abort immature fruit.
Should eggplant be planted in full sun?
Eggplants are sun lovers. Make sure they get at least six hours of direct sunlight on most days.
Are eggplants drought tolerant?
As in most vegetable crops, drought stress causes a reduction of growth and yield in eggplant, although compared to other vegetables of the same family such as tomato and pepper, it is considered more tolerant (Díaz-Pérez and Eaton 2015).
How often should eggplant be watered?
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.
How many years do eggplants live?
Most eggplant cultivars are grown as annuals and thus live for only a single year. In such cases, the plants die immediately after harvesting the eggplant fruits. Eggplant can be grown as a perennial, in which case it will live for about 3 years but this is uncommon.
How long does it take to grow an eggplant?
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.
What is the secret for growing eggplant?
One of the biggest secrets of all for growing eggplant with success is to give it plenty of light. Eggplant is a beautiful plant in the garden, with large foliage and colorful fruit that suspends from above. One of the biggest keys of all to growing eggplant is to give it plenty of sunlight.
What is the best 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.
Where does eggplant grow best?
Plant eggplant in a location that gets full sun—at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day—for the best results. Eggplant grows best in a well-drained sandy loam or loam soil that is fairly high in organic matter.
What is the easiest eggplant to grow?
Eggplant Varieties Easy to Grow include large oval eggplants, elongated eggplants, and white eggplants. Give eggplants a warm location, warm soil and keep them evenly watered and stress free and they will reward you with beauty and flavor.
What is the most prolific eggplant?
One of the most popular was the long, thin, purple eggplant from Taiwan known as Ping Tung. This is an exceptional eggplant with sweet, pleasant tasting flesh. The plants are incredibly prolific and produce throughout the entire season. They are more disease resistant than other eggplants.
When should I harvest my patio eggplant?
You can harvest your patio eggplants when they are 2-3 inches long and their skin is a glossy, rich purple color. If you squeeze the skin it should spring back firmly when ripe, leaving no marks from your fingers. If there’s no give to the skin then your patio eggplants are not ripe.
What can you not plant near 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 you overwater eggplant?
Eggplants suffering from over-watering and drought eventually die. Over-watered eggplant roots rot, which prevents plants from taking up water and causes wilting. Under-watered plants also wilt, grow poorly and develop pithy fruits.
Should I pinch off eggplant flowers?
Classic eggplants, black beauties, Ichiban eggplants, and other varieties that grow large, heavy fruits should have no more than 5-6 fruits per plant. Once you have half a dozen blossoms that are maturing nicely, pinch off any additional blossoms until your fruits are ready for harvest.
Why does my eggplant flower but no fruit?
When an eggplant has flowers but no fruit, this is due to one of two issues. The first thing that can cause eggplant flowers to fall off is a lack of water and the other is a lack of pollination.
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 is the fastest growing vegetable?
1. Radishes. Radishes are one of the fastest vegetables, taking just three to four weeks to reach harvest time. They’re also exceptionally easy to grow.
Are eggplants hard to grow?
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.
Lorraine Wade is all about natural food. She loves to cook and bake, and she’s always experimenting with new recipes. Her friends and family are the lucky beneficiaries of her culinary skills! Lorraine also enjoys hiking and exploring nature. She’s a friendly person who loves to chat with others, and she’s always looking for ways to help out in her community.