How Long Does It Take For Japanese Eggplant To Grow?

around 70 to 80 days.
How to Harvest Japanese Eggplants. Prepare to harvest Japanese eggplants around 70 to 80 days after transplanting, or when they’re about the size of a finger (for the Little Finger variety) or a hot dog (for the Ichiban variety), and the skin is glossy and wrinkle-free.

How long does Japanese eggplant take to grow?

As a warm-weather crop, your Japanese eggplants won’t survive the frost. Timing when you plant them plays a big role in how quickly they grow. Roughly, they will be ready for harvest 65 to 80 days after transplanting.

How long should a Japanese eggplant be to harvest it?

Pick your eggplants before while they’re still young for the best flavor and texture. They should only be from 3 to 6 inches long, which is young enough for the sweetest flavor.

How many Japanese eggplants does one plant produce?

The long, slender Japanese eggplant has a thinner skin and more delicate flavor. ‘Ichiban’: 10- to 12-inch, slim, purple/black fruit; bears until frost. Expect a dozen or more fruit from one plant.

Is Japanese eggplant easy to grow?

The Ichiban eggplant is favored for its sweet flesh that is creamy when cooked and pureed into dishes such as baba ghanoush. Growing the purple-hued fruit is as easy as other common garden crops, such as tomatoes and peppers.

How Big Should Japanese eggplants get?

Size of Japanese Eggplant
If grown under the right conditions, Japanese eggplants grow up to 4-feet tall and 3-feet wide. The plants reach full size in 50 to 60 days. They need plenty of space in the garden, so all parts of the plant get direct sunlight.

How do you make eggplant grow faster?

Eggplants prefer warm soil. 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.

Are Japanese eggplants self pollinating?

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).

Can you eat Japanese eggplant skin?

The Japanese eggplant’s thinner skin may be more easily cooked and consumed than the thick skin of a normal eggplant. The skin is also full of fiber that can help keep you feeling full, regulate your digestion and even lower cholesterol.

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.

How long do eggplant plants 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 do you fertilize Japanese eggplant?

Apply a balanced fertilizer twice over the summer, first when the fruits are quarter-sized, and again two or three weeks later. Growing Japanese eggplant in containers is similar, but you will need to water more frequently since the containers dry out more quickly than does the soil in your garden.

Does Japanese eggplant need full sun?

Choose the site. Japanese eggplants prefer full sun and lots of warmth, so choose a planting area in your garden that gets at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. Prepare the soil. Japanese eggplants prefer loamy, well-draining soil with a pH between 6.0 to 6.5.

How long does it take for eggplant to grow from flower?

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 grow Japanese eggplant in pots?

Plant one eggplant per container, 2-gallon minimum. Fill the container with a high quality potting soil that will drain quickly. Add a balanced, slow-release fertilizer at planting and then every few weeks during the season, especially when plants start to bloom. Water deeply and consistently, but don’t overwater.

Can you eat eggplant leaves?

Because eggplants belong to the nightshade family, they contain an alkaloid called solanine, which can be toxic if consumed in large amounts. Eating the leaves and tubers of nightshade plants can be fatal, as there are large amounts of the alkaloid in parts of the plant that are not normally consumed.

What do Japanese eggplants taste like?

Flavor: Globe eggplants have a slightly bitter taste, so chefs prefer salting or seasoning them during preparation. Japanese eggplants have a milder flavor with a sweet tinge and don’t require as much salt or seasonings.

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.

Why is my eggplant growing so slow?

Why are my plants so small and growing slowly? Eggplants are sensitive to the cold. Either a transplant has been planted into cold soil, or a young plant has experienced cold weather, or a transplant that became root bound before being planted may be stunted for a short while or for the full growing season.

What is 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.

How can you tell a male from a female eggplant?

Male eggplants tend to have fewer seeds, and are therefore less bitter than female eggplants. To sex an eggplant, look at the indentation at bottom. If it’s deep and shaped like a dash, it’s a female. If it’s shallow and round, it’s a male.