Your comments and tips

04 Jan 22, Mark J Grzywa (USA - Zone 5a climate)

What varieties grow best in N. Illinois, if any? Thanks

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11 Oct 23, TMR (USA - Zone 6b climate)

I know it's over a year later, but I've been looking for info for overwintering a huge eggplant plant, and saw your question here. Summer '22 I picked up three 5" Japanese eggplant plants from local Tractor supply store, on sale in 3 or 4" pots, for $4 each. I grew them in central MA, each in a 12 or 14" pot all summer. Got some good yield, and they grew to about 18" high, but I decided to bring them inside for the winter to see if I could get more fruit from them. I put them on a south facing bay window, air temp was never much above 68*, I watered, fertilized once (maybe 2x) from October-May, and hand pollinated flowers with a paint brush. Got about 10 fruits, which I thought was pretty good! Nice and tender and sweet. In late May/early June they went outside, (after hardened off properly) planted 1 into 2' tall raised wooden garden box (with tomatoes, potatoes, basil, borage), 1 into a large deep pot, and one in a conditioned straw bale. The pot one failed, the box and straw bale one thrived and are now 3' tall and maybe 2-3' wide. Tons of flowers, fruit, I couldn't keep up. I'm trying to figure out if I can bring one of them inside again (transplant into v. large pot) and get one more summer out of it! So you can probably grow Ichyban Japanese in your zone, just protect from cooler temps, and bring inside if your season isn't long enough.

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06 Jan 22, Anonymous (USA - Zone 5a climate)

Plant Feb to May - look on the internet for some varieties.

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10 Dec 21, Annamarie (USA - Zone 9b climate)

Can I grow eggplant year round in zone 9b? I’m hoping to use cuttings taken from existing plants. Thanks

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04 Feb 22, Donna (USA - Zone 9b climate)

I grow mine in a pot and bring them in for winter. I am not sure about cuttings, but I have had a mature plant produce two years in a row growing it that way. Same for tomatoes. Fun to have fresh

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28 Dec 21, Elisabeth (USA - Zone 7b climate)

YES! I lived in zone 9 in Florida. You can most definitely grow them. Start your seeds indoors in early January and put them out in mid February. They will be producing by April and over it by mid June when your temps start in the 90s. I then always planted okra in June where the eggplants were. They were a nice succession planting in zone 9.

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14 Dec 21, Anonymous (USA - Zone 9b climate)

Probably not, Most crops are seasonal, usually temperature reasons. Very few crops produce all year.

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21 Jun 21, Chris Harrison (Australia - temperate climate)

If you pick eggplant while still green, will they ripen in a warm, sunny spot in the house? I have 3 eggplants on 1 plant that seem to have stopped growing for the last 2 weeks and are not ripening. It's too cold now and they're not getting much sun. Thanks

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29 Jun 21, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Pick when they have reached full size, if you wait too long the seeds develop more.

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20 May 21, Rosaline Thomas (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)

I would love to know when eggplant /ubergine was first farmed in South Africa?

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