Growing Eggplant, also Aubergine

Solanum sp. : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
  S S                  
        T              
        P              

(Best months for growing Eggplant in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed
  • Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 24 - 30 inches apart
  • Harvest in 12-15 weeks. Cut fruit with scissors or sharp knife.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Beans, capsicum, lettuce, amaranth, thyme
  • Avoid growing close to: Potatoes

Your comments and tips

11 Feb 13, Elaine (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My Eggplants are growing good. Keeping my eye some pests and squishing them. But the fruit seems to have a strange growth effect on them. The bases seem to be a green colour and the fruit seems to have like growth spurt makes on them. Can you please tell me why this is happening and what I can do to stop the marks occurring?
09 Feb 13, jeff (Australia - temperate climate)
what is the best way to stop slatters eating my rockmelons an watermelons .would love some advice
07 Feb 13, maria carmen wolfenden (Australia - temperate climate)
i planted my eggplants late december , it looks healthy, has lots of flowers but does not fruit. what do i need to do to fix this problem?
12 Aug 13, Jesse chant (Australia - temperate climate)
This is most probably due to a lack of pollinators (bees etc). Try planting some bee attracting plants. You can hand pollinate in the meantime.
30 Sep 12, dirk (Australia - temperate climate)
I have a very large eggplant 8 ft tall, , inherited fromprevious owner, dont know how old , do i cut right back or let it go, it has big spikes on it. pl
11 Dec 12, Jack (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I think what you are describing is not actually an Eggplant but a related species. Try looking up Solanum mauritianum. It is an invasive weed, I had one recently and immediately thought it looked like an Eggplant. Do not eat! it is posinous.
15 Sep 12, Anne Eaton (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My eggplant is mature and has lots and lots of flowers and leaves but no fruit. What am i doing wrong?
29 Oct 12, Vai (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Anne, The only thing I can suggest is sprinkling some sulphate of potash around the plant and watering it in. Alternatively, you could bury a couple of bananas (with skin) around the plant but I'd suggest the concentrated sulphate of potash. As you probably know, potassium promotes healthy flower and fruit growth in most plants. Nitrogen promotes new stem and leaf growth so its possible you have too much nitrogen in the soil (using cow or sheep manure?) and not enough potassium.
13 Jul 12, julie (Australia - tropical climate)
They could be sun burnt. Even in winter sun strong enough to burnt the tender skin of your eggplants
03 Jun 12, (Australia - temperate climate)
You need to cross-pollinate manually. Bees are the pollinators. We had bees in the garden & fruit on the eggplants, then no bees & no fruit. The flowers are hermaphrodite. Pick a freshly opened flower from one bush & gently brush the stamen against flowers on other plants.
Showing 161 - 170 of 269 comments

Eggplant is generally a summer grown veg, like plant in the spring to early summer. I bought seedlings of little fingers from Bunnings about mid Feb. They are about 3' high now and I have been picking them the last 10 days, had them on toast for brecky this morning. Make sure your soil is fertile and a good watering each 2 days. A nice sunny spot also. I have some of the same seedlings in gardens 10klm away and they have not produced eatable fruit yet, I fertilised them this morning to give them a kick along.

- Anon

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