Eggplant Plant CarePlantingTimingEggplants are one of the most heat-loving of all the vegetables we normally grow in the home garden: timing is, in our relatively short seasons, crucial. Obviously, seedlings for transplant is the only possible approach.
Although reliable times are hard to come by, and the numbers often quite contradictory from one source to another, it looks like eggplants want to spend 4 to 6 weeks as seedlings, then grow outdoors for perhaps 9 weeks (maybe more, if one is lucky). Our warmest nine weeks here are the months of July and August--our annual maximum is right around August first. Working back 6 weeks from a planting-out date of July first or so takes us to mid-May. (And that's more reason why selecting very early cultivars is important.) And we should prepare the bed soil with plastic mulch around June 15th.
Starting SeedlingsOptimum soil germination temperature for eggplant seeds is 86° F. Even after emergence, maintaining a soil temperature of about 70° is recommended. It is wise to start more seeds than one wants plants, then select the strongest seedlings at planting-out time.
The BedA well-drained sandy loam of pH 5.5 to 6.5 with high organic matter content is ideal for growing eggplants.
By general report, plastic mulches are a huge assist in growing eggplants in a shorter-season area.
Transplanting OutWe have already discussed planting dates. Note that around July first--the likeliest planting-out date--average night temperatures are scarcely 50° F. These rascals being so cold-sensitive means that we need to muster all the warmth weapons in our arsenal: plastic mulch to warm the ground, put in place a good couple of weeks before transplant time; row covers; and perhaps walls o'water (or makeshift substitutes, like plastic milk jugs filled with water and set amongst the seedlings). A Louisiana university (like many experience home gardeners) reported that eggplants responded very well to black-plastic mulch and to drip irrigation.
A plant spacing, in deep or raised beds, of about 18 inches probably works best, though somewhat closer spacings might be risked, especially for the smaller varieties.
It's especially important to water eggplants well right after transplanting, because--besides temperature--eggplants are also quite sensitive to water stress. (That's why drip irrigation is a wise approach.)
GrowingWater well; as noted above, drip irrigation works nicely for eggplants. Several occasional sidedressings of extra fertilizer are often recommended, owing to the plant's long growing season.
One source said that plants should be restricted to no more than 4 fruits, to make sure each reaches a good size and ripens properly.
Although eggplants are sturdy bushes, the fruits are heavy: support of some sort for them is a wise idea.
Fruits should be picked as they come ready, judged by their size. If the season lasts long enough, the plants will continue producing. (Seed savers should select for the longest-yielding specimens.) Harvest by cutting the stems--don't pull the fruits off. (Be aware that all green parts of the plant can be toxic--don't try eating the leaves.) Bitterness, a too-common complaint with store-bought eggplants, seems rare in home-grown, probably because they are picked before getting too big (a word to the wise).
Source: http://growingtaste.com/vegetables/eggplant.shtml
