Eggplant
Vegetable · warm season · also called aubergine, brinjal
When to plant
- Start seeds indoors about 9 weeks before planting out.
- Plant outdoors about 3 weeks after your average last spring frost.
- Ready to harvest about 75 days after planting out.
Needs heat. Harvest while skin is glossy.
Frost dates depend on where you live. Enter your ZIP code to get exact dates.
Dates by zone: 3a 3b 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b 10a 10b
Growing basics
Toxic parts. Leaves and flowers are toxic. Eat the fruit only.
Harmful to pets. Leaves and stems are toxic to cats and dogs.
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Spacing
- 18–24 in
- Soil temperature
- At least 65°F
- Time to harvest
- About 75 days
- Containers
- At least 5 gallons
- Plant family
- Tomato family (nightshades)
- Harvest per plant
- About 5 lb
- Seeds keep
- About 4 years
Companions
Good neighbors: Green beans (bush), Marigold, Thyme
Keep apart: the cabbage family (brassicas). Cabbage-family crops and tomatoes compete and can stunt each other.
Keep apart: Potato. Potatoes share blight with tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant.
Keep apart: Mint. Mint spreads aggressively into neighbors. Keep it in a pot.
Keep apart: Fennel (bulb). Fennel slows the growth of most garden plants. Grow it on its own.
Keep apart: Sunchoke (Jerusalem artichoke). Sunchokes spread aggressively and shade neighbors.
Varieties to try
- Fairy Tale 55 days: small, striped, early
- Ichiban 60 days: long Asian type
- Rosa Bianca 75 days: Italian heirloom
- Black Beauty 80 days: classic large globe
Pests and problems
Grow it well
Tips
- Leave hornworms that carry white cocoons. Those white grains on a hornworm's back are the cocoons of tiny wasps that are already killing it, and they'll hatch to go after the next ones. Pick off the rest: look for their dark green droppings on the leaves below.
- Use bigger pots than you think. Small pots dry out in hours on a hot day. A tomato needs at least 5 gallons, and 10 or more is better. Peppers and eggplant want 3 to 5 gallons.
- Warm the soil for melons and peppers. Lay black plastic over the bed a week or two before planting, and cut holes to plant through. It warms the soil several degrees, so heat lovers like melons, peppers, and squash get off to a faster start.
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