Growing Eggplant: An Organic Growing Guide

I want to share all of my growing eggplant secrets, from my garden to yours, so you can enjoy this amazing plant, too. From eggplant varieties to fertilizing, from seed starting to harvesting, let's get started with this complete growing guide!

Did you know that eggplants are classified as berries in the botanical world? Their simple but pleasant flavor is why we treat them as vegetables in most recipes. 

The spongy, absorbent fruit is so delicious and is usually best enjoyed baked, grilled, sautéed, or fried instead (not fresh) and can take on the flavor of any seasoning or sauce you surround it with.

Why You Should Be Growing Eggplant in Your Garden

Anyone who plants eggplant in their garden doesn’t regret it. Garden-fresh eggplants are unmatched in the realm of flavor and texture. They add elegant beauty to raised garden beds or container gardens and are very simple to grow.

In the nightshade family, eggplants have two surprising relatives: tomatoes and potatoes. Like growing tomatoes or growing potatoes, there are some tips and tricks to growing eggplant that you should know to help you grow bigger. 

Best Eggplant Varieties to Grow

Every eggplant variety has its charm. Whether classic purple, Asian, white, or mottled, they all add flavor and beauty to your kitchen and garden while boasting several great health benefits.

Here are some varieties to try:

• Black Beauty Eggplant - This classic, dark variety yields large fruits ranging from 4 to 5 inches long. Black Beauty tastes nutty and smooth and has small, thin seeds.

• Ping-Tung Long Eggplant - This long, slender Asian eggplant is an heirloom variety that is compact enough for growing in containers yet vigorous. It yields upwards of 20-25 fruits on each plant.

• Listda De Gandia Eggplant- This heirloom variety is a mottled Italian eggplant with gorgeous violet and white streaks. It produces oval-shaped fruits that are 5-8” long and require no peeling before cooking.

• Casper Eggplant - A rare Japanese variety, Casper Eggplant is unique and delicious! This true white eggplant produces slender 5-8" long fruits with a mushroom-like flavor and silky texture.

• Rosita Eggplant - This variety doesn’t get enough love! With a thin, tender purple skin and fewer seeds, Rosita has a creamy texture when cooked and absorbs any added flavors.

When to Plant Eggplant

When starting seeds indoors, start eggplants 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost. You can use a heating mat to encourage the germination of eggplant seeds. Pro-Tip: Clyde's Garden Planner comes with a frost chart date conversion that you can use as a guide for knowing when to start seeds in your area.

Eggplants love warm weather, so do not transplant eggplant seedlings or direct sow them in early spring. Wait until the plants grow to about five inches tall, and the temperature is consistently over 45°F.

Pro-Tip: Many people make the mistake of planting eggplant at the same time as peppers. Just because they are in the same family doesn’t mean they need the same conditions. Cooler soil temperatures will set your eggplant back and affect yields, but they can handle colder temperatures than peppers. Be patient and wait to plant until the soil reaches the ideal temperature for best results.

How to Grow Eggplant (Step-by-Step Instructions)

1.  Check Soil pH Levels - Eggplants do not thrive in heavy soils. I recommend amending the soil with sand and compost to keep it loose. The ideal soil pH for eggplants is 5.5 to 6.0. Before planting, perform a soil test to check the acidity of your soil. To quickly increase the acidity of your soil, mix 1 cup of apple cider vinegar into 1 gallon of water and water into the soil.

2. Provide Adequate Sunlight - Sunlight is the most crucial factor because eggplants need a lot of energy to grow and produce. The ideal amount of sun is 7 to 11 hours daily, at a minimum, make sure your eggplants are getting at least 5 to 7 hours daily. 

3. Plant Spacing - Don’t cramp eggplants! They need plenty of space for maximum production. I plant eggplants roughly 1 foot to 1 1/2 feet apart in 4-foot-wide beds or rows. Container gardening is great for small spaces. Pick a 5-gallon pot with space for the roots. Make sure it has holes for water to drain or use these grow bags.

4. Planting Depth - Plant the seeds ¼ inch deep and lightly cover with soil.

5. Watering Needs - Watering eggplants is very simple. They're not very picky and can be watered right along with the rest of the garden. Eggplants are quite drought tolerant. They won’t split like tomatoes if they are underwater and then watered deeply. Pro-Tip: Going too long without water will change the flavor of the fruit. Stress causes eggplant fruit to become bitter. Water consistently to avoid bitter eggplants.

6. Mulch - Some gardeners use black plastic to keep the weeds down and help warm the soil. However, this is not an organic or sustainable practice. Instead, I recommend mulching with woodchips to keep weeds out of the garden.

7. Staking - Eggplant is a heavy fruit that weighs down the plant making it prone to pests, diseases, and damage. You can keep your plants strong and healthy by staking them or using tomato cages found at your local garden center.

How to Fertilize Eggplant Organically

Just like other plants in the Solanaceae family, eggplants enjoy a well-balanced fertilizer. I recommend fertilizing them twice during their growing season.

In the early growing stage, you want to get the plant going strong and boost its size so it can host fruit. For this, it will need more nitrogen. Once it reaches its proper size and a few fruits begin to set, the plant will use more phosphorus.

I fertilize eggplants with Trifecta+ all-purpose fertilizer in the growing stage (at time of transplant) and add a top dressing of Trifecta+ again during the flowering stage. The plant knows what stage it is in and will uptake more of the nutrients it needs based on its stage.

You can also fertilize your eggplants with blood meal in the growing stage (it is high in nitrogen) and top dress with bone meal in mid-summer (it is a great way to add phosphorus).

Harvesting Eggplant at the Right Time

Maybe you've tried to grow eggplant before, only to get discouraging results. I know I have waited with anticipation to harvest my eggplants only to get pithy, hard fruit. Knowing when to harvest eggplant is key to getting the best taste and texture.

One interesting thing to note about eggplants is that size doesn’t determine ripeness. Texture is everything when it comes to knowing when to harvest.

Many gardeners delay the harvest until most of the fruits are nearly mature (1 to 5 pounds each). This allows them to harvest the entire crop in only a few weeks. However, eggplants are ready to harvest from the moment the fruit starts developing! As long as the texture of the skin remains pliable and shiny, your eggplants are ready for harvesting.

• Immature fruits tend to be the most tender and the highest quality.
• Select fruit with glossy skin. A dull sheen means an eggplant is past its prime.
• When an eggplant fruit is ripe, it will have a slight give to the skin. If you push on the fruit with your thumb, it will leave an indentation that doesn’t immediately bounce back.

Freshly harvested eggplant will last for up to one week at 50°F and high humidity. This is cooler than typical room temperature but warmer than the refrigerator, so if you can’t use your eggplant right away, store it in a cool dark place such as a basement or garage.

Growing your own eggplants is very rewarding (and delicious!). So get out there and start growing bigger so you can enjoy eggplant parmesan, ratatouille, and more!

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