| Name | Eggplant |
| Varieties | Black Beauty, Bambino, Diva, Little Fingers |
| Family | Tomatoes |
| Exposure | Full Sun |
| Size | 2-5′ tall plants, wide range of sizes for fruits |
| Days to Harvest | 85-100 days |
| Description | An eggplant plant looks similar to that of a tomato or pepper plant, just a little bit sturdier. The plant grows about 2-5′ tall bearing fruits that range from a light purple to dark black. |
| Sowing | Sow seeds indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before final frost of the season. Transplant the seedlings outdoors about 2 to 3 weeks after the last frost. |
| Growing | Eggplant is a heavy feeder requiring a lot of nutrients to grow and produce fruit. The amount of Nitrogen should, however, be moderate as a high amount of nitrogen will cause the plant to grow large and leafy and produce poorly. Eggplant is very drought tolerant and should not be over watered. 1″ of water a week is often enough.
Because eggplant is a heat lover the soil should be mulched heavily to help avoid evaporation and maintain nutrients in the soil. |
| Harvest | Eggplants should be harvest sooner than what you normally see in the market, about half the size. Once the skin become shiny and reflective the fruit is ready to harvest. The earlier they are harvested the more flavor they will have and the less seeds will be present. |
| Notes | Eggplant blossoms are self pollinating.
Eggplant blossoms should be pruned off starting about 5 weeks before first frost of the season to direct all energy to ripening fruits already on the plant. |
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