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Eggplant

Eggplant

A member of the nightshade family, eggplant is an annual from South America. It is
therefore not cold hardy and takes a long time to reach maturity. Fruits may be elongated or globe
shaped and they are usually dark purple. White fruited varieties are available and often promoted as
“egg trees”.


Varieties: Italian, Graffiti, Sicilian, White.
Introduction
Mr. John Doe

Head Director

Description

Optimal Time/Temperature for Germination:
Years of hybridization have resulted in short season varieties that can be grown in cooler areas with short growing seasons. Globe shaped fruits tend to be short season varieties, maturing in about 60 days, as opposed to 70-75 days for elongated varieties. Start eggplant seeds indoors 6-9 weeks before the last frost is expected. Eggplants need warmth, so it is best to start them indoors and transplant them once the weather is warm enough. Aim to germinate the seeds 6-9 weeks before the last frost of the year is predicted. Eggplants should not be re-planted outdoors until the temperature is at least 70 °F (21 °C). Altitude can affect the date of the last frost and even on being on a hill affects frost dates. if your garden is down in the bottom of a hill, the cold air can settle in and you may have a later frost than you would if you were at the top of the hill.
Optimal Soil Conditions:
Eggplants require very high temperatures to grow and thrive in a garden. Ideally, choose a spot that gets sun for more than6 hours per day to plant your eggplants. If this is not possible, plant eggplants in a spot that get only partial shade. Eggplant grows best in healthy, well-drained soil.Find out what condition your soil is in by digging a hole that is approximately 12–18 inches (30–46 cm) deep and 12–18 inches (30–46 cm) wide, then fill the hole with water. If the water pools and takes longer than an hour to soak in, your soil is poorly-drained. Fix poorly drained soil by adding an organic soil amendment. Use a gardening rake to loosen the top 8 in (20 cm) of your soil. Pour a 2 in (5.1 cm) layer of organic soil amendment on top of the soil. Use the rake to mix it into the soil evenly. Purchase organic soil amendment materials, such as sand, vermiculite, perlite, or compost, at a local garden center or hardware store.
Seed Planting Depth, Spacing and Procedure:
Eggplant seeds have a better chance of growing if they are soaked thoroughly before planting. Place the seeds in a small container and completely cover them with water. Let the seeds sit overnight, then drain the water. Eggplant seedlings grow well in 72- and 128-cell trays, which have large seed containers that accommodate root growth. For the best results, germinate eggplant seeds in a soil-less growing medium. Fill seed trays 3/4 full with the growing medium of your choice. Vermiculite, perlite, coconut husk, and compost are all good options. Plant the seeds 0.25 inches (0.64 cm) deep and moisten the medium. Using your fingers, push 1-2 eggplant seeds into the growing medium in each individual seed container. Make sure that the seeds are about 0.25 inches (0.64 cm) under the surface of the growing medium. Cover over the seeds and mist or sprinkle water onto the surface. Let the seeds germinate for 5-14 days. Eggplants seeds will grow as soon as 5 days or in as long as 2 weeks, depending on the temperature they are kept at. Warmer temperatures will spur a quicker germination period. Try to maintain a temperature of at least 65 °F (18 °C) for your eggplant seeds while they are germinating. Transplant the seedlings into pots when they reach 3 inches (7.6 cm) tall. When the seedlings are large enough they should be given their own individual pots. Fill small pots with the same growing medium you used to start the seeds and dig small holes to insert the seedlings. Gently remove each seedling from the growing tray and replant them in their new pots. The potted seedlings should be kept indoors until the outdoor temperature reaches at least 70 °F (21 °C). Seedlings should be hardened off before transplanting out to garden. Plant seedlings 24–30 inches (61–76 cm) apart, root-deep. Eggplants do best when they have room to spread and grow. Dig holes slightly larger than your seedlings’ roots, spaced 24–30 inches (61–76 cm) in all directions. Gently place the seedlings in the holes and fill the space around their roots with soil.
Best Companion Plants and Plants that Hinder:
Flowering herbs that will attract pollinators are beneficial. To avoid verticillium wilt, do not plant eggplants where other members of the nightshade family or strawberries have grown in the previous season. Eggplants growing among green beans will be protected from the Colorado potato beetle and benefit from the nitrogen fixing properties of the beans.

Growing Instructions

Crop Maintenance

Place mulch material around the base of your plants. Mulching will help prevent the growth of weeds and keep your plants warm. Straw, compost, and grass clipping are good choices for natural mulch materials. Scatter them around the base of your eggplant seedlings in a thick layer. Be sure to use grass clipping from untreated lawns, as chemicals and fertilizers may harm your plants. Also don’t use grass clippings from lawns that have pets doing their business on them. Layer at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of mulch to protect your plants. The plants will grow several feet in height and should be staked for support early in the growing process. Use bamboo sticks or other suitable stakes to hold up your plants. Insert the stakes into the soil about 1– 2 inches (2.5–cm) away from each seedling. As the plants grow, they will lean onto the stakes and won’t disturb any surrounding plants. Insert the stakes right away after transplanting your seedlings to avoid disturbing the soil later on.
Moisture Requirements & Solutions:
Water eggplants thoroughly once a week. To thrive, eggplant need at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water per week. Aim for one weekly, intensive watering rather that multiple, short watering sessions. Frequent watering promotes shallow roots, which can compromise the durability of your eggplants.
Weeding Needs & Solutions:
Mulching will help reduce weeds in addition to retaining moisture. Eggplant will benefit from nitrogen fixing weeds but they should be kept fairly clear of larger weeds that may compete for nutrients. The large leaves of the plant will shade out many weeds as it gets large and will be difficult to overwhelm.
Feeding Needs/Optimal Natural Fertilizers:
Eggplant is a heavy feeder. It can benefit from a top dressing of compost and manure half way through the growing season, but the best practice is to set up the initial planting site with lots of compost and manure before planting.
Pests, Diseases & Solutions:
Remove any flea beetles you find on the leaves of the plants. Flea beetles are tiny black insects that feed on plant leaves and can harm eggplant crops. Check the upperand lower leaves of your eggplants for these bugs and remove them by hand. Destroythe bugs to keep them from returning or reproducing. If you are overwhelmed with flea beetles during the growing season, destroy your plants and cultivate the soil in the spring to destroy any larvae that may remain there. Use row covers to protect your eggplants. Row covers are great for protecting eggplants from the cold, disease, and insects. Row covers are long pieces of mesh material that cover plants and offer them protection. Lay row covers over your eggplantsand fold over the edges on each side. Use a rubber mallet to hammer garden pegs through the folded edges of the material to secure it. Lift the row covers to water your eggplants, and remove them completelywhen it’s time to harvest. Protect seedlings from cutworms by encircling them with paper collars that extend 1.5 inches above and below the soil surface. Dry cayenne pepper sprinkled on plants while still wet with dew will repel caterpillars.
When to Harvest/Number of days to maturity:
Harvest eggplants 16-24 weeks after sowing when their skin is glossy. Keep track ofyour planting schedule from the day you first sow your eggplant seeds. At the 16 weekmark, start checking your eggplant crops to see if they are ready for harvesting. Each plant should produce 1-10 fruits.
How to Harvest:
When the skin is shiny, cut off eggplants near the stem with sharp pruning shears.
Optimal Storage temperature and conditions:
Not considered a good vegetable for long term storage. Eggplants are best eaten fresh, but they will keep for 2 weeks if you refrigerate them.
Optimal Preserving Procedures:
Eggplants can be cooked into baba ganoush or added to a variety of dishes, including eggplant parmesan and moussaka, which can be frozen
Seed Saving:
Wait until the eggplant is overripe and inedible before you start collecting eggplant seeds. The eggplant should look dull and off-colored. Overripe purple eggplants turn tan or brown while white and green eggplants take on a yellowish hue. An overripe eggplant is typically hard and shriveled. Slice open the eggplant and separate the flesh from the seeds. Put the seeds in a bowl of water and wash the pulp away. Strain the seeds, pat them dry and spread them out on a tray to dry not more than two seeds thick. There are a number of important eggplant seed saving tips you must follow if you want viable seeds to plant the following spring. Make sure the seeds are thoroughly dry before you store them. Put them in a cool place out of the sun where the humidity can be maintained between 20 and 40 percent. The drying process may take two to four weeks. After you put the seeds in a jar for the winter, watch for moisture build up in the jar. If you see the jar sweating, your seeds are too wet and at risk of becoming moldy and useless. Add some silica gel capsules or another desiccant imminently to save wet seeds. If you choose not to store them in a jar, You’ll need to figure out a way to protect your seeds from insects. Consider a sturdy zip-locking plastic bag in this case, but ensure the seeds are completely dry. If you have ever wondered how to save eggplant seeds, you now know that it isn’t very difficult. You just need to protect your open-pollinated eggplant variety from cross- pollination, harvest when the seeds are mature, and dry thoroughly.

Harvest and Storage

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