How to Grow Eggplant in Containers

Knowing how to grow eggplant in containers allows you to reap the benefits of fresh harvests even in tight spaces. As an urban gardener for over 10 years, I've discovered that containers keep soil-borne diseases from ruining every ground plant planting. Eggplants prefer pots because roots warm faster.

Container gardening allows novice growers to regulate soil quality and control moisture level. You do not have to worry about the verticillium wilt that is often present in garden beds. I still remember my first year of using 5-gallon pots for eggplants: they yielded fruit weeks before the other eggplants in the yard with much larger ground plots. That early success hooked me for good!

This guide makes container gardening accessible for patio or balcony gardeners. You can benefit from bountiful, juicy edibles without any garden space. In this guide we will explore: variety selection; soil mixes and pot care; and seasonality/in season care. If you follow this guide, you should be able to successfully harvest from a container garden in no time.

Inspect your eggplants daily once the fruits are close to maturity. Ripe eggplants will have shiny skin and should feel firm when you gently squeeze the eggplant. I gently squeeze the eggplants with my thumb to check for ripeness. If the eggplant bounces back when gently pressed, it is ripe. The color should also be dark and uniform in appearance.

Employ sharp pruners to snip stems one inch above the fruit. Refrain from twisting or pulling. This prevents damage to the stem and reduces the risk of disease. I also carry a small knife with me in my garden apron for clean harvests.

Unwashed eggplants can be stored at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. For longer storage, refrigerate in perforated bags. Avoid ever storing them at temperatures below 50°F. Cold reduces texture quickly. I lost an entire harvest on one occasion to a malfunctioning fridge.

To prevent flesh browning, place slices immediately after slicing into saltwater or lemon juice. They can be marinated in olive oil and herbs, then grilled or sauteed. This trick helps keep your food from looking unappetizing. My family enjoys them with roasted garlic.

Container gardening takes the prize for space efficiency on patios and balconies. I can fit six pots in my limited urban space, while in-ground planting requires dedicated garden beds. Containers allow you to grow food while still enjoying an outdoor living space.

Potted plants usually produce an earlier harvest because the soil warms more quickly. My container-grown eggplants fruited two weeks before my in-ground planting. However, if you have space, plants grown in the ground can support the larger varieties of eggplant, which in turn yield more fruit per plant.

Sterile potting mix prevents deadly soil diseases like verticillium wilt. I lost entire ground crops before switching to containers. You control the soil quality, completely avoiding contaminated garden earth.

In the heat of summer, containers should be watered daily, while garden beds can be watered weekly. When I am watering pots in Texas summers, I water the pots once in the morning and again in the evening. Plants in the ground can go longer and survive the heat because they can dig deeper for moisture.

Start seeds indoors 8-9 weeks before your last expected frost date. I use heat mats to maintain a soil temperature of 70-90°F, which promotes quick germination. Transplant seedlings only after nighttime temperatures stay above 50°F. Hardening off takes 7 days.

Watering containers daily in the summer heat. When the temperature reaches above 85°F, double the water to avoid wilting. I set morning and evening reminders on my phone. Fertilize with a balanced fertilizer every two weeks as the fruits form. Look out for flea beetles.

Begin fall cleanup after harvest. It is critical to remove all plant debris to avoid disease carryover for the next season. In zones 9b-12a, at this point in the season, I prune stems back to 6 inches tall. After pruning, I cover the roots with 4 inches of mulch before the first frost.

If the weather drops below 50°F, you should protect your plants. If they are in pots, bring them indoors, or consider placing them near a south-facing window. If your plants are in the ground, cover them with frost cloths and secure them to a frame. One year, I lost my plants because I did not cover them in time.

Water container eggplants daily when temperatures are above 70°F. With summer temperatures over 85°F, water your plants twice daily to prevent stress. I set alarms now at 7 AM and 5 PM for waterings. Use drip systems to target the root system and avoid wet leaves, which can spread disease.

To ensure they're made for optimal growth, fertilizer appears in "balanced" fertilizers, such as 5-10-10, which are added when the plants are first planted. Apply liquid fertilizer every three weeks during the fruiting period. Avoid high-nitrogen formulas, as they can promote leaf growth rather than fruit production. Fish emulsion in water, that's what I use for organic feeding.

At least 6 hours of direct sunlight is ideal for your plants. Ensure you rotate your pots every week to allow all sides to receive the same amount of light. If you live in a hot climate, it's best to provide some afternoon shade. I take it a step further by using reflective aluminum foil on my northern-facing balcony to get even more reflected light.

Apply organic mulch approximately 3 inches thick once the plants reach a height of 6 inches. Mulch helps keep the soil cool and reduces watering needs by approximately 70 percent. I prefer straw mulch because it decomposes and nourishes the soil over time.

Select dwarf varieties such as Fairy Tale or Hansel for small containers. These compact plants grow only 18-24 inches tall and produce lots of fruit with minimal footprints. I've discovered their disease resistance makes them ideal for novice container gardeners who want consistent yields.

Choose pots in dark colors that soak up heat with 12-inch minimum diameter for dwarf types. The larger varieties, such as Black Beauty, should have pots that are 18 to 24 inches in diameter. Be sure it has drainage holes. I use self-watering pots that have reservoirs to conserve moisture during the hot spells.

Select varieties that are resistant to diseases to prevent potential problems that commonly occur in confined spaces. Fairy Tale is resistant to verticillium wilt, and Hansel is very resistant to mildew. I lost plants early on because I chose varieties that were not resistant to disease. Now I look for resistant varieties on seed packets.

For the ideal drainage, I mix 30% compost and 10% perlite into my potting soil. I don't use garden soil because it can compact and spread diseases. I sometimes add in some worm castings for extra nutrition. This mix provides the loose structure roots require to flourish in containers.

Container gardening offers space efficiency and minimizes the risk of soil-borne diseases that can threaten garden beds. You can avoid verticillium wilt by starting with sterile potting mix. I've harvested eggplants from my apartment's balcony for several years without disease issues that ruined my previous in-ground plantings.

To experience growing peppers between four and six weeks after planting, start with dwarf varieties, such as Fairy Tale. These compact plants produce a large number of fruits even in little pots. These varieties are great choices for growers with limited space. For zones 9 - 12, you can keep your plants year-round with basic winter protection strategies such as mulching or frost cloth.

Overwintering extends your growing season in warmer zones. Prune the plant once the fall harvest is complete, and mulch heavily around the plant's roots. The Florida plants can produce two to three seasons and produce if well mulched. Container gardening allows you to enjoy fresh eggplants, regardless of your space constraints.

Get a container and some eggplant seeds today. This is your opportunity to begin growing fresh food at home. The taste of my first harvest was worth every effort I put forth, outdoing anything I could buy. Please share your successes in the comments below.