Vegetable · Solanaceae
Eggplant
Solanum melongena
Offer it warmth, full sun, and steady water, and eggplant will keep handing you glossy fruit all season.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
61–90°F · 16–32°C
65–80 days
Overview
Eggplant is a sun-loving member of the nightshade family, grown for its plump, meaty fruit, and it is more forgiving than its reputation suggests. The plant came up through South and East Asia long ago and has been welcomed into kitchens everywhere, from Italian parmigiana to grilled Japanese nasu. You may hear it called aubergine or brinjal, and it sits at the same table as tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes.
If there is one thing eggplant asks of you, it is a little patience while the weather warms. A long, warm stretch is what lets it crop well, so most growers raise it indoors first and only move it out once the nights feel settled. Give it that gentle start and it will keep setting fruit happily right up until the cold rolls back in.
There is far more to eggplant than the single shape on the shelf, so do not feel boxed in. You will find chunky purple-black ovals, slim Asian kinds, and even pale white-skinned types. Pick them young while the skin is bright and shining, and the flavor stays sweet and kind instead of turning bitter.
Care
The short version: give it full sun and warm soil, keep the moisture steady at about an inch of water a week, plant it in rich, well drained ground, go gentle with the nitrogen, and gather the fruit while the skin still shines.
Light
Eggplant loves full sun, and the more direct hours you can give it, the happier it will be. It does not really take to shade, and a plant left in dim light tends to stretch thin and set very little fruit.
Water
Aim for steady, even moisture, which comes to about an inch of water a week, rather than letting it dry out and then drowning it. Swinging between wet and dry turns the fruit bitter and trims your harvest, so try to keep things consistent. Water gently at the base and keep the leaves dry to hold disease at bay.
Soil
Settle it into fertile, well drained loam with plenty of organic matter mixed through. Eggplant is relaxed about pH and takes anything from 5.5 to 7.5, so most ordinary garden soil will make it feel right at home.
Temperature
This is a true warm-season plant, most content between 61°F and 90°F (16°C to 32°C). Cold slows it right down, and nights below 50°F (10°C) can make the flowers fall before any fruit forms, so there is no rush to plant out early.
Humidity
Everyday outdoor humidity suits it just fine, so there is no number you need to chase. Good airflow matters more, because crowded, damp leaves are where fungal trouble likes to settle in.
Feeding
Side-dress with a nitrogen source such as calcium nitrate three to four weeks after planting, then once more later in the season. Stay gentle with the nitrogen, since too much grows a big leafy plant that puts off making fruit.
Pruning
Eggplant hardly ever needs pruning, which takes one job off your list. Pinch off any damaged or diseased leaves, and stake or cage the taller, heavily fruiting plants so the fruit rests well off the ground.
Size & spacing
Plants grow 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 cm) tall and reach 18 to 30 inches (45 to 75 cm) wide. Leave each one comfortable room so air can move through and the fruit hangs clear of the soil.
When to plant
Eggplant truly lives on warmth and simply cannot cope with cold, so let the calendar guide you. Sow the seeds indoors about 8 weeks before your last frost, wait to set the plants out until nights stay above 50°F (10°C), and you will be picking fruit from midsummer on, roughly 65 to 80 days after transplanting.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: About 8 weeks before the last spring frost
- Plant: After all danger of frost, when nighttime temperatures stay consistently above 50°F (10°C)
- Harvest: Harvest 65 to 80 days after transplanting, when fruit is large, glossy, and uniformly colored
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–12
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Most eggplant worries turn up on the leaves or the fruit, and the warm, damp weather it enjoys is the very weather that pests and disease enjoy too. The good news is that spotting trouble early gives you plenty of room to step in before it spreads. Look through the signs below, find the one that matches, and you will know just what to do.
Plant wilting and yellowing with brown streaks inside the stem
This one is verticillium wilt, a soilborne fungus that clogs the plant from within and presses harder once fruit forms. Slice a stem near the base and the brown streaking in the tissue tells you what you are dealing with. Sadly there is no cure, so pull and destroy the badly hit plants rather than composting them, and move eggplant well away from tomato, pepper, and potato for several years.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy severely affected plants
- Do not compost infected material
Tiny round holes peppering young leaves
Those little pinholes come from flea beetles, small dark insects that hop away the moment you brush the plant and tend to gather on tender transplants. Slip floating row covers over young plants before the beetles arrive, and keep the weeds nearby trimmed since they give the pest a home. Take heart, because a strong, well-fed plant usually shrugs off the early nibbles and grows right past them.
Fix:
- Use floating row covers on young plants
- Apply labeled insecticides if infestations are heavy
- Keep plants vigorous so they outgrow early damage
Flowers forming but dropping before any fruit sets
Eggplant can be a touch particular about temperature, and blossom drop follows nights below 60°F (16°C), bouts of fierce heat, or too much nitrogen steering the plant toward leaves instead of fruit. Keep an eye out for cold or hot snaps around flowering and for a lush plant carrying only a few blossoms. Set transplants out only after the nights stay warm, and feed by soil-test rates rather than guesswork, and the flowers will hold.
Fix:
- Transplant only after nights stay warm
- Avoid over-fertilizing with nitrogen
Fruit turning bitter on the plate
Bitter fruit usually traces back to uneven soil moisture or to fruit that has lingered on the plant too long. Harvest while the skin still gleams, and hold the moisture steady with mulch and regular watering. Once an eggplant has gone dull and seedy past its prime, it rarely tastes good however you cook it, so picking on time really pays off.
Fix:
- Maintain even soil moisture
- Harvest fruit while skin is still glossy
Toxicity
The ripe, cooked fruit is lovely to eat, though the rest of the plant is best left alone. Its leaves, stems, and unripe green parts hold a natural compound called solanine that can unsettle a stomach, and it is mildly toxic to cats, dogs, horses, and other animals if they nibble the foliage. Just keep those green parts out of reach of pets and curious little ones and everyone stays fine.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Safe for
People
Cats Mild
A cat that takes a few bites of leaf or stem might drool, throw up, or get loose stools from the solanine in there. The fruit is not the concern, the foliage is, so a little caution keeps your cat comfortable.
Dogs Mild
Nibbling the green parts can leave a dog drooling with a queasy stomach for a spell. Most cases stay mild and pass on their own, though a big mouthful is worth a quick call to the vet.
Horses Mild
Horses that graze the foliage can wind up with colic-style stomach upset and a flat, sluggish mood. Keep them clear of the plants and any trimmings and they will be the better for it.
Rabbits Mild
The leaves and stems carry solanine and simply have no place in a rabbit's diet. Even a small taste of foliage can bring on soft stools and a poor appetite, so it is kindest to keep it away.
Livestock Mild
Cattle, goats, and sheep can take a digestive hit from grazing the green tops, so fence them off from the rows and any clippings to keep things easy.
Birds Mild
A peck or two at the leaves or green parts can unsettle a bird's gut. Backyard hens usually steer clear of the bitter foliage on their own, but it is best not to toss them the trimmings.
People Ripe fruit safe
Ripe, cooked eggplant is a kitchen favorite and perfectly safe to eat. Just skip the raw leaves and stems, which hold the same solanine that bothers the animals.
Keep pets and children from chewing leaves, stems, or green/unripe fruit; the cooked ripe fruit is edible.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Eggplant comes in many more shapes than the one most stores stock, so there is plenty to explore. Here are the types it helps to know by name.
Black Beauty / Italian types (e.g., Dusky, Epic)
These are the classic eggplants you probably picture first, carrying large, glossy purple-black oval fruit.
Ichiban (Asian type)
An Asian type bearing long, slender fruit with thin skin and tender flesh that cooks up in no time.
Casper
A specialty pick loved for its smooth white skin, a cheerful change from the everyday purple.
Hansel
A compact plant that sets clusters of small, slender fruit, which makes it a friendly choice for pots and snug beds.
Companions
Eggplant grows best beside beans and marigolds, and worst beside its nightshade cousins like potatoes, which trade the same pests and diseases back and forth.
Plant near
Beans: Listed as a beneficial companion for eggplant in extension companion-planting guidance
Marigolds: Listed as a beneficial companion; marigolds are associated with pest/nematode suppression
Keep apart
Potatoes: Listed as incompatible with eggplant; both are nightshades sharing pests and diseases
How to propagate
Eggplant is raised from seed, and the whole secret is simply offering it enough warmth and a generous head start indoors before the season turns.
SeedModerate
Start indoors about 8 weeks before the last frost · 6 to 8 weeks to transplant size indoors
Eggplant gets its start from seed sown indoors about 8 weeks before your last frost. The seed likes warmth to wake up, so rest the tray on a heat mat and hold the soil around 75°F to 85°F (24°C to 29°C). Let the seedlings have 6 to 8 weeks to reach transplant size, and move them outdoors only once the nights are reliably warm.
Myths
Every part of an eggplant is poisonous, so the fruit is unsafe to eat.
Rest easy, because the solanine-type glycoalkaloids collect in the leaves, stems, and unripe green parts, not in the fruit you cook. Ripe eggplant is a safe, everyday food, enjoyed all around the world for centuries.