How to plant eggplants

When it comes to planting aubergines we have two options, do it directly in its final location in a garden or pot, or do it first in a seedbed.

If we plant in the definitive place, the ideal would be to do it well into spring, between the months of March and May in the Northern Hemisphere. The most important thing at this point is to make sure that the frosts have already passed, since the eggplant plant needs a temperature of at least 12ºC to germinate and develop properly. If you live in a cold climate, delay planting as much as necessary or acquire seedlings between 10 and 15 cm tall to save you the germination phase of the seeds and the first weeks of the plant’s life, which are the most sensitive to cold.

If we choose the seedbed, which we recommend to be able to advance the crop and because it allows us a closer and more controlled monitoring of the development of the plants, we can sow the eggplants between late winter and early spring.

Follow these directions and steps to plant eggplants in the garden:

1. When planting eggplants, it is very important to properly prepare the soil. One of the most frequent reasons why aubergines do not grow properly is because this plant is very demanding in terms of soil nutrients. Therefore, it is vital properly loosen the earth and enrich it with abundant organic matter, such as compost or earthworm humus. The latter is always particularly interesting, since in addition to being very rich in nutrients, it provides beneficial microorganisms for the crop. In addition, the roots of the aubergine are very strong and develop a lot, so it is convenient that the soil is not caked to allow them to do so.
2. It is very important that the soil offers a very good drainage to avoid the rotting of the plant, so very clayey soils may need an abundant supply of compost or some equivalent material to improve its capacity to eliminate and absorb water.
3. Once the soil is prepared prepare the holes in the ground for the eggplants. The ideal is to leave about 70 cm both between plants and between lines to leave space for their roots.
4. If you plant from seed, that is, if sowing eggplantsit is not necessary to bury them very deep, whereas, if transplant the seedlings already germinated in the seedbed or purchased, it is convenient to add a few handfuls of earthworm humus at the base of the holes for the plant.
5. Cover the seeds or the base of the seedlings with more soil, water the area and watch the growth of your aubergines as the days go by.

Another option if you wonder how to plant your aubergines at home is to do it in a pot, even definitively. The ideal is to use a small starter size pot or a seedbed to germinate it, and once the seedling is about 10 cm, transplant it into its final pot.

1. Prepare the seedbed: The seedbeds can be any small recent or shallow plastic tray to which we can make some drainage holes, with a mixture of peat, earthworm humus and coconut fiber.
2. Sow the eggplant seeds: do it shallow, cover them with substrate and water abundantly.
3. Take care of the seeds for their germination: keep the soil moist during the first weeks, although always without flooding, and put the seedlings in a warm room at at least 12 or 13ºC.
4. Plant the eggplants in the pot: When the seedlings are ready for transplanting (between 10 and 15 cm tall), look for, if possible, a pot with drainage holes, made of ceramic material, since it is the one that offers the best properties for this plant, and with at least 30 cm deep, because even in a pot, the space to plant aubergines must be quite large. The soil mixture used in the seedbeds will also be valid here. In this other link we tell you how to transplant a plant, so that you have more details when moving the aubergines from the seedbeds to the pots.

Another of the doubts that appear when we think of how to grow eggplants at homewhether in a large orchard, in an urban garden or in large pots on a terrace, it is how many aubergines gives a plant to get an idea of ​​the performance we can expect and whether we’re taking good enough care of it.

The quantity of fruits that an aubergine plant bears and the quality and size of these will depend mainly on the plant itself and how optimal its development conditions are, but expert farmers and hobbyists affirm that one of these plants can give more than 25 auberginesalways in ideal conditions.

To finish, we indicate the basic care of eggplants so you can grow them well in your garden or pot:

• Soil for eggplant: very rich in organic matter, loose and drained.
• How to water the aubergines: very abundant watering, without flooding. By drip if possible.
• Fertilizer: abundant, providing a lot of organic matter.
• Temperature: warm, does not tolerate frost.
• Light: direct sun.
• Tutored: very convenient in tall plants to favor development and fruiting.
• Pruning: about 4 or 5 main branches are left as it grows. Remove suckers.
• When is the eggplant harvested: the growth time of the eggplant is about 2 months from when it is planted until it is harvested.

Now that you know when and how to plant eggplants, in more detail, we encourage you to discover which vegetables grow well together. In the case of eggplants, they can grow well together with green beans and pepper.

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