How to Grow Eggplant: Gardening Guide

If you are stressed because your eggplant isn’t growing well, even though you are doing your best, then you’ve landed on the right post.

Eggplants are not the most popular garden plant in the world, so the proper care steps for them aren’t as well known as with other plants.

Read on below and learn exactly how should be taking care of your eggplants properly.

How to Care for an Eggplant

Supplies Needed for Growing and Caring for Eggplants:

• Sand
• Stakes
• Shovel
• Neem oil 
• Garden soil
• Organic compost
• Clean paint brush or toothbrush
• Container with drainage holes or Polybag

1. Provide Proper Sun

The most important thing about growing eggplants, and caring for them, is putting them in the right place, to begin with. Plant them somewhere where they receive plenty of mornings and/or evening sun, but not too much mid-day sun if possible.

No matter what else you do, make sure that you place your eggplants somewhere they will be able to soak up at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day.

2. Monitor the Temperature

Eggplants grow best in a warm environment and they need a temperature between 65°F to 95°F. So, they need to be germinated in late spring.

After germination, you can place them in areas that receive direct sunlight as they need 6 to 7 hours of sunlight daily.

Any temperature below 50°F may significantly reduce their growth, cause them to become wilted, or even kill them.

3. Take Care of the Soil

For your eggplants, you need sandy and loamy soil. It can easily be made by mixing equal proportions of compost, garden soil, and sand.

This type of soil is rich in Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium which are the macronutrients for the plant.

This soil allows more nutrients to flow into the plant keeping it healthy and happy.

Also, make sure to aerate the soil with the help of a shovel at regular intervals so the roots of the plant can breathe and continue up taking enough water and nutrients. 

4. Fertilize the Plant

The most important part is to provide proper fertilizers to the plant such as Fish Emulsion Fertiliser which adds such kind of bacteria to the soil which helps to uptake all those nutrients from roots to the stem and leaves.

Epsom Salt adds Magnesium and Sulphur to the soil which are necessary micronutrients to keep the leaves green.

Both of these fertilizers are diluted/prepared just by mixing them in a gallon of water. Afterward, water your plants with it as you would with any other water.

5. Water and Stake

Eggplants need moist soil to grow perfectly, and for this, you need to water your plants daily. Always prevent your eggplant soil from drying out, as the plant’s root system prefers constant moisture.

With the help of a stake, provide a firm base to your plant as it will help the plant from dropping due to the weight of the fruit. It will withstand rain and high wind. 

6. Mulch the Plants

Mulching is necessary to retain enough moisture in the soil for growing eggplants.

You can use wood chips or pine bark to mulch around eggplants for the best results.

Mulching prevents the soil from warming up quickly and also shade the roots, increasing the growth rate of your eggplant. 

7. Manage Pests

Pests such as aphids, caterpillars, flea beetles, and whiteflies can destroy your plant by eating the leaves or flowers.

So, to fix this, simply mix neem oil into the gallon of water and wash your plants with it on a routine basis until all the pests are gone. 

You may also find ideas from an older post of ours, about easy organic pest control methods, useful for the pest management of your eggplant.

Pro Tips for Eggplant Care

Pollinating Eggplants 

In the early stages of the plant, you will not get the desired fruit and lack of pollination might be the reason.

For this purpose, pollinate the flowers of eggplant using a simple clean toothbrush or a paintbrush.

Taking the time to manually pollinate the eggplant will greatly increase the chances of fruit growth.

Pruning Eggplants

The term pruning refers to the trimming of the plant. Pruning should be carried out religiously on many garden variety plants, including eggplant.

First, try cutting out dead parts of the plant and then other leaves with any signs of infection such as colored patches or rots.

Proper pruning initiates growth in the dead parts again and eventually helps stimulate better development.

Don’t Overuse Chemical Fertilizers 

There should be a specific limit to the use of fertilizers, so make sure to read the labels very carefully before even mixing chemical fertilizers for your eggplant.

Ideally, 2 to 3 pounds of fertilizer is enough for 100 square feet of planting. That said, try sticking with organic fertilizers such as organic compost, liquid nutrients, or even manure.

You can use one or two chemical fertilizers if you wish, but avoid overusing them as it may damage the plant and surrounding plant life.

A Final Word About Caring for Eggplants

There are many things you need to do precisely for growing vegetables or fruits, including Eggplants because every step influences the quality and flavor of the end product.

Achieving that might sound difficult to you now, but will eventually get easier and even become second nature.

Refer back to this post as often as necessary to remember how to care for the eggplants you’re growing! Thanks for reading.

Do you have questions or tips about growing or caring for eggplants? If so, we’d love to hear them in the comments section below!

Suggested Reading: CARING FOR HOUSEKEEPER SUCCULENTS: QUICK GUIDE