How to grow Eggplant

An in-depth guide to growing Eggplant. Includes feeding, planting and harvesting advice, sun requirements and more!

Eggplant requires warm, well draining soil with plenty of compost mixed in.

Plant Eggplant in a full sun position. 

No, Eggplant is not frost tolerant. 

Plant Eggplant a minimum 40-50cm apart, depending on the variety. 

Eggplant is a warm season crop. It requires night time temperatures above 21°C (70°F) and daytime temperatures above 25°C (77°F) to grow well.  

Eggplants are generally planted in spring once the soil has warmed and the risk of frost has passed. 

When transplanting seedlings, plant out in the early morning or evening and/or on an overcast day. Avoid planting at peak sun times or on windy days, this will allow your plants to settle in comfortably and protect them from windburn and sunburn.  

Eggplants require a long growing season so it's best to sow seeds indoors in late winter so that they are ready to transplant in spring. 

Feed your Eggplant regularly with an organic fertiliser throughout the season. You can also top-dress the soil with new compost throughout the season for an additional boost. Mulch the soil around the plant well, making sure you leave a gap of a few centimetres around to base to avoid stem rot.   

Harvest when Eggplant skins are glossy and give a little when pressed. They are best enjoyed when the seeds inside are still white and immature. 

Pests that can affect Eggplant include: Aphids, Slug, Snail, Mites, Potato Beetle, Cutworm, Flea Beetle, Hornworm, Stinkbugs, 28 Spotted Ladybug. 

Diseases that can affect Eggplant include: Mosaic Virus, Cercospora Leaf Spot, Early Blight, Phomopsis Fruit Rot, Powdery Mildew, Verticillium Wilt, Phytophthora Blight, Colletotrichum Fruit Rot. 

Water your Eggplant regularly, particularly in dry weather. 

Stake plants if they become too heavy with fruit.

Eggplants are perennial plants that will overwinter if protected from frosts.