Orient Charm Eggplant Info How To Grow Orient Charm Eggplants

How do you grow Oriental eggplant?

Light requirements: Full sun for best yields.
Planting: Space 24 to 36 inches apart.
Soil requirements: Eggplants need well-drained, nutrient-rich soil. ...
Water requirements: Keep soil consistently moist throughout the growing season. ...
Frost-fighting plan: A light frost damages plants (28º F to 32º F).

How long does it take for a eggplant plant to grow?

Harvest eggplant 65 to 80 days after transplanting, depending on the variety. When starting from seed, expect 100 to 120 days to maturity. July, August, and September (even into October) are all harvest months for eggplant, depending on where you live and the variety you planted. Don't wait too long to harvest!

Do eggplants like sun or shade?

As a basic rule of thumb, vegetables grown for their fruit or roots—such as tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, squash, potatoes, or carrots—require full sun, which is defined as a garden location that receives at least six hours of direct sun each day.

Can eggplants grow vertically?

Yes, vertical gardening with eggplants is indeed a possibility. The benefit to eggplant, or any veggie, is that it keeps the plant and resulting fruit off the ground and away from any pests that might want a snack, and lowers the chances of soil-borne diseases.

How many eggplants do you get per plant?

My experience has been that 2-4 eggplants per plant is more common with the classic varieties such as Black Beauty than 6-12 fruit. The smaller fruited Italian, Chinese, Indian, or Japanese varieties produce greater numbers, but maybe not more total weight.

Does eggplant need to be staked?

Like tomatoes and peppers, eggplants should be staked for optimum growth and yield (Figure 2). Staking keeps the eggplant fruit from touching the ground, which reduces disease and improves fruit shape, particularly on elongated fruit.

Do eggplants like coffee grounds?

Unused grounds are very acidic. Only use fresh grounds on acid loving plants and even then, do so sparingly. ... Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, magnesium, and potassium, and work as a great fertilizer.

What is the best fertilizer for eggplant?

Start by working lots of compost into the soil, plus 2 to 3 pounds of a complete fertilizer like 15-5-10 per 100 sq. ft. If you prefer, use an organic fertilizer like blood meal, well-rotted manure, cottonseed meal, or bat guano. Burpee's Big Boy Tomato Food is also super for growing eggplants.

Do eggplants like full sun?

Eggplants are sun lovers. Make sure they get at least six hours of unobstructed sun per day—the more sun the better. Also, eggplant, like tomatoes, are heat lovers.

How often should Eggplant be watered?

Fight pests with healthy plants

In hot climates, young plants will need to be watered twice a week, to a depth of 12 inches. Eggplants do not like standing water, so mature plants should be watered deeply and infrequently. But do not allow the leaves to wilt during the day.

Can eggplants grow in pots?

Even if you garden in a small garden bed, or grow your vegetables in containers on the patio or balcony, you can grow eggplant. ... Plant one eggplant per container, 2-gallon minimum. Fill the container with a high quality potting soil that will drain quickly.

Do eggplants grow back every year?

Eggplant is a frost tender, heat loving, branching bushy plant with thick, woody stems. ... Mature plants range from 1 to 8 feet in height. Although eggplant is a perennial, it is more commonly grown as an annual.

What should you not plant next to eggplant?

Eggplant – A good companion for amaranth, beans, marigolds, peas, peppers, spinach, and thyme. Do not plant eggplants near fennel. Fennel – Not a companion for any garden food plant, fennel will actually inhibit growth in bush beans, kohlrabi, tomatoes, and others.

Why does my eggplant flowers but not fruit?

When an eggplant plant is stressed, its blossoms will dry up and drop off without producing fruit. The most common reason a eggplant gets stressed is due to a lack of water.

How long does it take for eggplant to grow after flowering?

How long does it take for eggplant to grow after flowering? Depending on the variety and the region in which you are gardening, different cultivars of eggplant will develop mature fruit within 50 to 80 days after flowering.

What is the best way to grow eggplant?

Eggplants grow into tall, angular plants, so they should be spaced 24 to 36 inches apart. Improve planting holes by mixing in 2 inches of compost to help hold moisture and fertilizer in the soil. Set plants at the same depth at which they are growing in their containers, and water well before spreading mulch.

Can I use Epsom salt on eggplant?

When the first blossoms appear, spray the plants with a seaweed extract with one teaspoon of Epsom salts dissolved per gallon. The solution improves fruit set. ... Young fruits are best; mature eggplants may be bitter. Eggplant can be grown successfully in a container.

How do you know when eggplants are ready to harvest?

Harvesting eggplants should occur when the inner flesh is cream colored, fruits are firm and before seeds are visible. Learning when to harvest eggplants may require cutting into the fruit to check the color of the flesh and the size of the seeds.

Is eggplant a fruit or vegetable?

Fact: While it's generally thought of as a vegetable, eggplant is actually a fruit. The eggplant, aubergine, melongene, brinjal or guinea squash is a plant of the family Solanaceae. Eggplant is grown for its usually egg-shaped fleshy fruit and is eaten as a cooked vegetable. Some even consider it a berry.

Should you top eggplant plants?

Pruning eggplant stems is best done when the plant is established and has already borne some fruit. ... When pruning eggplant, the traditional shape to go for has three stems. You should leave the first main division, where the first two stems diverge from the base, as well as one other strong stem. Remove all others.

What's wrong with my eggplant?

There are several eggplant diseases that affect these crops. Some of the most common include blossom end rot, wilt diseases, and various types of blight. ... Verticillium wilt is similar to bacterial wilt but is caused by soil-borne fungal infections. Plants may become stunted, turn yellow, and wilt.