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Eggplant in the Kitchen Garden

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Photo by Jade, Morguefile.com, and used with permission. License information here.
Eggplant…sometimes I think eggplant is out to get me. Okay, how can a vegetable be out to get you? Simply this: I love eggplant, but it’s ridiculously hard to grow for me. Notice that I say, “For me.”  I haven’t heard anyone else having as much trouble as I have growing eggplant. I’m not sure if it’s Virginia, or the organic practices I have in my garden (which is mostly benign neglect, as opposed to an active, truly “organic” scientific garden.) 

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Growing Eggplant
Let’s start with the basics of growing eggplant. Eggplant need full sunlight, defined as six to eight hours of sunshine each day. They also need rich, fertilize, well drained soil. The Virginia Cooperative Extension Office states they need a pH of 6.0 to 7.0, which is a fairly large range. 
There are two types of eggplant: Japanese and Mediterranean. Both are considered “very” tender annuals, meaning that they cannot stand cold weather. At all. So don’t try to plant them too close to the frost-free date for your area. Here in Virginia, I try to wait until mid to late May to be on the safe side. They really thrive in hot, sunny weather, so err on the side of caution when planting eggplant.
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Japanese eggplant produce long, slender edible fruits, and Mediterranean is the traditional dark purple-black purple globe-shaped edibles.  There are white eggplant and all sorts of colors, too, but most have similar cultural requirements.
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I start my eggplants from seed inside the house, under plant lights, at least 8 to 12 weeks before I want them to grow outside. The seeds take a while to germinate unless you have heating mats, so be patient. You can also purchase plants already started at the garden center.
Eggplants are heavy feeders and need a lot of fertilizer. Add plenty of aged compost to the soil when planting them, and fertilize during the growing period with 10-10-10 fertilizer every month until the fruits start to mature. Then use a high-potash fertilizer. One suitable for tomatoes works well for eggplant.

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Insect Pests
Now, here’s where mine tend to get killed: bugs. Specifically, the Colorado potato beetle. My potato patch is directly behind the spot where I planted eggplant last year, and the Colorado potato beetle not only decimated the foliage on the potatoes, they went after the eggplant, too.
This year, I am actively looking for organic treatments for the potato beetle. Sevin is a commercial pesticide that treats potato beetles, but I hate using it in the garden. The only organic methods I’ve seen that seem like they might work are floating row covers. These create a barrier between the plants and the beetles, but my question is always, “If I create a barrier for the beetles, how will the pollinating insects find the plants, too?” It’s something I’ve got to research further. One thing I did find on the Organic Gardening website is that companion plants including dill, fennel and sweet alyssum naturally repel the beetles, so maybe I should move the dill patch near the eggplants, or vice versa.
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E is for eggplant! Tomorrow is my much-needed rest from blogging, but I’ll pick up again on Monday with F for Figs as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge.
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  1. Sharon Himsl

    Hi. Saw you at Damaria’s blog and see you have done eggplant! I really like eggplant but have not tried to plant. I think it may be hard in eastern Washington. Our season is pretty short. I wonder if there is a plant that the beetles don’t like. I’m taking a master gardening class, and sometimes that can help. Also, you definitely want to try relocating away from the potatoes. Good luck!
    Shells–Tales–Sails

  3. Jeanne Grunert

    Hi Sharon! Welcome to the blog, and thank you for leaving a comment. I’m a Virginia Master Gardener and aside from using pesticides or barriers, the extension offices don’t have much help for potato beetles either. Cheeky little bugs 🙁 Thanks for dropping by! Good luck with your Master Gardener courses.

  4. Jeanne Grunert

    Hi Gardener on Sherlock Street! Thanks for leaving a comment. You made me laugh! I try not to grow anything we don’t enjoy. Not worth it.