Growing Eggplant, also Aubergine

Solanum sp. : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
                S S    
                    T T

(Best months for growing Eggplant in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings

September: Bring on in pots - need a long growing season

  • Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 24 - 30 inches apart
  • Harvest in 12-15 weeks. Cut fruit with scissors or sharp knife.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Beans, capsicum, lettuce, amaranth, thyme
  • Avoid growing close to: Potatoes

Your comments and tips

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04 Jun 18, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Your eggplants will probably die off completely during the winter, so it would be best to start again with new ones in Spring.
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19 Apr 18, Tracey (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi All I have Lebanese eggplants which are coming to an end. This is the first time I have grown them and they have fruited extremely well. Do you pull the plant out when they have finished or will they fruit again net year? Thanks
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04 Oct 18, Lucy Carson (Australia - temperate climate)
I dug mine up in Autumn, potted up and kept in greenhouse over winter (regular watering), they have already got buds on them and I'll replant back in the garden.
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22 Apr 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I believe they will grow again but I wouldn't bother - just grow new plants next year. My old plants are so straggly and fall over so much I just pull them out. Fresh new strong plants next year.
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20 Apr 18, Carol (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi Tracey. This is from the info here on eggplants.. "Perennial in tropical climates otherwise grown as an annual" So, if you're in a temperate climate, I'd pull them out. When I was in Fiji a few years ago, eggplants were used as hedges in one of the villages we stayed in!
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09 Mar 18, Heidi (Australia - temperate climate)
I have two Asian eggplant bushes which look like they are coming to an end in terms of producing fruit. Is there any chance I could prune these back and see if they regrow next spring? Also, what to do about the nasty grubs that get in and make tunnels, along with lots of black stuff. Sometimes you don't even know they are there till you cut the eggplant open.
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11 Mar 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
A mate of mine has pruned back his egg plant the last 3 years - but I don't think they produce very well. Then he again he isn't a keen gardener.
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02 Feb 18, Frances Pegrem (Australia - temperate climate)
I am not sure when to pick my eggplants. They are yellow, some are bigish and others growing. Some of the first ones to go yellow went spotty but some of the later ones are larger.
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05 Feb 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
It takes about 15 weeks to grow. Pick one and cut it open - if it has lots of seeds in it, it has gone too far but you can eat it. Keep doing this until you work out when to pick. Try and pick when only a few seeds. Not too big - not too small.
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20 Jan 18, Diana (New Zealand - temperate climate)
I live on the Tutukaka coast and have a healthy looking eggplant with lots of flowers which fall off without fruit forming. Why is this happening and what can I do? Thank you.
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Showing 121 - 130 of 351 comments
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Unripe eggplants will be a bit greenish inside rather than a clear cream or creamy-white. they probably could still be eaten. I worked at a community garden and a lot were harvested before they were ripe. Sorry I can't answer the other part of your question.

- Giovanni

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