Eggplant Plant
Profile
Eggplant (Solanum
melongena) is an annual plant that produces edible fruits. It is perennial
to USDA zones 10-12.
Eggplants originated in India and are also known as
Aubergine. Eggplant fruits are commonly purple or white and can be egg-shaped,
long and slender, or short and fat.
Most gardeners in our region start their plants by seed
indoors in March or purchase started seedlings in order to get a head start on
the growing season. The seedlings can be planted outside once the soil is warm
enough in very late spring.
The plant has pretty lilac flowers and large leaves. Don’t
be surprised if those leaves become riddled with small holes. They are caused by the flea beetle. To help
prevent that damage, protect your eggplants with a row cover until the
plants start to flower.
Like its cousins in the nightshade family tomatoes and
peppers, the eggplant will need staking and fertilizing as the heavy fruits start
to form on it.
Harvest the fruits when the skin is glossy and taut by
cutting it off the stem with a sharp knife. Prepare and eat it right away as
eggplants can turn bitter if left too long on the plant or not consumed while
fresh.
Eggplant: You Can
Grow That!
The
video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant
Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.
Audio and text by Kathy Jentz
Video and editing by Taylor Edwards
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