Egg-Gregiously Overlooked Eggplant

This healthful, but often disdained vegetable, deserves a prominent place in your kitchen and garden

By Renee Pottle
Updated on August 23, 2021
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Svetlana Kolpakova - stock.adobe
Fresh eggplant on the old wooden table

I taught an adult education vegetable cooking class for several years, and the one thing everyone agreed on was that they didn’t like eggplant. Most students had never even eaten eggplant, yet they were convinced they wouldn’t like it. Preparing a delicious eggplant dish isn’t difficult; see my advice on Pages 15 and 16. But even if you’ve never eaten eggplant and aren’t willing to try it, I highly recommend that you grow this beautiful crop. Eggplant’s lobed leaves and star-shaped purple blossoms make it pretty enough to use as an ornamental plant.

Growing Tips

Although we consider eggplant a vegetable, it’s technically a fruit. Solanum melongena is a member of the nightshade family. Potatoes are a sibling, and both eggplants and potatoes are kissing cousins to peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos. Eggplant originated in northeastern Africa about 2 million years ago, and spread to Asia, where it eventually was domesticated. To grow this heat-loving plant, start seeds indoors 8 to 12 weeks before your area’s last frost. The seeds will germinate best when provided with bottom heat via a seedling heat mat or another warm environment, such as the top of your refrigerator. Repot eggplant seedlings when the second full set of leaves appears. Be sure to handle the seedlings carefully, as they’re notoriously delicate.

The gardener spread the mulch on the ground near a young planted

Plant the seedlings in fertile, well-composted, and well-drained soil in full sun after nighttime temperatures are regularly above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Space them 12 to 18 inches apart, because some cultivars grow quite large. The plants need wind protection and support for the weight of the ripening fruit. I use tomato cages in my garden; staking each plant individually also works well. Mulch the bed to keep the roots warm, and water the plants regularly.

Eggplants are self-pollinating; if you plan to save seeds, space cultivars 50 feet apart to prevent cross-pollination. To save seeds, let the fruits grow over-ripe. The skin will become hard and the fruit may start to rot. When this happens, separate the seeds from the flesh, dry them, and store them in a cool, dark place. Seeds will maintain about 50 percent germination rate for up to seven years; in my experience, the plant quality from saved seeds decreases dramatically after five years.

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