Eggplants are delicate. This has earned the eggplant a reputation for being difficult to care for. With the right varieties and a few tips, a rich aubergine harvest can be achieved even in cooler regions.
Which varieties do you recommend?
Eggplants have a long growing season. Newer breeds mature faster. Choose strains that have also been bred to grow in cooler regions.
Which location offers the best conditions?
Eggplants also thrive outdoors or on the terrace in a sunny, wind-protected location. If you cannot provide that, cultivate the fruit in the greenhouse.
How are eggplants sown?
Sowing starts in January. The seeds are sown thinly in a tray or pots with growing substrate and covered with a thin layer of substrate.
Do eggplants have to be preferred?
Eggplants only germinate at high temperatures and have a long growing season. They must therefore be preferred. Sowing is carried out under glass or on the warm window sill.
When is the best planting time?
Aubergines never reach their final outdoor location before the end of May, as they do not tolerate frost. In the greenhouse, transplant into the ground bed as soon as the plants are big enough.
When are eggplants harvested?
Depending on the temperature, wind and moisture, you can harvest the first aubergines after eight to ten weeks. Harvest outdoors from August until shortly before the first frost. Early varieties are already ready for harvest at the end of July. In the heated greenhouse, the season lasts well into winter.
Ready for harvest eight to ten weeks after sowing
- Outdoor harvest time from August to October
- Early varieties from the end of July
- In the greenhouse until the following January
What does the floor have to be like?
Eggplants need a lot of nutrients. The fruits thrive best in well-loosened soil that has been improved with compost.
How far apart are eggplants planted?
The planting distance between the individual plants should be at least 50 centimeters. The distance to other vegetable or flower plants may be greater.
Which plants go well with aubergines and which don't?
Eggplants prefer to stand alone. Under no circumstances should they be grown together with potatoes, tomatoes, peppers or physalis.
How can eggplants be propagated?
Eggplants are grown from seed. Occasionally it works to get seeds from bought fruits and sow them. In order to obtain seeds from self-grown aubergines, the gardener allows the fruit to become overripe. The small seeds are then taken out and dried.
tips and tricks
Depending on the variety, aubergines produce beautiful flowers. From the end of May, the plants can be placed in large tubs in a sheltered spot on the balcony or terrace. There you care for them as decorative ornamental plants, which can even yield a rich harvest.