Eggplant Donation Tracker

Quick Links: How & Where to Grow | Temperature | How to Care For | Harvest Signs | Harvesting | Pruning | Pests | Companions | Varieties | Preservation | Michigan Tips | Fun Facts
 

🌱 How & Where to Grow Eggplant:

• Start 8-9 weeks before frost – eggplant needs the warmest conditions of all!
• Needs warmest conditions – transplant mid-June when soil is truly warm.
• Space plants 18-24 inches apart in rows 30-36 inches apart.
• Sunlight: Full sun (8+ hours) absolutely essential.
• Soil Type: Rich, well-drained soil with pH 5.5-6.5.
• Soil Amendment: Heavy feeder – add lots of compost and aged manure

Eggplant is the diva of the nightshade family – demanding perfect warmth but rewarding with gorgeous fruit!

🌡️ Temperature Guidance:

Minimum 70°F soil. Never below 55°F. Most heat-sensitive nightshade.

• Transplanting: Wait for 70°F+ soil – mid-June is typical.
• Growing: Thrives at 70-85°F, struggles below 65°F.
• Growth completely stops below 50°F.
• More heat-loving than tomatoes, peppers, or any other garden crop!

In Michigan, think of eggplant as a July-August crop – they need our hottest weather!

💧 How to Care for:

• Consistent Moisture: Essential for continuous production.
• Watering: 1-2 inches weekly – never let them dry out.
• Mulch: Black plastic mulch is absolutely essential for warmth.
• Fertilizer: Feed every 2 weeks with balanced fertilizer.
• Support: Stake all plants – fruit weight can topple them.

📏 Harvest Signs:

Glossy skin, full size, slight give to pressure. White seeds inside.

• Harvest young for best quality – overripe eggplant becomes bitter!
• Glossy, shiny skin indicates perfect ripeness.
• Dull skin means overripe – will be bitter and seedy.
• Press gently – slight give but springs back.
• Cut one open – seeds should be white, not brown.

Size varies by variety – know your type’s mature size!

🧺 Harvesting:

Cut close to fruit. Harvest young for tenderness.

• Always use sharp knife or pruners – stems are tough.
• Cut close to fruit leaving cap and short stem.
• Handle carefully – skin bruises easily.
• Harvest frequently – every 2-3 days in peak season.
• Morning harvest for best quality and storage.

✂️ Pruning:

Pinch growing tips. Remove lower leaves. Keep 4-6 fruits per plant.

• Pinch growing tip when plant reaches 12-16 inches to encourage branching.
• Remove lower leaves once established for better airflow.
• Thin fruits – keep 4-6 per plant for best size.
• Remove suckers below first fork like tomatoes.
• Late season: Remove flowers 4 weeks before frost.

🪲 Michigan Pests:

Flea beetles (major), verticillium wilt, spider mites.

• Flea beetles – worst pest! Riddle leaves with tiny holes. Use row covers.
• Colorado potato beetles – also love eggplant. Hand-pick daily.
• Verticillium wilt – soil disease. Rotate crops, choose resistant varieties.
• Spider mites – thrive in hot, dry weather. Spray with water.

🫱🏽‍🫲🏼 Companions:

Tomatoes, peppers, hot peppers, marigolds.

• Other nightshades share similar needs and care.
• Hot peppers may deter flea beetles.
• Marigolds help with pest control.
• Beans fix nitrogen for heavy-feeding eggplant.
• Avoid fennel and black walnut proximity.

🍆 Varieties:

‘Orient Express’, ‘Nadia’ (cool-tolerant). ‘Patio Baby’ (containers).

• ‘Orient Express’: 58 days, most cold-tolerant, long slender fruit.
• ‘Nadia’: 67 days, Italian type, produces in cool weather.
• ‘Patio Baby’: 45 days, perfect for containers, mini fruit.
• ‘Ping Tung’: 65 days, Asian type, heat and disease resistant.
• For Michigan: Choose varieties under 75 days!

🫙 Preservation:

Freeze blanched slices. Dry. Pickle. Not recommended for canning.

• Freezing: Blanch slices 4 minutes, freeze on trays first.
• Drying: Slice thin and dehydrate for eggplant “bacon.”
• Pickling: Small varieties pickle well with Middle Eastern spices.
• Roasting and freezing: Roast whole, scoop out flesh, freeze.
• Not safe for water bath or pressure canning.
• Fresh storage: Only 1 week – use quickly!

✋🏼 Michigan Tips:

• Black plastic essential.
• Containers for mobility.
• 75-day varieties max.
• Start seeds early – February 15 for strong transplants.
• Pre-warm soil with plastic for 2 weeks before planting.
• Wall O’ Water or cloches extend season.
• Asian varieties often more cold-tolerant than Italian.
• Row covers essential until plants flower.

🧠 Fun Facts:

• Originally white and egg-shaped.
• Purple skin has anthocyanins.
• Called “aubergine” in most of the world – only North America says “eggplant.”
• Member of the deadly nightshade family – leaves are toxic!
• Originally from India, cultivated for 4,000 years.
• Once thought to cause insanity – called “mad apple” in Mediterranean.
• Contains nicotine – but you’d need to eat 20 pounds to equal one cigarette!
• The largest eggplant on record weighed over 5 pounds.