How To Support Eggplant Plants

Eggplants need support because of the weight of the fruit. A simple gardening stake is typically all you need. Staking keeps the fruit from touching the ground and keeps the branches from breaking.

Can I use a tomato cage for eggplant?

Like its close relative the tomato, eggplant requires the support of a tomato cage or similar structure. And you may need to prune your plants occasionally.

What stakes for eggplant?

Ideally, you want to stake eggplant when it is small– at seedling stage when it has a few leaves or at transplanting time. Staking requires a support that is 3/8 to 1 inch (1-2.5 cm.) thick and 4 to 6 feet long (1-2 m.). This can consist of wooden, or metal rods coated with plastic, but really anything can be used.

Is eggplant a bush or vine?

Does eggplant grow upright or is it supposed to fall into a vine and grow on the ground? It grows upright on a shrubby plant, but the fruit can get so heavy that it pulls the plant down. Use a plant stake or cage to hold the plants upright.

What should you not plant next to eggplant?

What Not To Plant With Eggplant. Do not plant fennel near your eggplant. Fennel inhibits growth in many plants, including eggplant. Geraniums can host diseases that also affect eggplant such as leaf blight and root rot, so it is best to avoid planting them with eggplant.

Does eggplant need to be watered everyday?

Water eggplant deeply and infrequently, applying 1-2 inches per week. Use drip irrigation if possible. Mulching around the plant will conserve soil moisture and reduce weed growth. Irrigate so that moisture goes deeply into the soil.

Is it better to stake or cage eggplant?

Like tomatoes and peppers, eggplants should be staked for optimum growth and yield (Figure 2). Staking keeps the eggplant fruit from touching the ground, which reduces disease and improves fruit shape, particularly on elongated fruit. Staking also makes harvesting easier.

Do tomatoes and eggplant grow well together?

It's a good idea to grow eggplant with its solanaceous relatives, including tomatoes, peppers, and tomatoes, and move them to a new area of the garden each season. These plants are often susceptible to the same pests and diseases.

Should you plant tomatoes next to eggplant?

Nightshades: Other members of the nightshade family, like tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes, make good companions for eggplants because they share similar growing requirements.

How tall should eggplant stakes be?

Immediately after planting (in ground or pot), set 24-inch-high stakes 1 to 2 inches from each plant or use cages to provide support and avoid disturbing the soil or roots later. Eggplant will fall over when laden with fruit. After planting, water well.

What can I use instead of plant stakes?

Recycled Handles. Any long and straight object made from metal, plastic or wood will work as a recycled garden stake. Your basement or garage may harbor items like pool cues and broom handles to make into your own garden stakes, suggests Fine Gardening. Even an old golf putter can be pushed into the ground as a stake.

Should I pinch off first eggplant flowers?

As your eggplant starts to bloom, pinch the first buds you see coming through. Use your fingers to gently pinch the buds right where they meet the stem of the plant. This encourages your plant to put more energy into growing sturdy stalks and deep roots instead of producing new fruit right away.

What month do you plant eggplant?

4. How to grow eggplant? Plant eggplant at the correct time

1. Start seeds indoors: January – February and May – July.
2. Plant transplants outside: March – April and July 15 – September.

How big do eggplant bushes get?

Plants can grow 2 to 4 feet tall and wide, which means they need to be staked. Eggplants also thrive in heat like their close relatives tomatoes and peppers, so they go outside until after cool spring temperatures pass.

How long does it take to grow an eggplant?

Eggplants do not mature until around the 100-day mark, but you should not wait that long to harvest because young eggplants have the best taste. Prepare to harvest eggplants around 70 to 80 days after transplanting. If your eggplant is about six to nine inches and its skin is glossy, you can begin harvesting.

What are the best companion with eggplant?

Additional Eggplant Companions

• Peppers, both sweet and hot, make good companion plants, as they have the same growing needs and are susceptible to the same pests and diseases.
• Tomatoes are often used as eggplant companions.
• Potatoes and spinach are also said to make great companion plantings too.

Can you plant eggplant close together?

Space eggplants 18 inches apart, in rows 30 to 36 inches apart.

Is coffee grounds good for eggplants?

Coffee grounds have many uses outside the kitchen, and one of them involves improving the acidity of your eggplant's soil. What plants like coffee grounds? Like a tomato plant or roses, eggplants thrive in acidic soil, and adding coffee grounds is an easy way to ensure your soil reaches the proper pH.

Should I trim bottom leaves of eggplant?

After the eggplant begins to flower, clip the lower leaflets from the main branch. Removing these leaves boosts air circulation and allows light to penetrate the canopy. Continue to prune away suckers throughout the entire growing season to boost plant vigor and increase food production.

What time of day should you harvest eggplant?

It's nice and shiny. This one although it's small it's going to be nice tender for eating. And it's