Eggplant
Solanum melongena
A heat-loving relative of tomato grown for glossy fruit in purple, white, green and striped shades. It handles Florida summers better than tomatoes and peppers.
Growing facts
- Scientific name
- Solanum melongena
- Origin
- South and Southeast Asia
- Plant size
- 2–4 ft bushy plants; stake when fruit gets heavy
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained soil; even moisture
- Soil pH
- 5.8–6.8
- Pollination
- Self-pollinating; bees help
- Cold hardiness
- Killed by frost; needs nights above 55°F to grow well
- USDA zones
- Grown as a warm-season annual in all zones
- Harvest
- 60–80 days from transplant
- When to plant (zones 9–11)
- Feb, Mar, Apr, Jul, Aug, Sep
- When to plant (zones 5–8)
- May–Jun
- Water
- About every 3 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young
- Feeding
- About every 21 days
- Taste
- Mild and slightly bitter raw; creamy and savory cooked
- Nutrition
- Low in calories, with fiber and antioxidant pigments in the skin
Is eggplant safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts
What you can eat
- Fruit, cooked
Toxic parts and cautions
- Take care: The leaves, stems and flowers contain solanine. Don't eat them.
- Good to know: Some people find raw or underripe eggplant upsets the stomach; it's best cooked.
- Good to know: Stems and calyx often have small spines; wear gloves when picking.
Pets: The leaves, stems and green fruit can cause drooling, vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy in dogs and cats; keep pets from chewing the plants. Ripe fruit is generally fine in small amounts.
How to eat and enjoy eggplant
- Grilled, roasted or fried
- Baba ghanoush (Middle East) and caponata (Sicily)
- Eggplant parmesan
- Stir-fried with garlic and soy (Chinese and Japanese types)
- Curries and bharta (India)
When it's ripe
Pick while the skin is glossy and the flesh springs back when pressed. Dull skin and brown seeds mean it's overripe and bitter. Cut with pruners.
Storing it
Best used within a few days. Keep in a cool spot or the warmest part of the fridge for up to a week; below 50°F it browns and pits.
Eggplant varieties (5)
Black Beauty
The classic large, glossy, deep-purple globe eggplant.
Size: Large
Open-pollinated and widely grown.
Fairy Tale
A compact plant with small lavender fruit striped in white.
Taste: Sweet, not bitter · Size: Small
Great for pots.
Ichiban
A long, slender Japanese-type hybrid with thin skin and few seeds.
Taste: Mild, tender · Size: Long, slim
Very productive; fruit cooks quickly.
Listada de Gandia
An oval heirloom striped purple and white, with thin skin.
Origin: Spanish heirloom · Taste: Mild · Size: Medium
Handles heat well.
Rosa Bianca
A round heirloom with lavender and white skin and creamy flesh.
Origin: Italian heirloom · Taste: Mild, creamy · Size: Medium, round
Pests and diseases to watch for
Scale insects
Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.
What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.
Mealybugs
White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.
What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.
Aphids
Clusters of tiny soft insects on new shoots; leaves curl and get sticky.
What to do: Spray off with water.
Sooty mold
Black, papery film on leaves and fruit that wipes off; it grows on honeydew.
What to do: Control the insects making honeydew; the mold then weathers away.
Spider mites
Fine pale speckling on leaves, dusty undersides and fine webbing; leaves bronze and drop.
What to do: Hose the undersides of leaves.
Growing eggplants? Let Gardyn keep track.
Gardyn tells you when your eggplant needs water based on your local weather, reminds you to feed and prune in season, and keeps every harvest and photo.
Request accessGeneral guidance, not medical or veterinary advice. Poison Control (US): 1-800-222-1222. ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435.