Aubergines are delicate. This has given the egg fruit a reputation for not being easy to care for. With the right varieties and a few tips, you can get a rich eggplant harvest even in cooler regions.
How do I successfully plant eggplants?
Planting eggplants: Choose varieties suitable for cool regions and a sunny, wind-protected location. Starting in January, pre-sow seeds under glass or on a warm windowsill. Plant eggplants outdoors from the end of May and harvest between August and October.
Which varieties are recommended?
Aubergines have a long growing season. Newer varieties mature faster. Choose varieties that have also been bred for cultivation in cooler regions.
Which location offers the best conditions?
In a sunny, wind-protected location, eggplants also thrive outdoors or on the terrace. If you can't offer that, cultivate the fruits in the greenhouse.
How are eggplants sown?
Sowing takes place from January. The seeds are sown thinly in a bowl or pots with growing substrate (€6.00 on Amazon) and covered with a thin layer of substrate.
Do eggplants have to be preferred?
Aubergines only germinate at high temperatures and have a long growing season. They must therefore be preferred. The seeds are sown under glass or on the warm windowsill.
When is the best time to plant?
Aubergines never reach their final outdoor location before the end of May because they cannot tolerate frost. In the greenhouse, they are transplanted into the base bed as soon as the plants are large enough.
When do eggplants start to be harvested?
After eight to ten weeks, depending on the temperature, wind and moisture, you can harvest the first eggplants. Outdoors, harvesting takes place from August until shortly before the first frost sets in. Early varieties are ready to 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
- Harvest time outdoors from August to October
- Early varieties from the end of July
- In the greenhouse until the following January
What does the soil have to be like?
Aubergines need a lot of nutrients. The fruits grow best on well-loosened soil that has been improved with compost.
At what distance should eggplants be planted?
The planting distance between individual plants should be at least 50 centimeters. The distance to other vegetable or flower plants may be greater.
Which plants go well with eggplants and which don't?
Eggplants prefer to stand on their own. Under no circumstances should they be grown together with potatoes, tomatoes, peppers or physalis.
How to propagate eggplants?
Aubergines are grown from seeds. Occasionally it works to obtain and sow seeds from purchased fruits. In order to obtain seeds from home-grown eggplants, the gardener allows the fruits to become overripe. The small kernels are then removed and dried.
Tips & Tricks
Aubergines produce beautiful flowers depending on the variety. From the end of May, the plants can be placed in large pots in a protected place on the balcony or terrace. There you cultivate them as decorative ornamental plants that can even produce a rich harvest.