Growing eggplant is a must if you’re a fan of outdoor grilling! These stately plants grow well and look beautiful in containers, ornamental borders, raised beds, and traditional in-ground gardens. Small-fruited varieties tend to be especially heavy bearers, and you can expect to pick a dozen or more from each Ichiban plant over the summer in warm climates. Larger varieties like Black Beauty and White, which bear more traditional-sized fruits, are equally impressive whether in the garden or kitchen, where they can be stuffed, grilled, or combined with summer herbs and tomatoes in homemade eggplant parmesan.
ONLY AVAILABLE as Local Pickup or Local Delivery in Northern and Central New Jersey, Metro New York City, Westchester, Rockland, Southern Orange Counties.
Bonnie Plants Black Beauty Eggplant is a prolific producer of gorgeous, delicious, purple-black fruit for eggplant parmesan, ratatouille, baba ghanoush, or simply grilled as a “burger.” Keep them well-watered and harvest often. Pick the fruit before the glossy, dark skin begins to fade. (The color and glossiness of the eggplant determine the best time to harvest, rather than the fruit’s size.) Grows beautifully in garden beds or containers. Add a cage to your eggplant to help support stems when heavy with fruit. Place in full sun, and feed regularly. Matures in 80 days.
- Light Full sun
- Fruit size Up to 8 inches long
- Matures 80 days
- Plant spacing 24 to 36 inches apart
- Plant size 3 to 4 feet tall
Quick Guide to Growing Eggplant
- Plant eggplant when soil temps are above 50° F and all chances of frost have passed.
- Space eggplant 24 to 36 inches apart and stake them once established to prevent toppling. Choose an area with abundant sunlight and fertile, well-drained soil.
- Improve native soil by mixing in several inches of aged compost or other rich organic matter.
- Keep soil moist but not soggy—soaker hoses are a great option.
- Keep your plants fed by feeding them regularly with a continuous-release plant food.
- Apply a layer of mulch made from organic matter, such as finely ground leaves or bark, once plants reach 6 inches tall.
- Harvest eggplant when fruits stop growing and their skin becomes glossy. Remove ripe fruit with gardening shears, leaving a small portion of the stem attached.