Specifics of growing eggplant seedlings in protected and open soil

Biological characteristics and site selection for eggplants

The origin of eggplants is India and Burma. Eggplant fruits contain substances that help lower cholesterol levels in the blood. They are also beneficial for people with liver, kidney, heart, and stomach diseases.

The eggplant has a rather long growing season (100—180 days), and it develops extremely slowly at first. Germinated eggplant seed is sown for transplants in mid-February.

For eggplant cultivation, sites protected from cold winds are chosen, preferably southern slopes that are well-warmed by the sun. In the absence of natural protection, plants should be sown near tall shelter crops:

• beans;
• peas;
• corn.

It is more reliable to have beds for this crop under a temporary insulating cover or small greenhouses about 1 m high with highly fertile and loose soil.

Technology of cultivation and hardening of transplants

The agrotechnique for growing eggplants is approximately the same as for tomatoes and peppers, however, one must keep in mind that compared to them, this plant takes longer and has more difficulty recovering its damaged root system. Therefore, it is better to grow eggplant transplants in small pots and cups.

It is good to use ready-made peat-humus blocks. The bottom halves of synthetic two-liter bottles from mineral and fruit waters are also convenient as containers.

During growth, the transplants are regularly watered and fed with fertilizer for indoor flowers. From the appearance of the second leaf until the formation of the fourth, a noticeable influence on the quality of the transplants is exerted by covering the plants with dark material from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The transplants are ready for planting in 70—80 days, when they reach 20 cm in height, have a developed root system, 8-9 true leaves, and the first buds. To harden such transplants, they are taken out into the open air more often when the temperature is above 15 °C. The rest of the time, the temperature is maintained at 18-21 °C. With constant high humidity and an abundance of heat, the plants become leggy and tender.

Healthy, strong transplants are planted into the open soil with a root ball when the danger of late frosts has passed. They can be moved to protected beds two to three weeks earlier.

Low-quality transplants are good for decorative purposes. Planted next to peppers, basil, marjoram, and marigolds, they create unusual compositions in the garden, charming even without fruit with their large gray-green or pale-violet velvety leaves and rather large white and lilac flowers that resemble potato flowers.

Depending on the height and spread, plants are placed at a distance of 30—40 cm from each other and about 70 cm between rows. The prepared holes are pre-watered, and 1 tablespoon of superphosphate and potassium is added to each. After planting, the soil is mulched with decomposed manure or other suitable material and watered abundantly. Subsequently, they are watered every two to three days. It is very important that the soil is always loose and well-permeable to air and water.

Top dressing and shaping the eggplant bush

Features of top dressing and eggplant care

Two weeks after planting the transplants and at the beginning of fruit set, the plants are fed. Eggplants need organic fertilizer more than tomatoes or peppers. However, high doses of these, while promoting vigorous vegetative growth, reduce the harvest. Phosphorus, on the contrary, accelerates fruit ripening, and potassium increases the plants' resistance to disease.

Micronutrients are also important in eggplant nutrition: molybdenum, boron, and copper. This is why it is recommended to use complete complex fertilizers for top dressing. Two to three liquid applications per season are quite enough.

At a height of 25-30 cm, the tops of the plant stems are pinched to enhance branching. Eggplants usually do not require hilling or staking, as they are quite strong and stable on their own.

One of the characteristics of eggplants is the shedding of some of its flowers. The reason for such an unpleasant phenomenon is an excessively long daylight period, a lack of heat, and excessive humidity or dryness. Therefore, in case of low fruit set, it is recommended to carry out artificial pollination:

• use a dry, soft brush to transfer pollen from one flower to another;
• simply shake the branches lightly.

Despite the fact that the eggplant belongs to self-pollinating plants, artificial pollination yields positive results. By the end of July, with proper shaping, each plant should have 3-4 side shoots with five to six evenly spaced fruits. The remaining flowers and fruit sets are removed.

Harvesting, storage, and obtaining eggplant seed

The eggplant fruit is a multilocular berry. The shape of the fruits is whimsical and diverse: they can be spherical, pear-shaped, or cylindrical. Ripe fruits form a month after the start of flowering. They are harvested when the skin becomes shiny and appears glossy. Without waiting for the fruits to become coarse, they are cut off with pruning shears, including a part of the fruit stem — this helps them keep better.

If they start to lean under the weight of the harvest, temporary supports will come in handy. It is necessary to remove all fruits before the first frost. If, for any reason, many underdeveloped, large fruit sets remain on the bushes, they should be transplanted into the soil of a heated greenhouse or moved into containers or balcony flower boxes and placed in a warm, bright room, where they will continue to grow and reach maturity.

Fruits harvested from the branches can be stored for about a month in a dry, ventilated room. For a while, they can be kept in the refrigerator, but it is best to use them for food and processing while they are fresh and firm.

It is easy to obtain your own eggplant seed. To do this, select the strongest and healthiest bush. To prevent cross-pollination, the flowers on it are covered with gauze bags in several layers. Out of the growing fruit sets, keep one or two on each plant that formed earlier than the others, and remove the rest. Fruit ripening continues for about two months; after harvesting, they are left to ripen further at home. The seed is extracted from fully matured fruits. On average, one fruit yields about 200 pieces or 1 g of seed. Their germination capacity remains for up to 6 years.