If you are new to vegetable growing, then growing eggplants might be the best that you can start with. Eggplants are really nice to look at both in the garden and on the table. It comes in a wide scale of variety, which is why you can see eggplants in different shapes, sizes, and colors.
Eggplants are also very easy to grow. This is probably one of the reasons why newbies in vegetable growing might want to start
Here are some of the tips that you might want to consider, if you want to plant eggplants:
Choosing The Area
Make sure that the area you are choosing for planting your eggplants will have long hours of sunshine. Eggplants love the warm weather, that is why. The soil should also be well draining, so that water will not sit at the bottom and damage the roots. The PH level of the soil should also be at least 5.8, and adding lime to the soil might also be best, because eggplants grow better in soil that is high in calcium.
Seeds Or Seedlings
The nice thing about eggplants is that you can start by either planting them starting from seedlings, which you can buy in most garden supply stores or nurseries, or you can also buy seeds from the same sources, or you can find them too from the garden section in your favorite grocery stores.
If you plan to start from scratch, you have to start planting your seeds indoors first. That way, you can manage the temperature easier, to make sure that your seeds will germinate well, and produce healthy sprouts fast.
Planting & Transferring
When your seeds have already sprouted, and the plant is about 1 to 2 inches tall already, you can now transfer it to your garden, where it will continue growing. However, if you live in cold areas, you have to make sure that the ground is already warm (preferably 60 degrees Fahrenheit), and frost is already out. Eggplants have a slim chance of survival in the cold, so this is something you want to consider closely.
If you bought seedlings instead of seeds, you also have to transfer it to the ground, at the same recommended time.
Make sure that the eggplants are 18 inches apart, so that their roots will have room to grow under. This will also give the actual branches of the plant to grow fuller, because eggplants tend to grow big and bushy.
Nurturing
Eggplants should be watered every week with at least an inch of water. That way, your eggplants will have enough nourishment from the moist soil.
Harvesting
You should know when the eggplants are ready for harvesting when they have already achieved a uniform color, and when they have grown to the right size already.
These are the different ways that you should try, if you want to grow eggplants.
Image courtesy of garlandcannon/flickr
