Which location offers ideal conditions?
The pronounced heat requirement of aubergines significantly limits the choice of location. Cultivation is crowned with success under the following conditions:
- Sunny location with at least 6 hours of sunshine per day during the flowering and growing season
- Ideal temperatures between 23 and 25 degrees Celsius
- Rainproof location, bathed in air and with low humidity
also read
- Eggplant season in the garden or greenhouse
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- This is how eggplants can be grown in the garden or greenhouse
Possible locations are: a south-facing balcony, a greenhouse or winter garden with shade, a protected garden bed within winter hardiness zone 7 or 8.
What should the soil and substrate be like?
As a nightshade family, eggplants are among the most powerful eaters. Should be appropriately nutritious Garden soil or bucket substrate. A loose, well-drained structure and a fresh texture are further quality features for high-yield cultivation in beds and buckets.
Prefer egg plant - how does it work?
An early one sowing behind glass is the key to success in growing eggplant. The summer time in the Central European climate is too short for the exotic nightshade family to give away even a single day of the growing season. Growing young plants by means of sowing of seeds is therefore useful. The following overview summarizes the most important key data for cultivation:
- Sow seeds: between the end of January and the end of February
- Seed soil: peat-free mix of sand and garden soil or coconut fiber substrate
- Germination temperature: 25 to 28 degrees Celsius
- Germination time: 14 to 28 days
- Important: Sieve the seeds up to 0.5 cm high with sand
Even as seedlings, eggplants have an aversion to high humidity. In contrast to the classic method of sowing, in this case there is no transparent cover during the germination phase.
When is planting time?
If a greenhouse is available for cultivation, you can plant young aubergines from a height of 20 cm in the base bed. For outdoor cultivation, the planting time begins in mid to late May, when nighttime temperatures no longer drop below 15 degrees Celsius. If you have planned to cultivate eggplants in the tub on the balcony, pot the plants at a height of 25 cm. The egg plants should stay behind glass at night until mid-May.
When is the flowering time?
The beginning of the flowering period largely depends on when the seeds are sown and the young plants are planted out. As a rule, the first beautiful flowers sprout when a shoot has 5 to 6 leaves. Purple bell flowers with a diameter of up to 5 cm unfold.
How do I plant an eggplant perfectly?
In the basic bed and garden bed, prepare the soil loosely and free of weeds. While working the soil, place the root balls in the nursery pot in soft water until no more air bubbles rise. This is how the planting proceeds in an exemplary manner:
- Dig plant pits with twice the volume of a root ball at a distance of 50 to 60 cm
- Mix the excavated material thoroughly with sifted compost and a few handfuls of horn shavings
- Pot the aubergine and plant in the center using the enriched soil
- Hit a support rod in the ground next to the root ball
Press the soil well and pour generously. A layer of mulch made from nettle leaves, leaves or straw keeps the soil moist and warm for longer.
Do not forget the drainage when planting in the tub
With its beautiful flowers and decorative fruits, the aubergine cuts a fine figure in the bucket on the balcony. The planting follows a similar process as in the bed or greenhouse soil. To protect against damaging waterlogging, add a drainage between the substrate and the opening in the ground. Inorganic materials, such as pebbles, expanded clay balls or pottery shards, have proven themselves well for this purpose.
Advantageous mixed culture on the balcony
Balcony gardener with a weakness for growing Balcony vegetables do not leave the free growing area in the aubergine tub unused. Together with radishes, spinach and dwarf basil, not only does the harvest increase on the balcony. If these neighbors thrive on their root disc, the aubergine benefits in the form of vital growth and improved aromas.
How long does the harvest last?
A harvest-ready aubergine shines with a shiny, stain-free, completely colored skin. Under normal, sunny and warm weather conditions, the harvest time for early varieties begins at the beginning of August. If you grow them in the greenhouse, you can harvest late varieties well into winter.
Tips
The close relationship with tomatoes means that aubergines are more susceptible to them Late blight and brown rot. Watering without wetting the leaves and an air-dry location in the greenhouse or under a rain canopy are the best prevention. In addition, when growing eggplants, keep the distance from potatoes as large as possible.