No seeds saved yet. On a product page, use Add to wishlist to save varieties for later.
key growing information
Growing Eggplant From Seed
How to grow eggplant from seed: warm germination, raising and hardening transplants, row covers and mulch, spacing, pests, rotation and harvest.
By Hensley’s Seed Co.
Eggplant - Key Growing Information
SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Solanum melongena, unless noted (S. gilo).CULTURE: Eggplant needs fertile, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.2–6.8. DAYS TO MATURITY: Counted from transplanting.
TRANSPLANTING:
Start seed in flats indoors in early spring, about 6–8 weeks before planting out. Sow ¼" deep at 4 seeds per inch and hold the soil at 80–90°F (27–32°C) until seedlings emerge, then about 70°F (21°C). Seed won't sprout in cool soil. Once true leaves form, thin to 2–3" apart in the flat or move seedlings into 2–3" pots or plug trays. Harden plants for about a week by cutting back water and dropping the temperature to around 60°F (16°C). Plant out in late spring or early summer once the weather is truly settled; eggplant is tender, and cold spells set it back. row covers give plants a lift and keep insects off; take them off when plants touch the fabric or start to bloom. Set transplants 18" apart in rows 30–36" apart, or in 2 rows on plastic mulchwith 18–24" between plants. Go easy on fertility: excess nitrogen tends to produce big, leafy plants with only one small set of fruit.CROP MAINTENANCE: Pruning and staking plants helps keep the fruit straight. INSECT PESTS: Fabric row covers are the best protection for new transplants against flea beetles and Colorado potato beetles. After the covers come off, check leaf undersides often and crush any clusters of orange potato beetle eggs.DISEASE: Long rotations help prevent Verticillium wilt; keep all nightshade-family crops on a 4–5 year rotation.HARVEST: Cut fruit off with pruners, and pick regularly at the size you want to keep plants producing.TRANSPLANTS: About 800 transplants per 1,000 seeds.
SEEDS/OZ.:
6,500–8,400 (average 7,300).PACKET: 25 seeds.
Get $10 Off
Extend your season and sign up for new product releases, expert tips, and timely growing advice.
Offer valid for email subscribers who sign up through this offer. Minimum $50.01 merchandise subtotal. One use per customer. Cannot be combined with other discounts.
