Eggplants are a frequent guest on our table, although for some reason we buy them in the store, either without the desire or the ability to grow them ourselves. It turns out that there is nothing complicated in planting eggplants (if any) on the plot. Cultivation and care are not the most difficult, but still something will not hurt to know.
Eggplants are products no less popular than cucumbers or the same tomatoes; according to the growing technique, they differ from the latter only in that they grow more slowly. Eggplant branching is very poorly expressed, and therefore eggplant cultivation in open ground consists in the development of three lateral shoots along the edges of the growth of the plant, so to speak, for a more successful formation of the fetus. The fruit, as a rule, grows at the point where the branching of the plant is concentrated at the starting point, this leads to the conclusion: the earlier the branching begins, the earlier the active bearing begins. Additional roots of the plant do not grow, so the eggplant does not require hilling and processing.
If you plant eggplant seedlings and keep the temperature at 15 degrees, then in the greenhouse flowering will begin in about 40-45 days, on the open ground a little later. From this we can conclude that growing eggplants in a greenhouse is much more profitable, faster and more fruitful than growing eggplants in open ground. Eggplants begin to bear fruit about 10 days later than tomatoes. Therefore, when planting eggplant, you should cultivate and care daily, as this is a very demanding plant.
Soil is required the same as when growing tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and other similar plants. Also, eggplant requires phosphorus nutrition, starting from the moment of planting seeds on seedlings. For the best development of seedlings, add superphosphate to the soil. Eggplant should be planted immediately after planting tomatoes and peppers. When planting eggplant in open ground, it is necessary to have material (at least plastic bottles) to protect the plant from frost, while covering the fruit with a bottle, remember that it should not come into contact with the plant, otherwise it is possible that the plant will freeze. When preparing the soil and applying fertilizer, keep in mind that eggplants need to prepare everything in the same way as pepper or tomatoes. By the way, eggplant can even be grown in the same greenhouse with peppers and tomatoes. Seedlings need to be planted in two rows, leaving 50 centimeters between rows and 25 centimeters between eggplants themselves.
It turns out that sunny heat is loved not only by tomatoes and peppers, but also by eggplant. Cultivation and care, in this regard, should be aimed at maintaining heat in the greenhouse. Of course, it is impossible to direct the weather, but closing all windows and doors in cloudy weather will not hurt. This will contribute to the fact that the inside will be warm, albeit not as sunny as the weather.
Watering plants is carried out with warm water. Eggplant needs to be watered less often and less than peppers, but at the same time make sure that they do not dry out and begin to wither. It is necessary to strengthen watering during the fruiting period. Eggplant fruits should be picked before they begin to boil. They need to be cut off with the stem in seven to eight days. Also, the fruits of peppers are cut, without waiting for their yellowing, or redness. It is worth paying attention to the fact that eggplant, like pepper, is a perishable vegetable and requires careful storage. It’s difficult to keep them fresh, so you can go for the trick and freeze them. And, of course, do not forget that for the preparation of salads, rolls and much more, you can also use eggplant. Growing and caring for these vegetables will allow you to get a good harvest if you do everything right.