Crop lessons · Fruiting vegetables
Growing Eggplant in Florida
Solanum melongena · Solanaceae (nightshade family)
Eggplant, a tomato and pepper relative, grows in both the warm and cool seasons in most of Florida (mainly the cool season in the south) and often keeps bearing into summer. It wants warm soil and weather and may need staking. Timing matters: fruit that develops in hot or dry weather turns bitter.1, 2
Planting1, 2
| How to start | transplant (recommended over seed in most cases) |
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| Seed depth (inches) | ½ to ¾ |
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| Spacing in the row (inches) | 18 to 40 |
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| Between rows (inches) | 36 |
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| Days to harvest | 90 to 115 from seed; 70 to 90 from transplant |
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SP 103 planting dates: north mid-Mar to Jul, central Jan to Feb and Aug to Sept, south Aug to Feb. Gardening Solutions gives north Feb to Mar or Aug, central Jan to Feb or Aug to Sept, south Aug to Feb, and says south Florida grows it mainly in the cool season. For spacing and depth of a particular variety, Gardening Solutions says to follow the seed supplier.
Varieties UF/IFAS lists for Florida1, 2
- Black Beauty
- Dancer
- Dusky
- Long
- Ichiban
- Cloud Nine (white)
Growing2, 1
| Sun | Full sun. SP 103 advises a garden spot with at least six hours of direct sun a day (general advice, not specific to this crop). |
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| Soil pH | 5.8 to 6.3 (SP 103's general target for vegetable gardens on sandy soil; no change is needed anywhere from 5.5 to 7.0). No crop-specific figure was found. |
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| Water | Keep the soil evenly moist; eggplant usually needs less water than tomatoes. Drip irrigation suits it. |
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| Fertilizer | General SP 103 advice: broadcast fertilizer at the label or soil-test rate just before planting, then make 2 or 3 light applications during the season just beyond the outer leaves. |
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Prefers sandy loam and 70°F to 85°F. Raised beds and mulch help. Plants can reach six feet; pinch the growing tips for a bushier plant and stake if needed. Flowers self-pollinate, though bee visits help. Thai and Japanese types also do well in Florida.
Pests and diseases in Florida2
- Spider mites and leafminers: Can seriously damage young plants.
- Aphids, flea beetles, caterpillars, thrips: The usual garden pests; manage them with integrated pest management.
- Bacterial, fungal and viral diseases: Crop rotation, clean tools and sensible watering usually keep them in check in home gardens.
Harvest2
Pick fruit when it is full-sized and glossy; dull or yellowing skin means it is overripe. The flesh browns quickly once cut, so slice just before cooking.
In an aquaponics system3, 4
suited with care
The FAO manual recommends media beds for eggplant's deep roots. Each plant can bear 10 to 15 fruits (3 to 7 kg), and its high nitrogen and potassium needs mean limiting plant numbers to avoid nutrient imbalance. Best at 22 to 26 °C; below 9 to 10 °C or above 30 to 32 °C growth is very limited. pH 5.5 to 7.0. Harvest at 10 to 15 cm long, leaving at least 3 cm of stem. SRAC 454 notes fruiting crops such as eggplant take 90 days or more and have more pest problems than leafy crops.
What this lesson doesn't cover yet
- No crop-specific soil pH or fertilizer advice for home-grown eggplant was found; general SP 103 guidance is used.
- SP 103 (north mid-Mar to Jul) and Gardening Solutions (north Feb to Mar or Aug) disagree on north Florida planting dates.
Your county extension office and its Master Gardener volunteers can fill these in for your garden.