Garden Care Guide

Eggplant Care

Solanum melongena

One of the most heat-loving vegetables. It needs a long, hot summer to develop; yield drops in cool regions.

Frost-tender (protect from frost) · 0 °C / 32 °F

Monthly care calendar

Timings are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. In warmer areas tasks start earlier, in colder areas later; in the Southern Hemisphere shift them by six months.

February
  • General care: For seedlings, sow the seeds in seed trays; germination requires 25-30 °C.
March
  • General care: For seedlings, sow the seeds in seed trays; germination requires 25-30 °C.
May
  • Watering: If there is no rain, water twice a week at the base once the top 2-3 cm of soil has dried.
  • Fertilizing: Mix well-rotted manure or compost into the planting hole.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Plant seedlings when night temperatures are consistently approaching 15 °C; 70-80 cm between rows and 50 cm within the row. Support with a stake as the fruit load increases.
  • Pests & diseases: Check the young leaves for numerous pinhead-sized holes (flea beetle); seedlings are most vulnerable at this stage, and a fine fleece cover protects them.
  • Frost risk: Cover the seedlings on cold nights; growth stops below 10 °C and the plant dies at 0 °C.
June
  • Watering: Water deeply at the base of the plant 3-4 times a week, in the early morning; do not wet the leaves. The soil should be moist down to a depth of 15-20 cm.
  • Fertilizing: During the fruiting period, apply a balanced fertilizer every 3 weeks.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • Pests & diseases: Check the young leaves for numerous pinhead-sized holes (flea beetle); seedlings are most vulnerable at this stage, and a fine fleece cover protects them.
  • Pests & diseases: Check the undersides of the leaves for whitefly clusters. A yellow sticky trap is the easiest way to monitor density.
July
  • Watering: Water deeply at the base of the plant 3-4 times a week, in the early morning; do not wet the leaves. The soil should be moist down to a depth of 15-20 cm.
  • Fertilizing: During the fruiting period, apply a balanced fertilizer every 3 weeks.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Harvest: Cut the fruits from the stem with pruning shears while the skin is glossy and before the seeds harden; fruit with a dull skin turns bitter.
  • Pests & diseases: In hot and dry weather, look on the undersides of the leaves for fine webbing and speckled yellowing (spider mites). Washing the leaves during the cool hours reduces their numbers.
  • Pests & diseases: Check the undersides of the leaves for whitefly clusters. A yellow sticky trap is the easiest way to monitor density.
  • Pests & diseases: If you see one-sided yellowing and wilting starting on the lower leaves (wilt disease), uproot and remove the plant; the disease persists in the soil for years.
August
  • Watering: Water deeply at the base of the plant 3-4 times a week, in the early morning; do not wet the leaves. The soil should be moist down to a depth of 15-20 cm.
  • Fertilizing: During the fruiting period, apply a balanced fertilizer every 3 weeks.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Harvest: Cut the fruits from the stem with pruning shears while the skin is glossy and before the seeds harden; fruit with a dull skin turns bitter.
  • Pests & diseases: In hot and dry weather, look on the undersides of the leaves for fine webbing and speckled yellowing (spider mites). Washing the leaves during the cool hours reduces their numbers.
  • Pests & diseases: Check the undersides of the leaves for whitefly clusters. A yellow sticky trap is the easiest way to monitor density.
  • Pests & diseases: If you see one-sided yellowing and wilting starting on the lower leaves (wilt disease), uproot and remove the plant; the disease persists in the soil for years.
September
  • Watering: If there is no rain, water twice a week at the base once the top 2-3 cm of soil has dried.
  • General care: Harvest: Cut the fruits from the stem with pruning shears while the skin is glossy and before the seeds harden; fruit with a dull skin turns bitter.
October
  • Watering: If there is no rain, water twice a week at the base once the top 2-3 cm of soil has dried.
  • General care: Harvest: Cut the fruits from the stem with pruning shears while the skin is glossy and before the seeds harden; fruit with a dull skin turns bitter.
  • General care: At the end of the season, pull out the plants. Do not plant tomato, pepper, eggplant or potato in the same spot for 3-4 years.

The care advice on this page is general and for information only; it is not professional advice. Plant age, soil and your garden’s microclimate can change the outcome. Plant protection products are mentioned only as general information; they are regulated, and the choice, dose and timing must be decided by a qualified professional under local rules. Consult a landscape architect or agronomist before applying.

Want reminders for every plant in your garden? Our garden-care app with monthly task lists and frost alerts is currently available in Turkish; the English version is on the way.

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