Eggplant: cultivation, harvest, sowing

Description and Botany

Aubergine (Solanum melongena) is a fruit-vegetable from the Solanaceae family, like tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), peppers, and potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). Native to North Africa, it has been cultivated for its edible fruits in India and China since antiquity and was introduced to Europe around the 14th century, arriving in France in the 17th century. China and India are the two largest producers of aubergines.

The genus Solanum comprises about 150 species. Today, there are many varieties of aubergines derived from the species Solanum melongena: over 250 recorded, differing in their earliness, colour, or shape of their fruit.

Perennial in its native regions, this vegetable plant is grown as an annual in our latitudes.

Aubergine develops from a long and vigorous taproot. It has a bushy habit and quickly forms an upright, bushy clump 25 cm to 1 m tall, depending on the climate and variety. After planting, it takes 4 to 6 months to see the fruits appear.

The leaves develop on a cylindrical, tough, sparsely branched stem, reddish in colour, sometimes purplish, cottony, and occasionally spiny. It bears large, deciduous, alternate, entire, oval leaves, sometimes lobed, measuring 6 to 10 cm long. They are covered with a powdery down and can even be spiny. They range in colour from medium green to glaucous green.

The flowers that will turn into fruits appear from June to September, borne singly or more often in pairs in the axils of the leaves. They are encased in a spiny calyx and display campanulate corollas made up of 6 triangular petals. They release a bouquet of yellow stamens arranged in stars, contrasting with the purplish or white colour of the petals.

They transform into fruits, large, fleshy berries with smooth, shiny skin: the aubergines. Aubergines come in all colours (dark purple, almost black—aubergine colour—like ‘Black Beauty’, of course, but also white, striped, lavender pink, and even some rarer varieties, green, red, and yellow), in all shapes and sizes. They typically weigh between 250 and 300 grams for the largest. As the fruit ripens, the peduncles swell and bend, tightening around the base of the berry.

Depending on the varieties, the fruits take on various shapes: ovoid, pear-shaped, spherical in the “Ronde de Valence”, cylindrical or elongated in the “Barbentane” aubergine, even resembling a hen’s egg in the “egg aubergine”.

All have tender flesh with a sweet, subtle, and complex flavour, reminiscent of mushrooms.

The flesh has a spongy texture due to a high saponin content. It contains small, kidney-shaped, flat seeds of light brown colour.

Main species and varieties

Most Popular

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Aubergine Black Beauty - Eggplant

Early variety to grow under cover as it requires a lot of heat. It produces 3 to 4 fruits per plant.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 1 m

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Aubergine Bonica F1 - Eggplant

A disease-tolerant variety that stands out for both its earliness and productivity. It produces beautiful oval fruits with firm flesh.

• Height at maturity 80 cm

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Aubergine Violette longue de Barbentane

An early, productive variety grown for its dark purple fruits, 25 cm long. They contain firm and tasty flesh.

• Height at maturity 80 cm

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Aubergine Rania F1 in GRAFTED seedlings

An early and very productive variety. It is also distinguished by its purple skin striated with cream white. Its flesh is sweet and melting, of excellent quality.

• Flowering time July to October
• Height at maturity 60 cm

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Aubergine Rotonda Bianca Sfumata Di Rosa - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

Our favourite! An Italian variety, hardy and productive, that produces beautiful small round fruits.

• Flowering time July to October
• Height at maturity 30 cm

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Aubergine Clara F1 in GRAFTED plants

An early and original variety that produces white fruits with a more delicate flavour than the purple varieties. Productive and disease-resistant!

• Flowering time July to October
• Height at maturity 60 cm

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Aubergine Grafted Bonica F1 Plants

Early, vigorous, and productive variety. This variety shows good resistance to diseases.

• Flowering time July to October
• Height at maturity 60 cm

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Planting and sowing

Eggplant can be sown or planted: discover our collection of eggplant seeds or our young plants in pots.

Where to plant eggplant?

Eggplant is not hardy; native to warm countries, it thrives in sunlight and requires heat to grow. It is cultivated as an annual in our vegetable gardens. It prefers rich, humus-filled, cool, well-drained soil, in full sun, in a sheltered spot, such as against a south-facing wall. In the vegetable gardens north of the Loire and in humid regions, it is better to grow it under glass.

While eggplant naturally finds its place in a vegetable garden, whether in open ground or in raised beds, it can also be grown in pots on a very sunny balcony or terrace.

When and how to plant it?

Sunlight and heat play a crucial role in the success of eggplant cultivation. Eggplant should never be planted in pots in open ground before mid-May or June, after the last frosts. In regions north of the Loire, you can start eggplant seedlings in a warm place before transplanting them to the garden. The soil must be warm enough, with outdoor temperatures above 12°C, ideally at least 20°C. Prepare the ground in autumn with a good vegetable fertiliser and well-decomposed compost. At planting, you can lighten the substrate with a bit of sand if it is too compact.

• Soak the root ball in water for a few minutes before planting
• Maintain a distance of about 50 cm to 1 m in all directions to allow the plants to develop well
• Dig a hole three times the volume of the root ball
• Plant your young plant with the grafting point level with the soil
• Cover with fine, light soil mixed with some well-matured compost and a bit of sand
• Water generously, then once a week to aid recovery, but always without wetting the foliage
• Mulch to keep the soil cool in summer and protect against slugs
• In cooler regions, at the start of the growing season, protect young plants from the cold with a mini-tunnel, cloche, or frame

When and how to sow aubergine?

Aubergine sowing is done in a warm environment, starting in February for a summer harvest. The harvest occurs approximately 5 months after sowing.

Sowing under cover

Sowing can be done in trays or pots. To facilitate germination, it is sometimes advisable to stratify the seeds for a few days in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator at 4 to 5°C.

• Sow 2 to 3 seeds per pot in fine potting soil, and keep warm indoors at 25 °C, in a bright location.
• Keep the substrate moist by watering regularly until germination, which generally takes 7 to 10 days.
• When the young plants have 5 to 6 leaves, transplant them into individual pots or directly into the ground when there is no more frost: choose the sunniest and warmest spots in the garden.
• Space the plants 50 cm apart in all directions: they can be buried up to the first leaves.
• Cover with fine soil to a depth of 1 cm.
• Water generously and keep the soil cool with a mulch.
• Optionally cover with a forcing bell to encourage recovery.
• From April onwards, you can sow directly in the ground at the final location.

Aubergine sowing

Direct sowing

You can also sow directly in place from May, when the soil is well warmed.

• Sow 2 to 4 seeds in clusters in well-loosened soil enriched with well-decomposed compost.
• Water generously.
• When the seedlings have at least 5 leaves, thin them out, keeping only the strongest: leave 1m between each row and 50 cm between each plant.

Learn more in our tutorial: How to succeed with your aubergine sowing?

Cultivation, maintenance and pruning

The aubergine requires relatively little maintenance apart from regular weeding, hoeing, and watering. Applying a good mulch will help keep the soil cool and reduce weeding. It needs plenty of water.

Water regularly, but without excess, ensuring not to wet the foliage to prevent the onset of fungal diseases such as downy mildew.

Remove the suckers (the new shoots) as they develop in the axil of the leaves and at the base of the plant.

At the end of autumn or very early spring, add decomposed compost (3 kg/m²).

During growth, regularly amend potted young plants with a liquid fertiliser rich in potash and magnesium.

Pruning

An aubergine plant must be pruned to be productive: your plant should produce 7 to 8 fruits. Simply pinch the tips of the branches to encourage the plant to branch out and promote the swelling of the fruits; this ensures beautiful aubergines:

1. Cut the main stem above the second flower.
2. Allow three of the most vigorous secondary branches to develop, and pinch them in turn as soon as they show 2 flowers.

Diseases and Pests

Young plants of aubergine can be susceptible to several fungal diseases that affect their leaves.

To prevent the appearance of downy mildew, which manifests as grey-green and white fluff on the foliage, spray with Bordeaux mixture as soon as symptoms appear and burn the affected leaves.

Against powdery mildew, which also leaves a white fluff on the leaves, discover our natural solutions.

To avoid diseases, and because young plants of aubergine are very greedy, encourage crop rotation: wait 2 to 3 years before replanting in the same spot.

To combat whitefly, which feeds on the sap of the plant and weakens it, we provide all the advice in a dedicated sheet.

To prevent attacks from red spider mites, treat the young plants preventively with horsetail and nettle manure decoctions. In case of infestations, remove and burn the diseased parts.

Aubergine is also sometimes unfortunately a victim of the leaf miner, which can destroy the entire harvest.

To deter snails and slugs from attacking the young foliage of your aubergines: discover our natural anti-slug solutions and our 7 ways to fight slugs effectively and naturally.

→ Learn more about diseases and pests of aubergine in our advice sheet.

Multiplication

Aubergine is propagated by sowing. You can harvest the seeds contained in the flesh of your own aubergines, dry them in the shade, and store them in a paper bag until the following spring. Sow according to our instructions (above).

Harvest and storage

When and how to harvest?

Harvest: Harvesting takes place from July to October, with aubergines being picked as needed. Gather them when the skin has the indicated colour, is smooth and shiny, thin, and while remaining firm, shows a slight softness. The peduncle should be bright green. It is better to consume aubergines at good ripeness: pick them before the fruit takes on a dull brown colour, as when the flesh hardens and wrinkles, it develops an unpleasant bitter taste. For better preservation, harvest the fruit using pruning shears with its peduncle.

Storage:

Once picked, aubergines should be consumed quickly. They keep well for a few days in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator or spread out in the open air. To keep them longer, you can make caviar or preserves. They freeze perfectly once cooked.

Culinary Uses and Nutritional Benefits

Aubergine is a staple of Mediterranean vegetables. It is only cooked, with the skin after being washed in cold . It features in sunny recipes such as ratatouille or Greek moussaka. It can be eaten stuffed, with cream, in fritters, as caviar, sautéed in olive oil, in gratins, or in lasagne.

It pairs remarkably well with other sun vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and courgettes.

Aubergine has calming and diuretic properties and contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B5, C, and PP, as well as iron, selenium, and calcium. It is rich in antioxidants. It is the ideal vegetable for detoxifying the body. Very low in calories, it is the ultimate slimming vegetable.

→ Discover a different way to cook aubergine with Gwenaëlle’s aubergine jam recipe!

Good companions for aubergine

In the vegetable garden, the winning companions for aubergine are often the same as those on the plate. This fruit-vegetable will make good neighbours with tomato, pepper, courgette, pea, and dwarf bean. In terms of herbs, it will appreciate the company of basil, tarragon, thyme, and parsley. However, the presence of onion and potato nearby may not be to its liking.