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How many eggplants should I plant?

Eggplant   

I am considering growing eggplant this year for the first time but I do not know how many to plant. How many fruits does each plant produce? I live in South Carolina, zone 8a I think. I have grown squash before and it produced well.


Posted by: Jenny Servick (1 point) Jenny Servick
Posted: April 2, 2013




Answers

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Grown as an annual I think 0-12 depending on the growing season and nutrients and variety of eggplant. The two plants I had last year gave me 2 eggs plants from one plant and 0 from the other. They were both root bound in coconut coir pots though so they grew only about 18 inches tall and couldn't get their roots past the pots fibers.

That being said my Black Beauty eggplant seed packet says the plants bear 6-12 eggplants. Maybe this year I will get to see that range of harvest.


Posted by: Wurgulf (1 point) Wurgulf
Posted: April 3, 2013


Jenny Servick commented,
Thank you, I will look into some different varieties
almost 11 years ago.



1
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My experience has been that 2-4 eggplants per plant is more common with the classic varieties such as Black Beauty than 6-12 fruit. The smaller fruited Italian, Chinese, Indian, or Japanese varieties produce greater numbers, but maybe not more total weight.


Posted by: Charlie B. (5 points) Charlie B.
Posted: May 1, 2013




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Last year I grew about 150 plants; Black Beauty, globe Italian kinds, Rosa (lavender) kinds, Asian (long) kinds, and a few heirlooms like Listada da Gandia. What you plant depends on your preference and how mauch yield you want for eating. I pick eggplant usually once each week; twice each week at the peak of the season. Eggplant need lots of heat and long daylight hours to do their best....they start thriving here when the temperatures start averaging around 95. If your area doesn't get into the 90s with regularity, expect lower yields than if you were someplace with hot summers. I know that SoCal can vary quite a bit depending on if you are coastal, inland or whatnot. If you like higher yields go for the Asian (tapered) varieties. Listada da Gandia is a medium sized fruit (not to mention gorgeous) but yields quite a lot; it wasn't unusual to pick 5-7 per plant each week....as opposed to 1-2 Black Beauties most weeks. The bigger the fruit is is, the fewer the plant produces and the longer it takes. Also, you need a regular fertilizer program for plants to do well....don't just stick it in the ground and forget to feed them. I hope this helps.


Posted by: Deborah Raven-Lindley (4 points) Deborah Raven-Lindley
Posted: April 6, 2014




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