The Secret to Growing the Most Flavorful Eggplants

The Secret to Growing the Most  Flavorful  Eggplant/Baigan/Melongene

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It's all about timing.

Melongene (also known as “Eggplant” and Baigan”) can be grown throughout the year. When planting melongene consider the following:

• Melongene is a deep-rooting crop. Roots reach a depth of 35-50 cm. So plough deep!
• The plant bears fruits for a long time (6-9 months). Sometimes even cutting back can result in a new flush of growth and prolong the life of the crop. A fertile soil, rich in organic matter is necessary.
• Melongene needs a lot of water, but it is very sensitive to water logging. Provide adequate drainage. The plant also responds favorably to irrigation under drought conditions.

This plant must be grown in full sunlight. It does not do well in shaded areas.

A classic eggplant is deep purple and pear-shaped, but when you grow your own, you can try a cornucopia of other colors and shapes, from elongated lavender-and-white Fairy Tale to the round, violet-blushed Rosa Bianca. But to succeed with eggplants, you'll need to supply them with steadily warm growing conditions for at least three months. Eggplants growing in cold soil or exposed to chilly weather will sulk and potentially suffer from insect and disease problems.

Planting Eggplant

At planting time, add 2 handfuls of well rotted manure to each planting hole. Ensure adequate drainage especially in clay soils.Give eggplants a head start on the growing season by starting them indoors, six to nine weeks before. Soak seeds overnight to encourage germination; sow them ¼ inch deep in a yogurt cup or some other frugal item. Use bottom heat to maintain a soil temperature of 80 to 90 degrees for the eight to 10 days required for sprouting. Transplant seedlings to individual frugal pots once they reach 3 inches. Try growing eggplants in raised beds, which heat up quickly in dry season. Plants given plenty of room are healthier and more productive, so space them 2½ to 3 feet apart in all directions. Water well, pour 1 to 2 cups of compost around each plant, and firm the soil gently.

Eggplants are also good for container growing, with one plant per 5-gallon pot, bucket or whatever other frugal pot you may find. 

Watering and Fertilizing Eggplants

In the absence of rain, water daily and ensure that excess water drains off the planting area. As for fertilizing your eggplants i STRONGLY recommend you get all your fertilizer from FT Farfan. Its cheap and they have this amazing fertilizer called 'technigrow' which has been tried and tested by multiple NAMDEVCO farmers who all lauded its effectiveness

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Harvesting Your Eggplants

Pick eggplant when the skin takes on a high gloss. To test, press the skin. If the indentation doesn't spring back, that fruit is ready for harvest. To harvest, clip the eggplants off the plant with pruning shears, (yes the same one you brought in the article on must have tools)  keeping the cap and about 1 inch of stem intact. Watch out for the small prickles that line the stems and the cap of some varieties, as they are a skin irritant.

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Baigan Choka Recipe Using An Oven 

Eggplants will keep for two weeks if refrigerated. If you cut open an eggplant fruit and find that the seeds inside have turned brown, the fruit is past prime quality and the flavor may be bitter. The best way to avoid this is by picking fruits on the young side, when they are a third to two-thirds of their fully mature size.

Frugal Farming Challenge! 

Answer in the comments and you might win some eggplants from my garden. Or a tour of my frugal garden. 

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