Crop fact sheet · Warm season · frost tender
Eggplant
Not in season right now in Houston. Dates below.
Your dates in Houston
| Window | Order seed by | Start indoors | Plant | First harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2027 | Dec 21 | Jan 11 | Mar 1 – Mar 29 | from May 20 |
| Fall 2027 | Jun 10 | Jul 1 | Aug 19 – Sep 16 | from Nov 7 |
Worked out from AgriLife planting windows (days before/after average frost) and Houston's average frost dates. "Order seed by" is our own 3-week heads-up, not an AgriLife date.
The numbers
- How to plant
- Set out transplants 0.5" deep, 21" apart, rows 30" apart.
- Days to harvest
- 80–90 days
- Yield per 10 ft of row
- about 10 lb (100 lb per 100 ft of row)
- Keeps producing
- about 12.9 weeks
- Start indoors
- 7 weeks before planting out
- Sun
- Full sun
- Family
- Solanaceae (for rotation)
Water
Give at least 1 inch of water per week as one deep soaking rather than frequent light waterings. High heat, wind and sandy soil raise water needs.
Feeding
- At planting: Without a soil test, 2 to 3 lb of complete fertilizer (10-10-10, 6-12-12 or 9-16-16) per 1,000 sq ft, half before planting; pour 1/4 cup starter solution (2 Tbsp complete fertilizer per gallon of water) around each transplant.
- First fruit: Apply the other half of the fertilizer after the first fruits appear.
Not sure what your soil needs? Get a soil test first.
Texas heat
AgriLife calls eggplant a tropical plant that is very sensitive to cold; high temperatures mainly raise its water demand, so keep up deep weekly watering. No heat fruit-set threshold was found in the sources.
Pests to watch
- flea beetles
- spider mites
- cutworms
- serpentine leafminer
- aphids
Diseases
- Verticillium wilt
- Alternaria leaf spot
- anthracnose
- Phomopsis blight
What to do about them: pest sheet · what's wrong with my plant?
When it's ready
Harvest when fruit is one-third to full size, before the skin dulls and seeds harden. Press the side lightly with a thumbnail: if the dent stays, it is ready. Cut, do not break, the spiny stem.
Storing it
Store at 45 to 50 F with 90% humidity for up to one week.
Texas tips
- Plant out only after frost risk has passed and daytime temperatures are at least 65 F.
- Oriental types Ichiban and Tycoon do well in Texas.
- Best in well-drained, fertile sandy loam, pH 5.5 to 7.2.
- EHT-036 gives 24 to 36 inches between plants; E-502 table gives 18 to 24.
Varieties that do well in Texas
Black Bell, Black Magic, Epic, Classic, Florida High Bush, Florida Market, Night Shadow, Ichiban, Tycoon