Can You Grow Eggplants In Container Gardens? Here's What You Need To Know

Have you ever considered adding eggplants to your garden? The vegetable is rich in vitamins and antioxidants, so it is a great way to add more nutrients to your diet. It also complements a wide variety of delicious recipes. If you do not have experience with eggplant, planting the vegetable may seem intimidating. You can actually grow healthy eggplants in container gardens, but there are a few things you need to keep in mind before going this route.

You will need to use 5-gallon containers, and only plant two eggplants in each container. These simple guidelines will help you enjoy the benefits of growing a container garden that includes healthy and thriving eggplants. Those with limited yard space or low-quality ground soil might prefer container gardening, as it's a convenient solution to those problems, but there are some limitations. Luckily, eggplants grow just fine in containers as long as you plant and care for them properly.

Your first step to growing healthy eggplants in containers is deciding which specific variety of the vegetable you should plant. Fairytale or bambino eggplants are both great choices because they are small. You should not have any issues planting them inside of the 5-gallon containers. After selecting your desired eggplant variety and purchasing the appropriate seeds, you can move forward with planting them. Ensure that your containers are able to drain properly by drilling holes.

Eggplants can be planted in the middle of April or May. You can also plant them in July. Placing eggplants outside during the cooler months puts them at risk of becoming damaged by frost, so keep in mind that you will need to start the seeds inside eight weeks prior to transferring them outdoors. When your eggplants are finally ready to be planted outside, make sure you do this when the temperature is over 50 degrees Fahrenheit at night.

There are other key tricks to ensure that the eggplants in your container garden thrive. First, make sure that you are watering them properly. They need about one to two inches of water weekly. Each time you water your eggplants, make sure that the soil is moist but not wet enough to contain standing water. As far as fertilizer, you can conduct a soil test to measure the pH of your soil. This will help you determine exactly which type of fertilizer you need. For eggplants, your soil should be between 5.5 and 7.5.

You might prefer to purchase plants rather than starting off with seeds. In this case, select healthy looking plants that are free of spots or other visible signs of disease. The plants should be no more than a foot tall. Skip past the eggplants that are already growing flowers. If you placed your container garden in your yard on or near a grassy area, you may also have concerns about weeds making their way into the soil around your eggplants. Consider using mulch to combat this. Choosing the best type of mulch for your garden is important, and black plastic mulch is a good option for eggplant because it keeps soil from getting too cold, which is vital to their survival.