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Eggplant cultivation is becoming more and more widespread in Our Country. This is not at all surprising, since this vegetable has excellent taste characteristics and can be used in the preparation of many different dishes. Eggplant in processed form is no less popular, in particular, the famous caviar is especially appreciated. In addition to excellent taste, the vegetable is also very useful due to the content of many vitamins and minerals. The combination of the listed properties and qualities of the plant has led to the fact that it becomes more popular with domestic gardeners every year.
Features of growing eggplant
Growing eggplant has its own agrotechnical features, since the plant is not well adapted to climatic conditions. Therefore, to obtain a decent harvest of a vegetable, it is necessary to make a sufficient amount of effort and spend a lot of time. When growing a vegetable, special attention should be paid to the following points:
- Eggplants are the most thermophilic plants in our gardens. They grow only at a temperature of +20 degrees, at a lower temperature, plant growth slows down or even stops completely;
- The plant does not tolerate the effects of negative temperatures very well, which leads to the fact that eggplant in most cases dies during frosts, if measures are not taken to additionally protect the plant;
- Eggplants are also quite demanding on watering. It should be carried out regularly, especially carefully you need to approach this issue on hot days. Moreover, to maintain the required level of soil moisture, the evening is considered the optimal time for watering eggplant. Then the water almost completely enters the soil, and does not evaporate. Insufficient watering of the vegetable leads to the fall of flowers and ovaries, as well as the deformation of the fruits of the plant that have already appeared;
- Eggplant shows the highest yields when grown in well-lit areas of the garden or vegetable garden. At the same time, the plant does not tolerate wind and drafts very well, therefore, when growing a vegetable in open ground, in most cases, protective devices are used in the form of arcs, on top of which some covering material is fixed. Most often, ordinary film is used;
- Fertile land of light structure. Successful outdoor eggplant cultivation requires constant maintenance of a high level of soil moisture. In addition to the regular watering of the plant, which was mentioned above, it is also necessary to perform mulching, which ensures uniform moistening of the earth. For this, straw, sawdust, or a thick layer of grass, or a mixture of all of the above, is usually used.
Eggplant cultivation performed in the open field is most successful if the vegetable’s predecessors were:
- Cucumber;
- Cabbage;
- Beans;
- Turnip;
- Bow;
- Carrot.
The list of plants after which it is not recommended to plant eggplants is also well known:
- Potatoes;
- tomatoes;
- Pepper;
- Eggplant.
Planting eggplant is best in that part of the site where there is no draft, sunny and fertile soil. Loamy and sandy soils are considered ideal. If the soil in your garden is clayey, then improve their composition by adding peat or river sand. Add peat and soddy soil to sandy soils, and soddy soil to peat soils. In the fall, dig up the future eggplant bed with manure, select weeds. Apply rotted manure in the spring.
In central Our Country, eggplants are grown only through seedlings. Choose vegetable seeds for planting with early ripening plants. Eggplants have a long growing season. When choosing late varieties of vegetables and, if the weather does not work out, then it is quite possible not to wait for the harvest. It is best to plant those varieties of plants that are suitable for your climate.
Seed preparation
Before planting eggplant seeds for seedlings, preliminary preparation is necessary. If you bought their granulated or coated varieties, then pre-planting preparation is not required for them. In other cases, plant seeds are disinfected in the traditional way. To do this, they are immersed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate and left in it for about 20 minutes. Then the seeds are germinated. When carrying out this procedure, most experts recommend not using gauze, as the vegetable seedlings get tangled and can break off. It is much more efficient and reliable to use either cotton pads or non-woven materials. The soil for planting eggplant seedlings is usually prepared in a fairly simple way – soddy soil, sand and peat are mixed. Often, ordinary garden land is taken, to which high-quality purchased land is added. You can also use ready-made purchased land intended for seedlings for planting eggplants for seedlings. In this case, it is recommended, if possible, to add wood ash. The next step: preparing the necessary containers for vegetable seedlings. It is believed that eggplants, especially young plants, do not tolerate picks well, freeze in growth, so use peat tablets, peat cups or any other separate containers for seedlings. Or prepare containers from improvised materials: cut plastic bottles or bags of juices and milk.
Planting seeds
Fill the prepared containers for plant seedlings with soil mixture, moisten, make small indentations, place 2 seeds there, sprinkle with soil. After that, it is necessary to tighten the containers with a film or cover with glass. At an optimum temperature of +25 degrees for the rapid development of eggplant, it will take 10 to 15 days for vegetable seeds to sprout. Before sprouts appear, watering is not required, a preliminary soil moistening before sowing is sufficient. High soil moisture can lead to seed rot. For the successful emergence of sprouts, the most important thing is to maintain the required temperature, while at this stage even lighting is not required.
Caring for eggplant seedlings
After the appearance of the first sprouts of the plant, it is necessary to remove the film. Further, the temperature may be somewhat lower, its minimum value is +16 degrees. Lower daytime temperatures will cause first a slowdown, and then a complete halt in plant growth. Water the eggplant seedlings regularly, in no case should the earth be allowed to dry out. This will immediately negatively affect the emerging vegetable sprouts. Containers with eggplant seedlings must be rotated. Otherwise, it will stretch and, most likely, will be one-sided.
You may need to transfer the plants to a larger container. To do this, water the seedlings abundantly, remove the plant along with the earthy clod, while trying not to injure the root system. Place in a large container, sprinkle with soil. As soon as stable warm weather is established, that is, frosts become unlikely, and the earth warms up to +20 degrees, the eggplants are ready for transplanting into the ground. Estimated time for transplanting into the soil is the beginning of June. Plants should be 10 to 20 cm high by this time, have about 6-8 leaves and possibly buds.
2 weeks before planting eggplants in the ground, start preparing seedlings for changing conditions. Carry out hardening. To do this, you need to take the seedlings of the vegetable to the balcony or loggia, first for 1 – 2 hours. Then you should gradually increase the time, and at the final stage of hardening, you should leave containers with plant seedlings on the balcony or loggia for the whole day and night. If you live in a private house, then eggplant seedlings can be left on the street. This increases its resistance to temperature changes, the negative effects of wind and the resistance of the plant to other negative factors.
Landing in open ground
Before planting eggplant seedlings, pour the soil well over the plants. Choose an eggplant bed taking into account the factors described above, the main of which are rightly considered to be the fact that these plants are thermophilic and light-loving, and do not tolerate drafts very well. Dig up the soil, add rotted manure or humus, peat and, if required, river sand. It is even better if you have taken care of the eggplant bed since the fall, that is, dug it up, made manure, and removed weeds.
If your soils are poor, then before planting eggplant seedlings, add wood ash and fertilizer obtained by mixing three components: potassium sulfate, urea and superphosphate. Each substance is taken in the amount of 1 tbsp. spoon per sq. m of soil.
Before planting eggplant seedlings in open ground, you must first make holes according to the 40×50 or 50×50 scheme. Pour well and mix the soil in and around the hole to make a kind of earthy porridge. Place a young plant in it along with an earthy clod. It is allowed to plant 2 plants at once in one hole. Sprinkle with earth, slightly compact the soil, and mulch on top, for example, with peat. Mulch helps maintain the required level of moisture in the soil and its more even distribution. What is especially important the first two weeks.
The first time you need to cover the plants. Nighttime temperatures are not high enough for eggplant to grow fully. At temperatures below +16 degrees, the vegetable stops growing, the leaves turn yellow, the plant may die. Stick arcs on the beds and place covering material on them. In mid-July, you can no longer cover eggplants. But it is advisable not to remove the covering material at all, since it may well still come in handy. Given the peculiarities of the domestic climate, there are also sharp drops in temperature in the summer, for which you will be ready and able to protect the plants.
eggplant care
Regular care for planted eggplants consists in watering, loosening row spacing, feeding and shaping a bush, and timely removal of weeds. Water the plant with warm water in the morning or evening under the root, trying not to let water get on the leaves. During the period of fruit formation, watering eggplants should be especially plentiful. During the entire time of growing a vegetable, the level of soil moisture should be maintained sufficiently high. This is one of the most important factors for obtaining a decent vegetable crop. Loosening the soil also helps air flow to the roots and reduces moisture evaporation. If you have covered the ground around the plants with mulch, then loosening the soil will need to be carried out fewer times. The implementation of soil mulching is considered one of the necessary agricultural practices for growing eggplant. In addition to providing the necessary level of soil moisture, the presence of mulch saves from the abundant growth of weeds.
Outdoor eggplants do not grow as tall as their greenhouse counterparts. Therefore, tying the plant, as a rule, is not required. But at the same time, do not forget about the formation of an eggplant bush. In a plant 30 – 40 cm high, pinch the top, so that the plant begins to branch, grow in breadth. Leave 5 – 6 side shoots of the vegetable, select the most viable ones, remove the rest with secateurs. Eggplants respond very well to frequent top dressing, so every 2 weeks water the plant with traditional bird droppings or slurry. Mineral fertilizers are prepared as follows: mix ammonium nitrate (10 g), potassium sulfate (5 g) and potassium sulfate (10 g), spread over 1 sq. m of soil, water well. Most gardeners consider the alternation of the application of mineral fertilizers and organics to be the optimal feeding regime for eggplants. For the secrets of growing, see the video:
Harvesting eggplant
Approximately four weeks after flowering, the plants ripen fruits. At the same time, they become glossy. In food, as a rule, vegetables are used in the stage of technical ripeness. During the period of biological maturity, eggplants are no longer suitable for food. This is due to the fact that they become fibrous, lose their pleasant and refined taste.
At harvest time, carefully and carefully cut the eggplant with secateurs so as not to damage the plant. Eat the fruits of the vegetable immediately, do not store for a long time. If this is not possible, then the best way to store the vegetable is to place it in the refrigerator. Housewives prepare delicious caviar from eggplants, marinate, and fry. You can cut the fruits of the plant into pieces and freeze for the winter. “Vegetable of longevity”, as eggplant is called in the East. This is not at all accidental, as it is not only tasty, but also very healthy. At the same time, the most beneficial fruits of the plant affect the elderly. An additional important advantage of eggplant is that it has no contraindications for use.
Conclusion
For the successful cultivation of eggplant in difficult domestic climatic conditions, it is necessary to carefully observe the basic agricultural practices and rules, drawn up taking into account the characteristics of a whimsical plant. When they are completed, which will require considerable effort and time, the gardener can get a decent harvest of a tasty and healthy vegetable.