Plant eggplant

The eggplant is a vegetable rich in personality, both in the kitchen, where it is the protagonist of several tasty recipes, and in the garden, where it gives great satisfaction when harvesting. In Orto Da Coltivare you can find a guide on how to grow eggplants. In this article, we will instead delve into the timing of sowing.

To obtain good cultivation results, it is necessary to know how to sow at the right time so that the plant can develop during the most favorable climatic period. So let’s try to determine the most suitable planting period. Those who want to follow the moon should also pay attention to the lunar phase in which this vegetable is planted.

This solanaceous plant has a low resistance to cold and a rather long growth cycle, so it is generally best to plant it in pots to keep it in a protected environment, then to move the plant formed with a graft in the garden when the is coming.

Contents [Ocultar]

  • The period of sowing and transplanting

  • In what phase of the moon to sow eggplant

  • Sixth of the depth of planting and sowing

  • How to prepare the ground

  • seed life

Contents

The period of sowing and transplanting

Eggplant is an annual crop that does well in temperate climatic zones, with optimum temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees. When the thermometer shows a temperature below 15 degrees, the plant suffers. For this reason, it is best to wait until late spring to put it in the field, avoiding late frosts. Obviously, in warm climates it can be sown and transplanted earlier, while in northern Italy it is better to wait longer.

The vegetative cycle of eggplants being quite long (five or six months) it is better to anticipate planting by planting it in a nursery, this saves at least a month and increases productivity. In a protected seedbed, it can be planted from mid-January (southern Italy) or from late February (north), to be transplanted after about 40 days. If, on the other hand, you want to plant the seed directly in the field, you must wait until March in areas with a temperate climate, in northern Italy in mid-April.

What is the lunar phase for planting eggplants

Folk tradition prescribes the planting of fruit vegetables on a growing moon, eggplant is no exception to this rule. The growth phase is said to give a positive impetus to the development of the aerial part of the plant and its fruiting, which is of interest to eggplant growers. It should be clarified that there is no scientific proof of this fact, so everyone decides to trust the beliefs of the peasants or to plant the plant without looking at the lunar calendar. If you decide to look at the moon, an up-to-date calendar will come in handy.

Eggplant with long maturation. Photo by Orto Pedagogico Résistant.

Sixth of the depth of planting and sowing

Eggplant seed is very small, just think that in a single gram of seed you can find up to 250 seeds. That’s why you don’t have to put it deep in the ground, as long as it has half a centimeter of soil. It is not even necessary to worry about the direction in which the seed is deposited. Due to the low cost of seeds, you can choose to put two or three seeds in each pot, to increase the chances that at least one of them will germinate, thus reducing over-sowing.

The recommended planting height is 70 centimeters between plants and one meter between rows: the eggplant plant reaches a good size, so it needs enough space. In a family garden, many plants are not necessary for the consumption of a family, because this vegetable has a good yield.

Before sowing eggplants in the garden, you have to choose the varieties to grow and then buy the seeds. If you are looking for good advice, you can read the article dedicated to eggplant varieties suitable for organic farming.

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