Eggplant growing and care in the open field

Before eggplants were domesticated, they grew wild in warm countries. People did not know either its useful properties, or how to cook it and what to eat with. Soon, when it was discovered that eggplant helped to lower cholesterol levels, help the heart, maintain normal water balance in the body, they became a very popular vegetable, and a huge variety of new dishes using eggplant appeared. In Russia, eggplant cultivation began only in the 17th century, because this fastidious vegetable is rather difficult to grow in our climate. But over time, new varieties have appeared that have successfully taken root in our weather conditions. Eggplants in the open field require special care; a number of conditions must be observed in order to get a good harvest.

Where can you grow eggplant outdoors

Growing eggplant outdoors in our climatic conditions is somewhat different from growing other crops. First, the most important special condition is the soil. Eggplants can only be grown in fertile soil, prepared in advance, with a light, very loose structure. These vegetables do not tolerate frost at all, if the temperature often drops below 20 degrees, then pollination may stop without even starting. They also cannot stand drought, the flowers may fall off or the fruit deforms.

Growing eggplant in Siberia

It is not possible to grow ordinary southern varieties in Siberia, therefore breeders have developed hybrid varieties with increased resistance to cold and a short ripening period. These varieties are distinguished by strong immunity and give a fairly good harvest. The most popular are Robin Hood, Sailor, Violet Miracle, Nutcracker.

Growing eggplant in the Urals

In the Urals, the popular varieties are Gelius, Clarinda, Epic. Please note that the ripening period should be no more than 95 days. In general, you need to try very hard to grow eggplants in the Ural climatic conditions, you need careful care, adherence to all growing rules. And there are no guarantees of harvesting.

Growing eggplant in the Moscow region

Summer residents near Moscow have been successfully growing eggplants for quite some time. With proper care and variety selection, you can get a decent harvest of these finicky vegetables here. For this strip, varieties such as Marathon runner, Sperm whale, Alekseevsky and Balagur. They are planted in open ground in seedlings, at a time when the threat of frost has completely passed.

Landing in open ground: terms and basic rules

In our country, eggplants are grown only in seedlings, it is necessary to sow seeds already in the second half of March, so that by the end of May they have already formed a stable root system and at least 4-5 leaves. The transplant should be carried out after the establishment of stable warm weather and provided that the night temperature does not drop below 15 degrees. At first, it is best to cover it with a special protective film at night. Overexposing seedlings at home or in a greenhouse is also not recommended, because after the appearance of buds and ovaries, eggplants cannot get used to new conditions, and they will often get sick, or become food for insects, as a result of which they die.

Planting seedlings

Once you have selected the right seeds for your climatic conditions, there are a number of procedures that need to be followed for better germination. First, it must be treated with potassium permanganate, soaked for 20 minutes, then rinsed. For better germination, the seeds can be placed in a solution of nitrofask (1 tsp for 1 liter of water 25-28 degrees), soak for a day. Immediately before planting, it is necessary to hold it in a humid and warm environment for 1-2 days. You can also apply the hardening procedure. To do this, we place and keep the seeds in the refrigerator for two days, then move them to another room, where the temperature is about 18 degrees for a day, then return them to the refrigerator. Such measures are necessary so that, after germination, the sprouts take root better in the open field, even under unfavorable conditions they do not die.

The seeds can now be planted in containers. We fill the container with soil prepared in advance to a depth of more than half, we do not tamp anything, eggplants love loose soil, we sow seeds at a distance of 5 mm, we cover it with a layer of 1 cm, be sure to water it. We cover it with a film or a bag, put it in a well-heated place, and as soon as we see the first shoots, we remove the shelter and move it to a cooler place, the temperature is about 18 degrees. After a week, we put it back in a warm, well-warmed place. After 5-6 leaves are formed, and it reaches a height of 10 cm, it can be transplanted into open ground. A week before transplanting, seedlings should be taken out into the street, on a balcony or greenhouse, but drafts and direct sunlight should be avoided at least for the first time.

The best place for eggplant in your garden is a place where light falls well, the earth warms up well, but drafts and winds are excluded. If possible, you can plant them next to small bushes. Of the predecessors, it is best to choose cabbage, perennials, cucumber and onions, but you cannot plant potatoes, tomatoes, physalis and peppers in place. Take care of choosing a place in advance, it is better to allocate places for planting crops in autumn, after harvest.

Eggplants love fertile, light-textured soil. It is important not to overdo it with organic fertilizers, otherwise, instead of a crop, you will only get tops, if acidification of the soil is present, then you can introduce dolomite flour or crushed lime.

In moderate doses, you can use manure, and necessarily rotted, and not fresh, with the calculation of 3-4 kg. for 1m2. You can take ready-made mineral fertilizers such as superphosphate, potassium or ammonium nitrate. The root system of eggplant develops exclusively in loose soil, you should not even try to grow them in clay, heavy soil. It is necessary to constantly loosen the soil, you can introduce peat, humus or sand, after thoroughly mixing it with the earth.

It is customary to plant all vegetable crops in the evening, it is possible in cloudy weather, but relatively warm. We dig holes at intervals of 23-30 cm for early ripening, 34-40 cm for late varieties, respectively. We leave 55-70 cm between the rows. It is better to choose the scheme from the instructions on the seed packaging, each variety has its own nuances.

Care

As we have already said, eggplants are a very capricious culture, they get used to a new place hard, require maximum care, otherwise they will simply die or not take root at all. We start leaving immediately after transplanting into open ground. Watering should be abundant, twice a week, subject to dry and hot weather, if it rains, do not water. We focus on the condition of the soil. The water is only settled, warm, rain is best suited. If it is not possible to water several times a week, then it is better to pour more water, strictly at the root, at least once a week.

Eggplants are also picky about weather conditions, they do not like either heat or cold, the temperature should fluctuate from 22 to 26 degrees.In dry, hot weather, we make shades from improvised means, and at temperatures below 20 degrees at night, you need to cover with a film or other material for these purposes. When the growth of the plant reaches 30 cm, it is necessary to make a clothespin on top, so that the shoots go on the sides, we leave only the healthiest of them, we remove the rest. There is no need for pinning.

We weed once a week, along the way you need to loosen the soil, try to prevent the formation of lumps and crusts in the soil, the root system needs oxygen. Weeds also trap oxygen and can attract pests.

Top dressing

Eggplants love fertile soil, they will have to be fed often. The first should be done after 20 days, then during the period of active growth (this is mid-July), the last dressing is done in the fall, during fruiting. As a top dressing, we choose fertilizers that contain phosphorus, it helps to develop the ovaries, nitrogen is useful at the beginning of growth for the formation of flowers, potassium is an indispensable assistant during the period of active growth of fruits, helps to form immunity to weather conditions, iron and manganese prolong the period of fruiting. You can simply buy all these elements in the form of ready-made fertilizers, such as the popular superphosphate, the equally well-known nitrofask. Ammonium sulfate and potassium nitrate can be used.

In rural areas, it is very popular to feed with manure or slurry. This species is suitable for the first and second feeding. The most important thing is that the manure should be rotted, prepared in advance, otherwise the excess nitrogen contained in the fresh manure can destroy the plant. You can mix it with poultry droppings or compost.

In addition to the usual types of feeding, there are also folk ones. Experienced gardeners use this method in conjunction with others. For example, mushroom infusion brings good results in the process of fruit ripening. We take ½ cup of dried mushrooms, pour 5 liters of warm water, insist for a day. The solution can also be made from wood ash, pour 2 glasses of ash with 5 liters of warm water. You can prepare a solution of yeast, take a package of yeast weighing 1 kg, fill it with a bucket of water, wait a day, then add water again. Pour this solution under the root of the plant.

You can also make fertilizers from a variety of plants. For example, you can brew dandelions. A glass of dandelions for 7 liters of water, and pour over the eggplant. We brew medicinal chamomile in 2 liters of water, wait a day, add another 9 liters. It is very popular to use eggshells as a top dressing, you can grind and sprinkle under the root, or make a solution and water.

Growing eggplant: how to deal with pests

The most dangerous enemy of eggplant is the Colorado potato beetle. They very quickly destroy the juicy, plump leaves of the plant. It is not difficult to notice them, the orange eggs under the leaves are familiar to everyone. Measures must be taken immediately. First, try to treat with a solution of wormwood, salted flour or wood ash. Initially, we plant it away from the potatoes, otherwise it will not be possible to save the eggplants from these beetles.

Bedbugs or spider mites can also attack. If it was not possible to remove the pests by folk methods, you need to treat them with chemicals such as Prestige, Zircon, Fitasporin. As a preventive measure, we use onion or dandelion tincture, you can add laundry or tar soap there.

Harvesting and storage rules

To determine the maturity of eggplant fruits, you need to calculate the ripening time. Early varieties need 90-110 days, medium - 115-130 days, late - 130-140 days. These dates can vary due to various factors, for example, adverse weather conditions, cold summers, can significantly extend the dates, or non-adherence to planting dates can affect.

It is difficult to determine in appearance, they mainly look at the length of the fetus, although this is an erroneous estimate.It is also impossible to determine by color, because it acquires the usual deep purple color immediately. The best way is to try clicking on the eggplant. If it bent and at the same time returned to its original position, then most likely the vegetable is ripe. If you want to extend the shelf life of the eggplant, then you need to sort them out, leaving the healthiest, not broken and undamaged ones in the "back box". It is necessary to store, like all vegetable crops, in dark, cold, dry rooms.

If you adhere to the basic rules and choose the right variety for your climatic conditions, then eggplant can be grown and enjoyed its rich, unusual taste until winter. The most important thing is patience and constant care. It may take you more than one year to choose the right place and the right variety. But the energy expended will be fully justified.