Eggplant Seeds - Black Beauty

Minimum Seeds per Packet: 40

Packet Weight: 0.2g

Planting Season: After Last Frost

Sowing Method: Transplant

Seed Depth: 1/4"

Direct Seed Spacing: N/A

Soil Temperature: 75-90 ℉

Days to Sprout: 5-20

Mature Spacing: 18-24"

Sun Requirement: Full Sun

Frost Tolerance: Frost Sensitive

Days to Harvest: 75 from Transplant

When to Seed Eggplant

Eggplants require a fairly long growing season, are frost sensitive, and love hot weather. It’s best to start your seeds indoors eight to ten weeks before your last frost date. They can then be transplanted outdoors after all danger of frost has passed. 

Where to Plant Eggplant

Choose a spot in your garden that gets full sun and has nutrient-dense, well-draining soil. Do not plant them too close to other Solanaceous plants like tomatoes or potatoes.

Growing Eggplant

Soak the seeds in water overnight ahead of planting to help with germination rates. Plant seeds ¼ inch deep and cover gently with soil. Be sure to keep seedlings well watered until germination. Covering your tray with a humidity dome will also support keeping moisture in the soil. The use of a heat mat will spur faster germination rates, but only needs to be used until germination. When your seedlings are about three inches tall, you may consider potting them up. Plant your seedlings 18 to 24 inches apart. Mulching will help keep the soil moist and control weed pressure. Depending on how they grow, you may consider staking your eggplants to ensure the heavy fruits don’t pull the plant over. Row covers are excellent for protecting your eggplants from pests, but you’ll need to remove the cover once your plants start flowering. 

Harvesting Eggplant

At the 16 week mark after planting, start checking your plants for eggplants to harvest! When the skin on the fruit is shiny, harvest by cutting near the stem with sharp pruning shears.

Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is a cross-pollinating annual. Eggplants of different varieties should be separated by at least 300 feet to ensure that they do not cross with each other. Wait until your eggplants start to turn brown or yellow and the skins dull before harvesting for seed. That is, let them go very overripe - the glossy young fruit we harvest for eating is not botanically mature, and the seeds within those fruits will not be viable. To collect seeds, pull the skin off your overripe fruits and then cut the flesh into cubes. The easiest way to separate the seeds from pulp is to put the cubed eggplant into a blender or food processor with a little water and create a seed-pulp slurry, then allow the pulp to float up to the surface and decant it off. After removing most of the pulp this way, pour the seeds into a fine strainer and give them a rinse under running water. Spread the seeds out on a paper towel to dry, ideally with a fan running in the space. Once the seeds are fully dry, store them in an airtight container in a cool and dark location.