Eggplants are a very tasty, but capricious vegetable that does not tolerate transplantation well. In order to get a good harvest of this crop, you need to choose the right variety and provide proper care. Typically, eggplants in our country are grown indoors, since the plant is very heat-loving.

Every year, breeders release new varieties of eggplant; let’s look at the most productive and popular ones. Which eggplants are best to plant in a greenhouse?

Romantic

High-yielding variety, without natural bitterness. The fruits reach a weight of 180-270 grams. The bush grows up to 160 cm in height, the crop has an average ripening period, needs staking and bush formation.

Joker

An early ripening crop, it begins to bear fruit on the 95th day from the moment of germination. Planting is not done very often - 4 bushes per square area. The height of the plant can reach up to 120 cm, and brushes are formed on them - 3-7 pieces. The variety is high-yielding and resistant to various diseases.

Sophia

This crop is a late-ripening crop, but at the same time it is popular among gardeners, as the fruits have a great taste. The bush is tall and spreading up to 160 cm tall. The fruits are large and fleshy, weighing up to 850 grams, pear-shaped. They have excellent shelf life and tolerate transportation well.

Vakula

An early-ripening crop, 120 cm high. High-yielding variety, fruits without bitterness and with excellent taste. The variety resists diseases well. When growing, the bush needs to be tied up and shaped.

Namesake

Mid-season, high-yielding variety. The bush is spreading, a little more than a meter high. The round fruits have dense pulp and excellent taste. This crop tolerates unfavorable conditions well, therefore it is preferable for cultivation in central Russia.

Policeman F1

The hybrid is mid-season, with increased productivity. The bush grows very powerful with a lot of foliage, and reaches up to 2.5 meters in height. The bush is formed into two stems; it needs a trellis garter. Fruits with dense pulp and a slightly greenish tint.

Fabina F1

An early-ripening hybrid, with a small, compact bush only 75 cm high. The fruits are cylindrical, weighing up to 260 g. The pulp is tasty and does not contain bitterness.

Black handsome

Mid-season, high-yielding variety. The bush requires special formation, since before the first fork, not only the stepsons are removed, but also the leaves. The bush itself is small - 60 cm in height. The fruits are located mainly in the lower part of the bush, and are formed in groups. The weight of one fruit reaches 270 g. The variety is not susceptible to diseases.

Robin Hood

This is an early ripening crop that begins to bear fruit on the 85th day, while the yield is average. The height of the bush rarely reaches a height of more than a meter. The fruits are tasty, pear-shaped, which are formed regardless of adverse weather conditions.

Sancho Panza

A productive variety with medium fruit ripening. The height of the bush varies from 80 to 150 cm, depending on growing conditions. The fruits of this crop are tomato-shaped and have an excellent taste.

Growing eggplants in a greenhouse

If you have already grown tomatoes and peppers, you can handle eggplants too. But it is worth noting that the plant requires more attention than the above-mentioned crops. Eggplants love warmth and moisture. In addition, it can only be grown by seedlings.

Before planting a plant, you need to prepare the soil, which is not only cleaned of various weeds and root remains, but also disinfected with copper sulfate - take 2 tablespoons per bucket of water. After the soil has been spilled, it is dug up.

You can disinfect the soil with boiling water or treat it with steam.

The soil for eggplants should be fertile, medium-loose and not sour. Organic fertilizers are added to the soil; if it is heavy, sand, sawdust or perlite should be added. The soil mixture should have the following composition:

• compost - 5 kg;

• ash - 2 tbsp;

• mineral fertilizer complex - 50 g.

Let's start with the seeds

You need to choose only fresh seeds that are not yet 4 years old. To maximize germination, seeds need to be prepared for planting:

• Only the largest and most undamaged ones are selected. To do this, prepare a salt solution at the rate of 1 tablespoon per glass of water. pour seeds into it - the good ones will drown, and the empty ones will float up;
• then dilute pink potassium permanganate and put seeds in it for 20 minutes to disinfect;
• rinse the seeds in running water and treat with a stimulant according to the instructions;
• then place the wet seeds, wrapped in cloth, in the refrigerator for a day for hardening;
• soak in warm water until swelling.

As soon as the seeds hatch, you can begin planting.

Have you grown eggplants in a polycarbonate greenhouse?

YesNo

Planting and care

It is better to sow eggplant seeds in separate peat cups, since the crop does not tolerate transplantation well; the roots of the seedlings are very delicate.

1. The seeds are deepened into the soil by 1.5 cm, the soil is moistened, the cups are covered with cellophane and put in a warm place with a temperature of +25 degrees.
2. If the seeds have been properly prepared, the first sprouts will appear within a week.
3. As soon as the shoots appear, the cups are transferred to a cooler place and the film is removed.
4. Seedlings are kept at a temperature of +18 degrees for about a week - this is so that the above-ground part does not grow, but a good, strong root system is formed.
5. Further cultivation takes place at a temperature of 22-25 degrees, approximately 65-75 days, before planting in a greenhouse.

Planting eggplants in a greenhouse

Before planting eggplants in a permanent place, the ground is leveled, then holes are made 20 cm deep, and also keep in mind:

1. What to pour 2 liters of pink solution of potassium permanganate into each cavity.
2. Place 1 cup with a plant in each hole, sprinkle it with soil, compact it a little and water it with warm water.

Planting pattern:

• row spacing - 60 cm;

• between bushes - 30 cm.

If the seedlings were grown without cups, then they must be removed from the container with extreme caution - the roots are very delicate. In this case, you do not need to bury the plant more than 1 cm; it is better to pour a small mound and compact it a little.

Growing eggplants in a greenhouse

In order for a plant to bear fruit well, it is necessary to remove excess layering, which, when the bush thickens, sucks out useful substances from the soil, and the crop does not have enough strength to form ovaries.

Expert opinion

Filatov Ivan Yurievich, private farmer for more than 30 years

Usually, no more than 2-3 main stems are left on the bush, depending on the crop variety; the remaining cuttings are mercilessly removed along with the leaves.

Bush formation

Eggplants are approaching the final stage of agricultural technology, and now you need to properly form the bush in order to get the highest possible yield. The bush is formed as follows:

1. As soon as 3 internodes appear on the plant, pinch the top.
2. Remove leaves and side shoots from the first internode.
3. Next, observe the plant and make sure that 2-3 shoots are formed in the second internode, which are tied separately from each other.
4. Once the bush is formed, you can calmly wait for the harvest, watering and feeding the crop.

To grow eggplants in a polycarbonate structure, it is better to choose medium-sized hybrids and varieties. They not only produce a good harvest, but are also less susceptible to diseases and infections.

The shoots of this plant are very delicate and fragile, so when gartering you need to be extremely careful.

Growing together with other crops

You should not plant eggplants next to relatives - the nightshade family (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, physalis, etc.) such a neighborhood has disadvantages:

• these crops will use the same nutrients as eggplant;
• they are attacked by the same pests;
• if one of the crops becomes infected with a virus, all plants in the greenhouse may suffer;
• release harmful volatile substances.

If there is only one greenhouse on the site, but you want to grow everything, then you should orient the plants according to the cardinal directions and in relation to the sun.

Do not alternate plants - give each crop its own corner, use various herbs as separators, which are used to season dishes.

Legumes - beans, beans, peas - can become good neighbors. But in this case, it is better to plant only bush crops, since tall hybrids can shade eggplants, which love the sun so much.

Salads and greens are neutral in their effects and will get along well with any crops.

Video

You can also watch a video where an experienced gardener will tell you how to grow eggplants in a greenhouse.

Do not be afraid to grow eggplants on your own plot, citing the fact that the crop is too capricious and will not give a decent harvest. But if you carry out agricultural practices and care for the plant properly, you can enjoy delicious eggplants grown with your own hands.

Eggplant is a plant of the Solanaceae genus that produces tasty and juicy fruits. They are collected and eaten when somewhat immature. The ripe eggplant fruit has a gray-green or yellowish color, but is harvested when the skin of the fruit turns purple.

In warm climates it is grown in open ground, but in those regions not spoiled by heat, eggplants are planted only in greenhouses. This is one of the most capricious and demanding crops in terms of growing conditions.

Eggplant is a plant that is grown in seedlings. It will not be possible to grow it in open ground or even in a greenhouse “from scratch,” that is, from seeds. However, even when cultivating eggplants in seedlings, you have to work a lot with them. An important role is played by the correct preparation of seeds for seedlings, as well as the selection and preparation of the soil in which they will sprout.

First of all, you should take care of preparing the seeds for planting. Note that most manufacturers offer seeds that have undergone all processing and are fully prepared. But if you decide to save some money and buy untreated, then carry out this procedure yourself - it will increase germination and allow you to destroy possible pathogens that have settled on the seeds.

Step 1. Open the bag of seeds and sort them. Throw away damaged specimens, leaving only the most beautiful and neat ones, with a characteristic shape and color.

Step 2. Check the seeds for germination. To do this, take a few pieces, soak them in plain water for 10-12 hours and wrap them in a damp cloth. Place the package in a warm place. After 4-5 days, check the seeds - if at least half of them have begun to hatch, then they are perfect for sowing.

Step 3. Dilute a weak solution of potassium permanganate (1%) and place the selected seeds in it for 20-25 minutes.

On a note! You can also soak the seeds in a solution of hydrogen peroxide. Dilute about 3 ml of this substance in 100 g of water, heat it a little on the stove (to about 40 degrees) and place the seeds in the resulting liquid. Soak them in it for about 10 minutes.

Step 4. Rinse the seeds with water at room temperature, or boiled.

Step 5. Place eggplant seeds in a solution of a growth stimulant substance, diluted in accordance with the instructions for the drug. This could be “Kornevin”, “Zircon” or any other product.

On a note! Stratification (hardening of seeds by changing the temperature regime) is not necessary for crops such as eggplants.

By the way, when choosing seeds, make sure that they are not old. Good germination is observed only in specimens collected no later than 3 years ago.

It is also very important to carefully consider the soil in which the seedlings will be grown. It makes no sense to plant eggplants in the first soil you come across - they may simply not sprout.

On a note! The optimal soil for eggplant seedlings is leafy, turfy soil mixed with peat and vermiculite (1:1:1) or humus, sand and turfy soil (1:1:2). In the latter case, it would be a good idea to add a couple of glasses of ordinary ash to 10 liters of such soil.

Prices for eggplant seeds of different varieties

eggplant seeds

Preparing soil for seedlings

Step 2. Swipe. The easiest way is to bake it in the oven at a temperature of about 40 degrees for 30 minutes. You can also steam it for a couple of hours in a water bath and freeze it thoroughly, leaving it on the balcony or garden.

Step 3. In the latter case, about a month before planting the seedlings, bring the soil into a warm room, mix it with sand or vermiculite and take it back outside.

Advice! If your soil is wintering outside, do not forget to cover it with a lid so that precipitation containing various foreign substances does not fall on it.

By the way, the soil for eggplants in a polycarbonate greenhouse is prepared in the fall. The first stages are no different from the standard one: all garbage is removed and burned, then the soil is spilled a couple of times with ordinary water, the room and the soil itself are disinfected.

Table. Disinfection of soil in a greenhouse for eggplants.

Method	Description
	It is preferable to disinfect soil for eggplants with a solution of copper sulfate (5 g per 10 liters of water), which is thoroughly poured over it. After this, dig the soil to a depth of 20 cm.
	Soak the soil removed from the greenhouse over a water bath.
	Pour boiling water over the soil.
	Calcine the soil removed from the greenhouse in an oven at a temperature not exceeding 80 degrees. At higher values, not only pathogenic, but also beneficial microflora will die in it.
	An alternative method to using copper sulfate. Bleach powder is scattered over the ground and embedded into it using a rake (consumption - about 100 g per m2).
	It fights very effectively against blackleg. The solution is prepared simply: dilute 250 ml of 40% substance in 10 liters of water. This amount is used to process 1 m2 of soil. Cover the treated soil with film for 24 hours.

On a note! In the spring, the soil cultivated in the fall in the greenhouse for eggplants does not need to be dug up again - just loosen it. The exception is loamy soil.

In order for eggplants to grow well in the summer, the soil in the greenhouse for them should be well fertilized in the fall. The culture responds well to organic fertilizers. You can add manure, compost, peat or other organic matter to the soil - the eggplant will be happy with everything. Consumption - a little more than half a bucket per 1 m2. Fertilizer is applied and incorporated to the depth of the arable layer.

Hall can be applied as a mineral fertilizer - about 1 cup per 1 m2.

To reduce the acidity of the soil, and at the same time enrich it with magnesium necessary for eggplant, it is sprinkled with dolomite flour. Consumption - only 2 tbsp. l. per 1 m 2.

Prices for dolomite flour

dolomite flour

Dates for sowing eggplants

To be successful in growing eggplants in a greenhouse, you should adhere to the timing of sowing and planting seeds and seedlings of this crop. So, seeds for seedlings are planted in the soil around the end of February or beginning of March. And grown plants are moved into the ground only when the threat of frost has passed. From the moment of sowing the seeds until planting in the soil, the seedlings are in warm conditions for about 80-100 days. The average period of fruit ripening after moving eggplants to a polycarbonate greenhouse is about 110-120 days.

We grow seedlings

So, the soil is prepared, the seeds have undergone the necessary processing and are ready for planting. All that remains is to germinate them, wrapping them in a damp cloth for several days (the same way you checked germination). Then you can get to work.

Step 1. Take care of the container for seedlings. Rinse the boxes or cups thoroughly to prevent the plants from becoming infected with pathogens.

Step 2. After this, fill the containers with the prepared soil and lightly moisten it.

Step 3. Place the germinated eggplant seeds in the soil to a depth of about 5 mm at a distance of about 10 cm from each other if the seedlings are planted in boxes. Of course, it is more convenient to immediately sow seeds in cups at the rate of 1 piece. per container.

Step 4. Sprinkle the seeds lightly with soil or sand (about 2 cm thick).

Step 5. Cover the containers with film and place in a bright and warm place. The soil/air temperature should be maintained quite high - not lower than +23 degrees (for grown seedlings, the optimal temperature would be +16 degrees). Every day, open the film for 10 minutes so that the seeds can “breathe”.

On a note! Eggplants require long daylight hours - about 10-12 hours, so they should be additionally illuminated with a lamp.

Step 6. Water the seedlings once every 6 days. Eggplant seeds germinate in about 12-15 days. After this, the frequency of watering can be increased to 2 times a week.

Advice! A couple of times during the entire growing period, feed eggplant seedlings with tincture with eggshells.

Step 7 If you grew seedlings in a box, then over time they will require picking, that is, planting in separate containers with a volume of about 800 cm 3. Picking is done when each plant has 3 true leaves. Before picking, water the seedlings well.

Advice! Do not use peat pots. Eggplants need good watering after picking, and such containers quickly become limp.

Step 8 Carefully remove the seedlings and place them in containers filled with soil. Lightly pinch the main root - this will help the root system to form correctly.

Step 9 Water the seedlings well. The picking is completed.

Step 10 Picking is stressful for plants, so give them a couple of days to rest in a warm but lightly shaded place.

Before planting seedlings in a greenhouse, harden them. It begins approximately 2 weeks before disembarkation. Polycarbonate greenhouses retain heat quite well, which means that after some time the seedlings can be moved out of the house. But do not plant them in the ground, but place pots of seedlings around the greenhouse. This will help the plants harden off.

Video - How to sow eggplants

Planting seedlings in a greenhouse

When the seedlings grow up and the weather is warm outside, it’s time to plant young eggplants in the greenhouse. The air temperature in the greenhouse must be at least 18 degrees so that the plants do not die.

Step 1. Level the soil in the bed and make holes for plants about 15 cm deep at a distance of at least 0.6 m between rows and at least 30 cm between bushes in the same row. You should get no more than 5 plants per 1 m2. It is best to plant them in a checkerboard pattern.

Attention! Dense plantings can negatively affect the quality of the crop. Eggplant bushes are quite lush and spreading.

Step 2. Fill the holes with water with a small amount of potassium permanganate added. You can also use regular clean water (about 2 liters per one). You can add a little ash to the hole - about 1/2 cup.

Step 3. Carefully remove the seedlings from the pots and place them in the holes, without deepening them too much (maximum 1 cm deeper than the seedling pot was).

Step 4. Compact the soil, once again water the hole and the plant to the very root.

By the way, eggplants are extremely capricious towards neighboring plants, so be careful about what crops will grow next to them. They can be planted together with tomatoes, melons, onions, and beans.

Eggplant care

In order for the eggplant harvest to be good, it is important to create favorable living conditions for the plants. This culture reacts very sharply to temperature, humidity, watering and other factors.

1. As soon as you plant the seedlings, do not disturb them for about 20 days - this time is necessary for the plants to adapt to new conditions. During this period, shade the plant and avoid situations where drafts are created in the greenhouse.

2. The ideal temperature in a greenhouse for eggplants is no more than +28 degrees. Therefore, in hot weather, ventilate the greenhouse, but it should always be closed at night.

Attention! At a temperature of only +15 degrees, eggplants refuse to grow, and at +13 they begin to die. Zero temperatures during frosts will simply kill them. But extreme heat also negatively affects them: at +40 degrees, ovaries will not appear on them.

3. Periodically loosen the soil around the stem, but not deeply, so as not to damage the root system. Rake the soil towards the plant. By the way, in order to conserve soil moisture, which eggplants need so much, add a little peat to the soil, and in hot weather, cover them from the scorching sun. You can also mulch the soil.

4. Water the eggplants at the root in the morning with warm water, which should be heated almost to the air temperature - this is about 28-30 degrees. It’s great if you find time to create so that moisture is constantly supplied to the roots. After watering - about half a day - loosen the soil. Remember that excessive watering contributes to the development of fungal diseases, and a lack of water will result in unpalatable fruits for you.

Attention! Freshly grown seedlings are watered no earlier than 5 days after they move to the greenhouse.

5. Eggplants should be fertilized for the first time no earlier than 14 days after planting the seedlings. This is done with any nitrogen fertilizers in accordance with the instructions (eggplants are big fans of nitrogen-containing fertilizers).

After the ovaries appear, it would be a good idea to feed the eggplants with a mash of yeast and weeds (the ingredients are mixed in a ratio of 5:1).

Attention! Don't get carried away with organics. Eggplants love it, but because of it the green part of the plants will grow, and the fruits will be small and frail. If the greenery is developing rapidly, switch to fertilizing with potassium fertilizers.

If you want to harvest a good harvest of eggplants, growing and caring for them in a greenhouse will come in handy. This culture is demanding on the microclimate. Therefore, plant eggplants in a polycarbonate or film greenhouse and read the article on how to care for them.

Preparing soil and seeds

To plant eggplants, cultivation and care in a greenhouse should be planned in the fall. It is at this time that you need to take care of the land. After removing the weeds, water the soil 2-3 times to rid it of excess organic matter.

Disinfect by watering the soil:

• boiling water;
• solution of copper sulfate (2 tablespoons per 10 liters of hot water);
• formalin (for 10 liters of water you will need 250 ml of 40% liquid. This is enough for 1 sq. m);
• or by scattering dry bleach on the surface (100 g per 1 sq. m). It needs to be sealed with a rake.

Cover the treated soil with film for 24 hours. When the soil dries, dig or loosen it.

Attention! In the spring, when you plant seedlings, also remember to loosen the soil first, but it is better to dig up the loam.

To grow eggplants in a greenhouse, it is recommended to choose early and mid-ripening varieties. The harvest from these bushes is ready 100-130 after planting. In addition, give preference to low-growing species. Many summer residents have fallen in love with the following hybrids and varieties:

• Baikal F1;
• Swan;
• Purple miracle F1;
• Matrosik and others.

Having selected the seeds, check them for germination. This should be done 2-3 weeks before sowing.

1. Take 10 seeds, put them in a fabric bag and lower it into water (t +25° C).
2. After a day, remove the bag and place it on a saucer in a warm place (t +30° C). Keep it moist.
3. After 4-5 days, count how many seeds have hatched. A good indicator is from 5 pcs.

Growing seedlings

This process, as well as the subsequent planting of eggplants, depends on the climatic conditions of the region. You also need to consider what material your greenhouse is made of: film or polycarbonate, whether it is heated or not. The longer the cold lasts, the later you need to sow the seeds for seedlings. If the weather does not allow the “little blue” ones to be planted on time, the overgrown sprouts may take root poorly or die.

When grown in a greenhouse, especially a heated one, this problem is less pressing than for open ground. But it should be remembered that in any case, the air temperature during planting should be at least +18° C, the soil temperature - from +14° C. In this regard, a polycarbonate greenhouse can serve well. It is believed that it retains heat better than its film and glass counterparts. In general, be guided by the fact that on average 9-11 weeks pass from sowing seeds to rooting seedlings. Since greenhouse eggplants need to be planted around May, start seeds in February.

Pre-treat all planting material, for example:

Attention! If the seeds have been treated by the manufacturer (as stated on the package), do not soak them.

To get good seedlings, pour fertile soil enriched with compost and peat into containers. To improve the structure, add sawdust, vermiculite or sand. It is believed that eggplants do not like picking. You can do without it when growing vegetables. Sow the seeds in peat pots or special seedling cassettes.

Planting depth is approximately 0.5 cm. The optimal growth temperature for the “little blue ones” is +24-26° C. The first shoots will appear in 1-2 weeks. From now on, provide them with a cooler microclimate with t +17° C. This is necessary so that the sprouts form roots and do not stretch out. After about a week, raise the room temperature again, to +25-30° C. At night it should be +13° C.

To properly care for seedlings, you need to do the following:

1. Provide good lighting, but no more than 12-14 hours a day (in February you can use additional lighting). Avoid the north side.
2. Water with warm water (cold water does not allow eggplants to grow well). Make sure that the soil is always moderately moist.

Planting eggplants in a greenhouse

Seedlings that can be rooted to a permanent place must be:

• height from 15 cm;
• with 6-8 dark green leaves;
• with a developed root system.

Under the right growing conditions and care, the “little blue ones” reach such indicators in about 45-50 days.

Treat the eggplant roots with the utmost care. To do this, plant the bushes together with a lump of earth. To prevent it from crumbling, water the seedlings well a few hours before planting. If the plants were sown in peat pots, there is no need to remove them from there; plant them directly in them. The distance between bushes in one row should be about 30-45 cm, between rows - 45-60 cm. This way the eggplants will feel freer, and it will be more convenient for you to care for them.

The planting depth is determined as follows: the height of the container in which the seedlings were located, plus another 1-2 cm. Sprinkle the holes with ash (about a handful for each) and moisten well. The second option is to simply pour 2 liters of a weak manganese solution. In both cases, the water should be warm. After planting the seedlings, lightly compact the soil and water a little more. Sprinkle peat on top.

They can coexist with eggplants in the same greenhouse. They have similar microclimate requirements.

Eggplant care

This vegetable crop is considered difficult to grow, so it needs to be cared for with special care.

Watering– systematically and only with warm water (heated to at least +23-26° C). Cold weather slows down the growth of eggplants and delays flowering. The first time after planting, water the “blue” bushes after 4-6 days, then once a week. During the fruiting period or on hot days, irrigate twice as often. Water should penetrate approximately 20 cm deep.

Attention! Water the eggplants only at the roots, making sure that moisture does not get on the leaves.

Another important nuance in care regarding watering: do it in the morning. This is necessary so that you can loosen the soil in the evening. About 10-12 hours should pass between these two procedures. Loosen the soil also systematically, then you will be able to avoid moisture evaporation. You can also use .

Humidity and air temperature. Too hot (+34-45° C), as well as too cool (+12-14° C) microclimate have a detrimental effect on eggplants. It is especially important to monitor the temperature in a polycarbonate greenhouse, because it accumulates and stores heat better than film. In order not to create overheating, you can shade the plants, for example, with fabric (placing it on the roof of the greenhouse).

Eggplants favorably accept soil moisture, but not air moisture. In such conditions they develop. Ventilate the greenhouse, avoiding strong drafts. The same method is good for regulating temperature.

Garter and formation (stepping) of bushes. In a greenhouse, even low-growing varieties grow larger than in open ground. Therefore, when planning to care for eggplants, take time to care for them. Do this carefully, as the “blue ones” have fragile stems. For example, use a trellis, but make sure there is no shadow.

If the bushes have powerful, thick stems and good leaves, then they don’t need to be pinched. You just need to remove all the shoots that are below the first ovary. After collecting 4-5 fruits, pinch the top. For weak bushes, it is necessary to leave only the main stem, removing all the stepsons. Regularly remove yellow and wilted leaves from the bushes, as well as those that create shade. Towards the end of the fruiting period, leave only 5-6 ovaries. More usually does not have time to ripen.

Feeding and fertilizer

Diseases and pests: prevention

It is believed that it is easier to grow eggplants in a greenhouse than in open ground. And if you take good care of them, a good harvest will not be long in coming.

Caring for eggplants: video

Eggplants in a country greenhouse: photo

Eggplant, also known by the popular name “little blue,” is a heat-loving vegetable that reacts even to small temperature changes. Therefore, in many regions of Russia, the crop is grown in greenhouses or greenhouses.

A coating made of film or polycarbonate provides plants with stable conditions for growth and development, and also extends the growing season. But you need to know when to sow seedlings.

Show all

When and how to plant eggplant seedlings in a greenhouse?

Before planting eggplants in a greenhouse, it is necessary to prepare the base - enrich the soil with organic matter. To do this, garden soil is mixed with compost, peat, and manure. Its water permeability is improved by adding loosening materials - sawdust, sand.

The soil for the greenhouse should be prepared in the fall. In the spring, you need to dig up the beds, water and warm the soil before planting the seedlings. When planting a plant, the soil temperature should be at least +19 degrees.

In early spring, you should purchase seedlings from a gardening store or grow them at home. To do this, pour soil into empty containers into which to sow seeds - shoots will appear from them. The main thing is to keep the soil dry and do not forget to water the seedlings on time. Young seedlings can be planted in a heated greenhouse as early as March, otherwise seedlings can be planted in late spring.

Seedlings suitable for planting have 6-8 developed leaves, 0.5 cm in thickness and a 15-20 cm stem. The seedlings must be healthy, free from pests - aphids and spider mites.

Rules for planting eggplant seedlings in a greenhouse:

1. 1. Make holes in the soil a few centimeters deep above the cup with seedlings.
2. 2. Water the holes with water at room temperature, then install young plants taken out of the cups into them.
3. 3. Cover the seedlings with soil from the hole and water them with water.

When planting seedlings in a greenhouse, a distance between bushes is usually maintained at 50-60x30-40 cm (4-6 plants/m2) - so that the plants do not shade each other.



Care

This vegetable crop prefers low air humidity and high soil humidity. Tomatoes can be grown next to eggplants, as they have the same care requirements.

The vegetable does not tolerate both excess and lack of water. When air humidity increases, plants are especially susceptible to fungal diseases. Therefore, spraying them is not recommended. It is important to maintain relative humidity at approximately 80%. It is necessary to limit watering in cool weather and increase it in hot weather. During the vegetative development of plants, the optimal substrate humidity should be 75%, during the fruiting period - 80-85%. Due to the highly branched root system of eggplants, you can water them abundantly, but not often. If plants are not provided with the required amount of moisture, flowers and ovaries often fall off.

If you properly moisten the soil of the seedlings, you can get a good harvest of “little blue ones.” For this:

1. 1. Use water for irrigation at room temperature.
2. 2. Water only the base of the plant, avoiding water getting on the leaves. The optimal time is in the morning.
3. 3. After watering, renew the layer of mulch at the base of the plants and ventilate the greenhouse.
4. 4. Water should moisten the plant soil to a depth of 20 cm.
5. 5. After planting the “little blue” seedlings, carry out the first watering 5 days later. Then water the plants once every 7 days, and during the development and ripening of the fruits - 2-3 times a week.



Maintaining temperature conditions

The optimal air temperature for proper growth of eggplants during the day should be between 25-28 °C, and at night - 16-18 °C. The vegetable also has high requirements for soil temperature, which during the growth period should not be higher or lower than 20 °C. The crop grows best in warm soils.

Lower temperature conditions limit plant growth and development. If the temperature is above 30 degrees, then the number of ovaries decreases.

For better temperature control, thermometers should be installed under the greenhouse roof and at the base of the plant soil. Lowering the air temperature is possible by ventilating the room and watering the soil between the beds with seedlings.



Loosening

After each watering of the plants, the soil around young seedlings must be loosened to a depth of 5 cm. As the seedlings grow and flowers appear, by 7-8 cm. Deeper loosening of the soil is not recommended, as the superficial root system of eggplants can be damaged.

After this procedure, it is necessary to hill up the base of the seedlings by 6-7 cm. This way the soil retains moisture longer and weeds stop growing.

Fertilizer

Fertilizer application should be based on a chemical analysis of the soil composition. Recommended doses of individual components should be (in g/m2):

• N (nitrogen) - 10-25;
• P (phosphorus) - 3-6;
• K (potassium) - 15-30.

Eggplants receive nutrients evenly throughout the growing season, so it is important to provide them systematically to the plants. It is imperative to pay attention to the degree of salinity of the soil, since this crop does not respond well to high salt concentrations - in this case, the intensity of the photosynthesis process decreases, which leads to a decrease in the quantity and quality of the crop.

Throughout the season it is necessary to feed the plants 3 to 5 times. The first application of complex fertilizers to the soil is carried out after the seedlings have taken root (usually after two weeks). At the beginning of fruiting, eggplants should be fed with phosphorus and potassium. During the period of fruit ripening, nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers must be added to the plant soil.

Forming and tying up plants

When growing eggplants under film, they must be trimmed. This is how plants are shaped in order to provide them with proper lighting conditions. Side shoots are cut behind the first or second leaf, or ovaries.

It is also possible to speed up the ripening process of vegetables. To do this, you should pinch the tops of the shoots so that the plant does not waste energy on growth, but directs it to ripening the fruits.

The “little blue ones” have very fragile and weak shoots; they break easily under the weight of ripening fruits, so they need to be tied to a support. To strengthen the plant, its stems are tied to a trellis using taut wire. Low-growing varieties of eggplant do not need this procedure.

Disease and pest control

Eggplants are susceptible to fungal diseases, mainly gray rot. They also often harbor pests such as spider mites, thrips, aphids and greenhouse whiteflies.

Against spider mites, whiteflies, Colorado potato beetles and aphids, you should use the Strela product, which is harmless to humans.

Harvesting

The fruits should be harvested when they turn a deep blue color and their skin becomes shiny. The harvest is harvested as the vegetables ripen (once a week). You should not delay harvesting, because then mature fruits will interfere with the development of others or, conversely, underdeveloped specimens will begin to ripen prematurely.

Overripe eggplants are bitter and are not suitable for consumption as their pulp and seeds become very hard. During harvesting, the fruits should be cut off along with the stalks, about 2 cm long. In greenhouse conditions, depending on the growing method, pruning, and plant variety, you can get an average yield of 6-9 kg/m2.

In order for the fruits to retain their high performance qualities, immediately after harvesting they must be packaged in foil bags and stored in a dark and cool place with a temperature of 4 to 6°C.

The best varieties of eggplant for greenhouses

When choosing varieties of this vegetable, professional producers and breeders pay attention to:

• plant health;
• performance;
• fruit setting method;
• size, length and shape of the fruit.

Experienced gardeners grow early and mid-season “blue” varieties.

Priority is given to low-growing bushes that do not need additional garter. The best varieties of eggplant for greenhouses include Bagheera, a low-growing, early-ripening species. The fruits have a regular oval shape, dark purple color with a glossy sheen. It is characterized by high productivity, resistance to pests and ease of care.

Eggplant is one of the most capricious and demanding vegetable plants in terms of growing conditions. Not every gardener manages to provide them, as well as cope with the diseases and pests that often affect this crop.
The best results are obtained by growing eggplants in a greenhouse, where it is easier to monitor and control the microclimate. The article below will tell you how to do it correctly, from preparatory work to harvesting.

This healthy vegetable is demanding not only on temperature and humidity, but also on the quality of the soil. It should be fertile, loose, free from pathogens dangerous to nightshade crops.
Therefore, the greenhouse for eggplants begins to be prepared for planting in the fall.

Soil preparation and disinfection

In a greenhouse or on an area where a shelter will be installed in the spring, after harvesting, the beds (see) are cleared of all plant residues - tops of previously grown crops, weeds. After that, the soil is dug up and watered generously to get rid of excess fertilizers used during the season.
Disinfection is carried out using a thermal or chemical method of your choice. Its goal is to disinfect greenhouse soil and destroy pathogenic microorganisms living in it.
It is especially necessary if other nightshades, such as tomatoes or bell peppers, were grown in the greenhouse before the eggplants.
The instructions for disinfection are extremely simple:

• The thermal method involves treating the soil with boiling water, which is poured directly onto the ground.

• For chemical disinfection, dry bleach is used. The powder is scattered over the beds at the rate of 100 grams per square meter and raked into the ground.

Advice. To protect eggplants from the most common disease - blackleg - the soil is additionally disinfected with formaldehyde.
To do this, a glass of the finished drug with a concentration of 40% is dissolved in 10 liters of water and treated with 1 sq.m. of the prepared solution. soil. Then cover it with plastic wrap for 24 hours.

Before frost, the soil is dug up again and left for the winter. In the spring it will only be enough to loosen it.

Fertilizer

It can also be done in different ways. The simplest one is to embed rotted manure or compost into the ground to the depth of the arable layer.
A partial bucket per square meter is enough.

Advice. In order not to do unnecessary work, humus can be applied not to the entire area of ​​the beds, but to the bottom of each hole before transplanting the seedlings.

The point is not just to mix the soil with organic fertilizer, but to lay it at the level where the plant roots will subsequently end up. Growing eggplants in greenhouses in this case will be more effective, since the manure, decomposing, will not only nourish the plants, but also “warm up” the soil, making it looser.
Another method is much more effective, but it is more complex and time-consuming, since it requires a complete replacement of the soil in the greenhouse every 2-3 years:

• The depleted spent topsoil is raked out of the shelter;
• Pour it in a remote corner of the site, pouring it liberally with slurry every 10-15 cm and, if the soil is acidic, sprinkling it with dry lime;
• In spring and autumn, the pile is shoveled, and weeds are removed from it throughout the warm season;

• After 2-3 years, the finished fertile soil is moved to the eggplant greenhouse to replace the removed soil, which in turn is also enriched.

Planting and care

All more or less experienced gardeners know that heat-loving crops, exotic for our latitudes, do not have time to go through the entire vegetation cycle during our short summer, so they are planted in a permanent place with already grown seedlings. That is, before growing, you first need to buy or grow seedlings yourself.
It is better, of course, to grow it if there are conditions for this in the house or apartment. In this case, you can choose the desired variety yourself, and today there are a lot of them.

Transplanting

Plants love freedom and unhindered access to light. Take this into account when preparing the beds: it is best to plant eggplants (see) in one, maximum two rows with a distance between them of at least 30 cm, and between rows - 60 cm.
It is easy to calculate that with such a planting scheme there will be no more than six plants per square meter of greenhouse. Based on these requirements, make holes in the beds about 20 cm deep, after loosening and leveling the soil.

Attention! If organic fertilizer - humus or compost - is added to the hole, it needs to be made a little deeper and the organic matter at the bottom mixed with soil.

Prepare water for planting by dissolving potassium permanganate in it until it turns pale pink. Water the seedlings generously with regular, settled water so that they can be easily removed from the cups without damaging the root system.
Having poured 2 liters of water colored with potassium permanganate into the hole, carefully remove the seedling from the pot, lower it into the hole and cover it with soil slightly higher than the level it was before. You don’t have to remove the seedlings from the peat pots, but for better rooting, it is advisable to “punch” them slightly until cracks and tears form on the walls.

Having planted all the seedlings, water them again and close the greenhouse with eggplants well, eliminating drafts. After such stress, plants need complete rest for 10-14 days.
On days that are too sunny, the greenhouse can be covered with fabric to create shade.

Note. It is not recommended to open the greenhouse not only because of drafts and cold. Eggplants are planted in May, when the previously planted potatoes have not yet sprouted, and Colorado potato beetles attack them, instantly destroying tender young plants.

How to care

In order to grow a rich harvest of “little blue ones” with your own hands, you need to create a certain temperature regime in the greenhouse and maintain it constantly. It is important to remember that the temperature should not fall below 13 and rise above 36-40 degrees.
In the first case, the plants will stop growing and begin to wither; in the second, they will not be able to pollinate and set fruit, since in extreme heat the pollen becomes sterile. Growing eggplants in a greenhouse should occur at a temperature of 20-30 degrees and sufficient humidity.
The optimal temperature for these tropical plants is 25-28 degrees. If it is higher, the greenhouse should be ventilated, avoiding drafts.
To do this, doors and windows (see) are opened only on one side. It’s even better if the greenhouse is equipped with transoms located in the upper part and in the roof.

Irrigating paths with cold water also helps make the air cooler. At night, the air temperature does not reach critical values, so the greenhouse should always be kept closed at night.
We will briefly discuss below how to care for eggplants in the future.
In addition, we suggest watching a video on this topic:

• Watering (see). The first time after transplantation, the seedlings are watered after 5-7 days, trying to wet the soil to the depth at which the plant roots are located - that is, 15-20 cm.
  In the future, watering is carried out as needed, preventing the soil from drying out. Water should not get on the leaves, so water the eggplants at the root.
• Loosening. The soil around the plants is loosened regularly, preventing the formation of a dense crust that does not allow air to pass through.
  At the same time, in order to prevent high humidity from being harmful to the plants, they are watered in the morning, the greenhouse is ventilated during the day, and in the evening the soil is loosened to a depth of no more than 3-4 cm.

Advice. High humidity after watering and the need for loosening can be avoided by mulching the soil in the beds.

• Bush formation. In ordinary eggplant varieties, pinch off the top of the main stem after the plants reach a height of 25-30 cm.
  A few of the strongest ones are left to grow from the side shoots, and the rest are also pinched. In the future, you will simply need to remove yellowed leaves and shoots without ovaries.

For reference. Tall hybrid varieties, as a rule, do not pinch, but they need to be tied to supports, as is done with tomatoes.

• Feeding. Most of all, the “little blue ones” need nitrogen, but you shouldn’t abuse it either, so as not to provoke an excessive growth of green mass.
  As a fertilizer, you can use either azofoska (3 tablespoons per bucket of water) or organic matter - an infusion of mullein 1:10 or fermented weeds 1:5. 500 ml of any of these products is enough for each plant once every 10-12 days (after the main watering).
• Cleaning. Some varieties of eggplant are suitable for consumption only in the phase of full ripeness, while others can be picked very young.
  They are cut from the bush with sharp pruning shears along with the stalk. If vegetables are grown for sale, keep in mind that they do not last long, and the price largely depends on their appearance.
  It is better to decide in advance on the form of implementation.

Conclusion

Growing eggplants in greenhouses is always much more successful than in open ground, especially if we are not talking about southern latitudes. But even here you need to try very hard to make these capricious plants feel comfortable - only in this case they will thank you with tasty and healthy fruits.
We hope that the information received will help you cope with this difficult matter.