Our eggplants are grown in large 4.5" pots and are planted as single plants. They will do well in containers as well as in the ground and should be allowed approximately 18-24" of spacing.
Eggplants need very little care but what they do like is hot sunshine with warm nights and a nice moist soil. Plants get about 2 feet around and about as high and generally do not need supports but putting them in a tomato cage can be very helpful because branches can be brittle and will break easily when the fruit is heavy and winds are high.
You can plant your eggplant plants anytime after your last frost date but you will not see fruit start to develop until the weather warms up in summertime. Space plants 18 to 20 inches apart in the row. Three to six plants are usually sufficient for most families.
Harvest the fruits when they are 6 to 8 inches long and glossy. Fruit should be large, shiny, and a uniformly deep purple color. When the side of the fruit is pressed slightly with thumbnail and an indentation remains, the fruit is ripe. Long, slender, Japanese eggplant may be ready to harvest from finger or hotdog size. If fruit is a dull color and has brown seeds, it is too ripe and should be discarded. Use a knife or pruning shears rather than breaking or twisting the stems. Leave the large, usually green, calyx attached to the fruit.
When the fruits become dull and brown, they are too mature for culinary use and should be cut off and discarded. Overmature fruits are spongy and seedy. The fruit does not store well and should be eaten soon after it is harvested. Large, vigorous plants can yield as many as four to six fruits at the peak of the season.
