Early Midnight Eggplant

Light Needs

Full Sun

(At Least 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

30 - 36 Inches

Mature Spread

32 Inches

Eggplant is a healthy fruit packed with nutrition and low in calories and fat. Early Midnight Eggplant has less seeds and an earlier harvest than most varieties, so you can cook some favorite recipes with this delicious fruit that even the kids can enjoy. Within about 55 days of planting Early Midnight, a week shorter than most varieties, you should be able to harvest 4-inch, nearly seedless deep purple eggplants.

Early Midnight Eggplant is such an attractive little plant, with large tomato-like leaves and deep purple fruit that is white on the inside. The plant grows to just under 3 feet high in a nice, rounded form. When producing fruit, the eggplant opens star-shaped lavender flowers, so this is an attractive edible to grow anywhere in your garden.

Early Midnight Eggplant Plant Care

Like its relatives the tomato and pepper, eggplant likes warm weather. Plant Early Midnight Eggplant once the soil warms and well past the last frost date. Give the eggplant fertile soil that drains well and lots of sunshine. Once the plant begins to grow and start fruit, you might need a support like some stakes or a small tomato cage. The plant grows neatly but can get heavy once loaded with mature purple fruit. If you are planting more than one eggplant, give them enough space to grow, spacing them at least 1 to 2 feet apart.

Growing Early Midnight Eggplant Plants

Eggplants grow best when temperatures are warm, between 70 and 85 degrees. Since Early Midnight is a week quicker to harvest time, you can wait a week or two later to put it in the ground than you can with some eggplants. Adding composted manure in the ground or raised bed warms up the soil more, or you can add black plastic mulch above the ground around the plant; just leave enough room at the plant's base for air and water to reach the roots. Eggplants need at least 6 hours of direct sun a day. The fruit is ready to harvest when about 4 inches long and still glossy in appearance. Use a knife or pruning shears to harvest to avoid damaging the plant with twisting or pulling.

You can grow Early Midnight Eggplant in a pot. Choose a container that is at least 14 inches in diameter; a 5-gallon container should work. Glazed finishes are better than clay (terracotta) with no finish; these clay pots dry out too quickly. Darker containers will help warm the soil for the eggplant. Add a stake or other support in or near the container for the mature plant. Water the eggplant slowly and deeply.

Watering Early Midnight Eggplants

Early Midnight Eggplant needs good, consistent watering all through the growing season. The plant won't do well in standing water, so a slow drip a few times a week is best. Try to let the water run long and slow enough for the moisture to penetrate deep into the soil.

Feeding Early Midnight Eggplants

Fertilize Early Midnight Eggplant with a balanced fruit and vegetable fertilizer or with composted manure. As flowers begin to form, side-dress the plant by placing balanced fertilizer about 6 to 8 inches from the base, then working the fertilizer gently into the soil and watering.

SKU:

EGGEMP