In so many nations, eggplant is a favorite dish.
Consider dishes like Indian cooking’s brinjal, French ratatouille, Asian stir-fries, Greek moussaka, and numerous Egyptian dishes.
Having your own eggplant plant will give you access to delectable ingredients. Continue reading to learn how to safeguard it by surrounding it with the best companion plants as it grows.
Table of Contents
Companion plants for Eggplants
Continue reading to learn more about the various reasons why the plants listed below are excellent eggplant companions!
1. Peas
A great plant to grow next to eggplants, which produce tasty peas and enrich the soil with nitrogen as they grow.
2. Climbing beans
As they develop, climbing beans also fix nitrogen in the soil, which your eggplant can use to produce larger fruit. However, it’s crucial to make sure the eggplant is exposed to direct sunshine.
Plant beans in a row with ample space between them, then a row of eggplants. In this manner, your eggplants won’t be shaded by the beans.
3. Bush beans
The nitrogen that bush beans will add will be adored by the eggplant. The Colorado potato beetle, a significant pest of eggplant, is deterred by these beans, which has an extra benefit. Learn more about common eggplant pests and how to protect your plants by reading on.
4. Herbs
Herbs like thyme make great companion plants because of their numerous uses and potent aromas. We adore using their scents to flavor our food. However, because thyme has such a potent scent, many pests will avoid your eggplant because of it.
Another potent herb that keeps moths away from eggplant is French tarragon, which has a similar potent aroma. This herb enhances the flavor of recipes that include eggplant beautifully.
Mexican marigold has lovely, curled orange blossom heads that will catch your eye and deter bugs from the eggplants.
5. Sweet and hot peppers
Due to their similar requirements for soil, water, and light, sweet and hot peppers are the ideal companion plant for eggplants. They should be securely staked and kept a safe distance away from the tender eggplants.
You can combine the flavors of this fruit in your kitchen to create a late-summer dish with fiery chile and eggplant.
6. Tomatoes
Because they prefer the same growth conditions as eggplant, tomatoes are frequently utilized as an eggplant partner. If you grow a bush tomato, it will probably provide undesired shade unless it is placed far away. Avoid placing your eggplant in the shade!
7. Spinach
Typically, eggplant grows higher than spinach, allowing the spinach to be shaded. Therefore, both plants gain. After you have harvested the eggplants, the spinach will still develop because it prefers milder temperatures.
8. Borage
Because it has star-shaped blue flowers that are well recognized for luring pollinators like bees, borage works well as an eggplant companion plant.
Your eggplant blooms will then receive fertilization from the bees. Few people are aware that borage flowers are edible and that they would look amazing in your drinks. Try them at your upcoming barbecue!
9. Lettuce and salad
In contrast to your hungry eggplant, lettuce and salads grow swiftly, don’t develop deep roots, and don’t receive a lot of nutrients. Thus, this is a fantastic option.
The entire summer, you can harvest leaves and they will keep growing. You can harvest greens in the spring and eggplants in the late summer because your eggplant harvest starts considerably later.
10. Lemon balm and mint
These two plants will both benefit from the shade that your eggplant provides. They both, however, are invasive in the soil, therefore I would suggest placing them in pots close to eggplants but apart from them so they don’t compete for the same soil.
They are content in the shade on some days and their perfume will draw in helpful pollinators and deter pests. While these two are contently dozing off in the shadows, your eggplant snatches the soil and sunlight. So, everyone benefits.
3 Worst companion plants for Eggplants
The next three plants are poor choices as eggplant companions. As a result, bear them in mind while combining your eggplants with other plants.
Fennel
Next to eggplant, fennel is the worst offender since it emits a toxin that inhibits the growth of nearby plants. In other words, your eggplant’s size will suffer.
Tall plants
Any tall plant that may spread and provide shade. Because they are fragile, eggplants like to be the center of attention.
Any rivalry will cause the fruit to grow slowly or possibly turn bitter. So choose the finest location for your eggplant and take good care of it with good soil, regular watering, fertilizer, and enough of sunlight.
Potatoes
The Colorado potato bug has an opportunity when potatoes and eggplant are planted together. It is preferable to prevent the beetle from having the opportunity to fly from potato to eggplant and vice versa. I strongly discourage growing potatoes with your eggplant.
For tips on common pests, continue reading.
Does eggplant grow well with cucumber?
This mixture functions well. Both cucumbers and eggplants love the sun and healthy soil, and they both thrive in comparable environments. Just watch out that the cucumber doesn’t discredit the main attraction.
Your eggplant aspires to take center stage!
Additionally, the cucumber will need to be staked and fed. Therefore, if you give them both a good meal every two weeks, you can have a cucumber salad with your eggplant parmigiana.
Are tomatoes and eggplant good companion plants?
Do you realize how much the eggplant enjoys being the main attraction? Treat them accordingly, providing them with good soil, six hours of sunlight, daily hydration, and the ideal location.
Using these tips will help your tomatoes grow as well.
But because the eggplant is arguably one of the fussiest plants, arrange it where it will receive the greatest sunlight and the least amount of shadow.
The tomatoes should be moved to a location with a little more shade. The tomatoes won’t care too much, but your eggplant won’t be as understanding.
Can eggplant and zucchini be planted together?
If the zucchini is handled as a secondary to the eggplant, zucchini pairs well with eggplant. Give it everything you have because it’s difficult to find a fussier plant than an eggplant.
In order to prevent the zucchini from spreading and developing mildew on its leaves, stake it well and make sure to remove any infected leaves. Make sure your eggplant receives enough of sun.
Both plants should prosper in this manner.
6 factors that affect eggplant fruiting
Eggplants are fragile and demanding plants. Companion planting helps them, but since they are the main attraction, they deserve the finest.
Soil
When your eggplant begins to flower, your soil should be rich, preferably enhanced with fertilizer every two weeks. In order to prevent your roots from being wet and sitting in water, it must also drain efficiently.
Water
It needs a constant supply of moisture without becoming soggy, so if at all feasible, water every day, especially during the hot and sunny days. Keep your plant from drying out. If necessary, soak plants thoroughly early in the morning and again in the late afternoon.
Heat
Warmth is necessary for the germination, flowering, and fruiting of eggplants. You can start your seedlings indoors. To flourish, however, eggplants need temperatures of at least 20 and preferably 24 degrees Celsius (75°F).
For germination, their optimal temperature is above 24°C (75°F), and their leaves and fruit can thrive in temperatures as high as 80°F. Your eggplant won’t flower and its fruit will be disappointingly little if the temperature falls below that.
Sunshine
The next essential factor is sunshine. At least 6 hours each day are required. Your eggplant will grow bushier and with more stems if you pinch out the growing tips.
Time and patience!
On my eggplants, which didn’t flower for the aforementioned reasons, I got wonderful foliage. Then, one morning, I was shocked by a purple bud! Water them thoroughly, prune the tips, limit the number of fruits produced by each plant to no more than 6 to 8, stake them securely, keep an eye on them, and be patient.
Common flower problems
If flowers are not fertilized, they may wither away. Therefore, be sure to plant flowers like borage or nasturtiums nearby to draw pollinators. When water or sunlight are scarce, fruit may not develop or it drops off very little. Continue watering!
Throughout the entire growing season, keep providing additional nutrition and feeding the plants.
Many of the nutrients required can be provided by comfrey leaves that have been sown in the ground of the eggplant. If you don’t have those, fertilize every two weeks and keep adding new compost.
You might occasionally need to physically pollinate flowers. If fruiting is slow, use a clean paintbrush to collect pollen and paint your blooms by hand.
FAQs
each day!
Your eggplant is a spoiled child who need a lot of tender loving care. Give it the greatest fertilizer to eat. Water it frequently. Never let it get shaded; otherwise, your eggplant might never forgive you. It will reward you with ripe fruit if you take good care of it.
Good luck, and keep in mind that gardening with eggplants is not for the weak-hearted!
What is the best soil for Eggplant?
Rich as is conceivable!
It’s great to add well-rotted manure. While it grows, you must also continue fertilizing and adding additional nutrients. The best results can be obtained by including comfrey leaves or slow-release capsules (or both).
Which pests target eggplants?
The worst pest on potatoes and eggplants is the Colorado beetle.
Crop rotation can help defeat it. A healthy approach to guarantee that this beetle’s life cycle is disrupted is to ensure that previous year’s larvae cannot hatch and reproduce in this year’s crop.
Both potatoes and eggplants are adored by beetles, so be careful not to plant your eggplant on the ground or in containers that had potatoes during the previous growing season.
Use good seed, then mulch your young eggplant plants with straw to limit the number of adults that successfully make it to the ground. The majority of these beetles can be effectively discouraged by covering the row with this mulch.
Washing the leaves will take care of mealybugs, aphids, and whiteflies. Use water and dish soap or a few drops of neem oil. To get rid of pests, mist the leaves and then wipe them down with a cloth dipped in this concoction.
If a severe infestation occurs, perform this every day. Keep an eye on your eggplant and keep wiping it down once a week.
How can I get my eggplant to flower?
A rich soil is necessary. In order to flourish, eggplants need nitrogen, thus plants that cure this problem (such beans and peas) are quite helpful.
Gardeners advise adding bone meal to the soil before planting, claiming that this promotes the formation of flowers. It is crucial to have soil that drains well and contains all the minerals required for optimal growth.
A minimum of six hours a day of direct sunlight are required for eggplant. Review the six variables that determine eggplant growth.
How long does it take to harvest eggplant fruit?
It takes 105 to 120 days for an eggplant to mature from seed to harvest. To encourage your eggplant to grow more bushily, pinch the tops. Every two weeks, fertilize your eggplants.
The eggplant doesn’t flower until at least 60 days. If the soil, sunlight, and watering are sufficient, flowers should start to bloom after 60 to 70 days. When eggplant blooms, it is a lovely sight.
However, to ensure that the eggplant grows to a healthy size, keep the number of fruits to 6 to 8 maximum.
Pollination is required to create the delicate purple blooms with petals falling down. When eggplant flowers appear while being grown indoors, you might need to gently shake the plant to spread the pollen.
As an alternative, you can manually pollinate eggplant blooms. Simply sprinkle the pollen inside the blossoms with a paintbrush.
Neem oil diluted in water should be sprayed on any bugs before cleaning leaves. Removing diseased branches will improve airflow.
For the best eggplant, pick the fruit when it’s still young.