Like its close relative the tomato, eggplant requires the support of a tomato cage or similar structure.
Do tomato cages work for eggplant?
Use garden twine, old laces, or pantyhose looped around the plant and the stake to support it. You could also use a tomato cage, of which there are several types.
Should I stake or cage eggplant?
Like tomatoes and peppers, eggplants should be staked for optimum growth and yield (Figure 2). Staking keeps the eggplant fruit from touching the ground, which reduces disease and improves fruit shape, particularly on elongated fruit. Staking also makes harvesting easier.
What vegetables need a tomato cage?
Don’t let those tomato cages sit unused; there are plenty of other veggies in your garden that could use some support – flowers too.
- Peas. Peas need support too!
- Runner/Pole Beans.
- Peppers.
- Cucumbers.
- Cucamelons.
- Zucchini/Summer Squash.
- Malabar Spinach.
- Peonies.
Can eggplants and tomatoes be planted together?
Nightshades: Other members of the nightshade family, like tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes, make good companions for eggplants because they share similar growing requirements.
What should you not plant next to eggplant?
What Not To Plant With Eggplant. Do not plant fennel near your eggplant. Fennel inhibits growth in many plants, including eggplant. Geraniums can host diseases that also affect eggplant such as leaf blight and root rot, so it is best to avoid planting them with eggplant.
How do you increase eggplant yield?
If you have poor fruit set, hand-pollinate the flowers to help increase production. Use an electric toothbrush to vibrate to flower stems (not the flowers themselves) for a few seconds each to help the pollen move within the flowers. 9. The more frequently the fruits are harvested, the greater the fruit set.
How tall should eggplant stakes be?
Immediately after planting (in ground or pot), set 24-inch-high stakes 1 to 2 inches from each plant or use cages to provide support and avoid disturbing the soil or roots later. Eggplant will fall over when laden with fruit.
How do I get my eggplant to produce fruit?
When an eggplant plant is stressed, its blossoms will dry up and drop off without producing fruit. The most common reason a eggplant gets stressed is due to a lack of water. Your eggplant needs at least 2 inches (5 cm.) of water a week, more in very hot weather.
How much room does an eggplant need?
Choose a location in your garden where you have not grown tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplants and tomatillos for the past three or four years. Practice crop rotation. Space eggplants 18 inches apart, in rows 30 to 36 inches apart.
How tall do eggplants grow?
Whether you plant them in the vegetable garden or perennial garden, give eggplants plenty of space to mature. Plants can grow 2 to 4 feet tall and wide, which means they need to be staked.
Can you grow eggplant next to cucumbers?
If you want to plant both cucumbers and potatoes in your garden, plant them far away from one another. (Other members of the nightshade family, like tomato plants and eggplants, are fine to plant with cucumbers.)
Can tomato cages be used for other vegetables?
About Tomato Cage
It have the similar function with tomato tower, they provide all-round support for tomatoes, peas, cucumbers, zucchini, pepper and other fast growing vines & climbing plants. Set tomato cages in your vegetable garden to keep them upright but less tied needed.
When should you use a tomato cage?
Start early. Tomato plants grow fairly quickly and placing cages around mature plants can be difficult to manage without damaging the plant. Once seedlings are established, place cages around the young plants, taking care not to damage developing roots.
What vegetables should be caged?
What plants you should get a cage for
- Flowers: Peonies, wisteria, Morning glories and roses.
- Fruits and vegetables: Berry bushes, cucumbers, peas and beans.
What is the best planted next to eggplant?
Additional Eggplant Companions
- Peppers, both sweet and hot, make good companion plants, as they have the same growing needs and are susceptible to the same pests and diseases.
- Tomatoes are often used as eggplant companions.
- Potatoes and spinach are also said to make great companion plantings too.
What should I interplant with eggplant?
Interplant open-flowered herbs from the carrot family — like dill and cilantro — to attract predators of the Colorado potato beetle, including lacewings, coccinellid beetles, and spotted lady beetles. Grow eggplant after a cover crop of crimson clover to discourage pests and invite predators.
What can you not plant next to tomatoes?
Companion Plants To Avoid Growing Near Tomatoes
- Brassicas. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi can stunt the growth of your tomato plant because they out-compete them for the same nutrients.
- Corn.
- Fennel.
- Dill.
- Potatoes.
- Eggplant.
- Walnuts.
Do eggplant plants need cages?
Like its close relative the tomato, eggplant requires the support of a tomato cage or similar structure. And you may need to prune your plants occasionally.
Is coffee grounds good for eggplants?
Coffee grounds have many uses outside the kitchen, and one of them involves improving the acidity of your eggplant’s soil. What plants like coffee grounds? Like a tomato plant or roses, eggplants thrive in acidic soil, and adding coffee grounds is an easy way to ensure your soil reaches the proper pH.
How deep do eggplant roots grow?
Eggplants roots reach about 2 feet deep and plants should not be subjected to water stress. Stress during the bloom can cause substantial reduction in fruit set. Keep adequate moisture in the deeper soil layers even when plants are small.