I am a first time eggplant grower. I am in Orlando. I planted in October. The plant is now 3 ft tall loaded with purple flowers. It has been cool at night. Will the flowers turn to fruit?

Thanks for the tips on when to pick.
I started my first eggplant from seed August 1, transplanted two 3″ plants on Sept 10 to Earthbox with a light composted soil plus 2 cups dolomite and 2 cups 7-7-7 fertilizer. Since then all I’ve done is water and take pictures!
They seem very easy to grow: no pests, no staking, no diseases until Nov 1 when I picked about 50 black and orange weevils off each plant!
The two plants are now 2 feet tall. One has 24 eggplants! Our night temps are in the low 60′s now so I don’t know if the other blossoms will set, but if 24 mature, that’s enough to make parmigian for the whole neighborhood!

Do you know why my some of my eggplants have turn a yellow color?And some of them have a funny shape to them.Hope you can help me.This is my first time growing eggplants.

Hi Katherine – You must have had a high amount of fresh manure. If adding compost (without any manures added) you can usually add as much as you want, or have available. Manures , especially fresh, can contain high levels of nitrogen and ammonia. That’s why I recommend composting most manures at least 6 months before adding them to garden soil.

The thing about nitrogen is it doesn’t stick around long. It dissipates pretty quickly due to rain and other factors. By next season the nitrogen levels should be low enough for planting eggplant and other vegetables. Leafy greens like cabbage, kale, collards, or lettuce will benefit from a little extra nitrogen. If the nitrogen is still a bit high there then you could plant some cole crops.

I would suggest getting a soil test kit (from Lowe’s or Home Depot) and test the N-P-K and pH of your soil to get an idea of exactly what your soil has.

If you have too much of a particular nutrient then the best thing to do is add and mix in compost (without any added manures). Adding copious amount of compost is the only way to balance your soil.

We live on a farm with ready access to compost and manure. I went a bit overboard with them when beginning our garden this year. Much of the garden is doing really well but our big bushy eggplants and pepper plants are giving us next to nothing in flowers and veggies. Yes, I know…too much nitrogen! But how do I balance it out at this stage? Is it even possible?

Hi Josi – You probably should transplant the seedlings in an area that gets at least 8 hours of sunlight per day. It needs to be a pretty large area – watermelon vines can spread out 8 – 10 feet. Make sure to water it well each day in hot weather. They are annuals.

Good luck! I hope you grow some nice melons!

Hi Tee! My 10 year old son planted some watermelon seeds in a pot. It is actually growing!! What should I do about it? Where to transplant? Is watermelon annual or perenial? Help…!

Hi Josi – You mean planting the eggplant itself? It might work, but I think you would have better success starting it from seed. Good luck!

Hi Tee! I enjoyed browsing through your website. I have a herb garden, but I’ve never grown vegetables before. An acquaintance gave me 4 eggplants from her garden. I love eggplant!! I have one left wich is mushy and wrinkle. Would I be successful planting it? I live in Marietta, GA. Thanks!

Hi Greg – It could be heat related if you are having very high temperatures currently. You may need to be just a bit more patience. If the temperatures are too high then they will set fruit.