Solanum melongena
Eggplant
Common names: Aubergine
Photo: Joydeep · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The eggplant is a heat-loving relative of tomato and pepper and needs a protected sunny spot. It feels most comfortable in a greenhouse or pot. Varieties such as 'Black Beauty' produce dark violet fruits that you harvest young and shiny.
Care instructions
Start the seedlings at the end of February week 9 on the windowsill and transplant them only after the last frost mid May week 20. Water evenly and warm, never cold from above, and fertilize the heavy feeders every two weeks. Support the stems and remove the first side shoots for stronger fruit.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, well-drained, nutrient-rich, loamy
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Companion planting
Good neighbors
asparagus family (Asparagaceae)
particularly well establishedAsparagus and tomato benefit from each other. The tomato keeps the asparagus beetle away, and the asparagus repels threadworms that harm the tomato.
For example AsparagusFunkieBluebellMuscariHyacinthAmerican Agave
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
mint family (Lamiaceae)
particularly well establishedYou will find that basil next to tomato and pepper improves taste and keeps whiteflies and aphids away.
For example LavenderThymeRosemarySageHyssopBohnenkraut and 30 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
borage family (Boraginaceae)
Borage attracts pollinators and is supposed to keep tomato pests away from the nightshade family.
For example BoragoCommon comfreyPhaceliaForget-me-notNatternkopfSwamp Forget-Me-Not and one more species in the catalogue
Source: organic greenhouse companion planting practice
Rather not
amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae)
Onions slow down the growth of nightshade family plants next to potatoes and tomatoes; the classic crop-rotation rule also applies in the bed side by side.
For example GarlicOnionLeekChivesDaffodilRocambole and 12 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop-rotation rule
daisy family (Asteraceae)
Sunflowers release substances into the soil that inhibit potato tuber growth, and they also compete for water and nutrients.
For example Tagetes patulaCalendulaSunflowerCommon coneflowerFall AsterIceberg lettuce and 56 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop-rotation rule
gourd family (Cucurbitaceae)
You should avoid planting potato and cucumber together because they share disease pathogens such as leaf and brown rot and stand in each other's way as strong feeders.
For example CucumberPumpkinCourgettepickling cucumberButternutHokkaido and 14 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop-rotation rule
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
Diseases & pests
6 relevantFrom the knowledge base, automatically linked by affected species. How to spot and prevent them is covered in full in the lexicon.
Leptinotarsa decemlineata
You will notice the yellow-black striped Colorado potato beetle and its red larvae can strip a potato field bare in a few days.
More on Colorado potato beetleTetranychus urticae
The two-spotted spider mite appears above all in dry heat in the greenhouse and sucks on the underside of the leaves, which makes the leaves first pale and speckled, then dull bronze coloured, before…
More on Two-spotted spider miteTuta absoluta
The tomato leafminer (Tuta absoluta) is a small moth whose caterpillars feed inside the leaves and fruit of tomatoes and their relatives.
More on Tomato leafminerVerticillium dahliae
Verticillium wilt is a soil borne fungal disease that enters through the roots and blocks the plant's vascular tissue.
More on Verticillium wiltTrialeurodes vaporariorum
The whitefly is a heat loving sap sucker that appears above all in the greenhouse and on container plants: larvae and pupae sit on the undersides of the leaves, and when the plant is knocked the…
More on WhiteflySclerotinia sclerotiorum
White mould, also called Sclerotinia rot, is a fungal disease with a broad host range that attacks lettuce, beans and many other crops.
More on White mould (Sclerotinia rot)Varieties
7 varieties‚Black Beauty’
You will find the worldwide popular classic *‚Black Beauty’* with deep black‑violet, glossy fruits that become round‑oval and quite heavy.
‚Clara F1’
You will find *‚Clara F1’* a modern F1 hybrid with ivory‑white, egg‑shaped fruits and vigorous, yield‑secure growth.
‚De Barbentane’
An old Provençal variety with long, slender, deep violet fruits that thrive in the warm south.
‚Listada de Gandia’
This Spanish beauty bears egg shaped fruits with striking white and violet striping that turns any bed into an eye catcher.
‚Ophelia F1’
A modern mini aubergine with many small, egg shaped fruits, particularly suited to pots and balconies.
‚Rosa Bianca’
An Italian heirloom variety with round, bulbous fruits in a soft pink lavender shaded with white.
‚Violetta Lunga’
A classic Italian variety with long, slender and glossy dark purple fruit, just as you know it from the Mediterranean vegetable garden.
Notes from real gardens
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