Eggplant is a delicious vegetable, often used in dietetic food due to its low calorie content. In addition, it is recommended to consume a vegetable for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. You can grow eggplants on the territory of the summer cottage.
Germinating seeds
You should start growing seedlings at the end of February. Eggplant seeds should be pickled using 1% potassium permanganate solution. For disinfection, the seeds are placed in a gauze bag and immersed in liquid for 25-30 minutes. Then they are washed in running water.
The seeds are tough, so it is recommended to treat them with boric acid after etching, preparing a solution of 0.5 g of the substance and a liter of water. The seeds are kept in solution for a day.
The prepared seeds are wrapped in wet wipes, placed in a saucer and put into a plastic bag. After 4-5 days, sprouts will hatch.
Seedling preparation
To obtain seedlings, eggplants are planted in paper cups or small plastic containers to a depth of 1.5-2 cm. To grow eggplants successfully, the soil is made up of 75% peat and 25% sawdust. The soil is watered with a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate two hours before replanting the germinated seeds.
Having sown the seeds, they are sprinkled with loose soil on top and not watered. The containers are covered with polyethylene. Seedlings appear on the 4-5th day. If dry seeds are planted, it will take about 10 days to wait for seedlings.
Next, the film is removed from the containers and the sprouts are transferred to a well-lit cool place with a temperature of 18 degrees.
How to transplant eggplants into the ground
Seedlings with 10 leaves at the age of 70-80 days are considered ready for transplantation. Since eggplant can only be grown in warm soil, you need to wait until the soil warms up to 20 degrees. The optimal time for planting in open ground is the end of May.
A site for planting is selected in the fall. The earth should warm up well. Only tomatoes and peppers can grow next to eggplants. In the fall, the soil is dug up, and in the spring it is loosened to a depth of 10-12 cm. If the spring is dry, it is necessary to carefully shed the soil.
Organic fertilizers are applied under eggplants at the rate of 2-6 kg per 1 sq. M. Of mineral fertilizers, potassium and nitrogen are preferable. A third of fertilizers are applied during pre-sowing soil cultivation. The rest - during the period of fruit setting and formation.
The holes are placed at a distance of 25-30 cm with aisles of 45-50 cm. Having planted the seedlings, the holes are covered with dry soil. Watering is carried out every 2-3 days. During the growing season, the soil is periodically loosened and weeds are destroyed. With insufficient watering and frost, eggplants can shed all flowers.
Remove the eggplant when it reaches a dark purple color, cutting off the fruit with a knife or pruning shears together with the stalk.
