Jan–MarApr–JunJul–SepOct–Dec
Planting
Days to maturity
Seasonal yields
Sow indoors · Direct sow · Transplant outdoors
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Plant · P-216
Eggplant
Solanum melongena
Eggplant is the one crop in this tomato-family group that actually wants a hot, humid summer instead of shutting down in one: it needs steady growing-season temperatures around 77-86 F, including warm nights that would stop tomato from setting fruit, so it fruits straight through the midsummer stretch that splits a tomato harvest in two. The fruit gets baked, stewed or used in curries and should never be eaten raw, and despite one traditional preparation on record, the leaves are narcotic and toxic and should not be eaten either. It also tolerates a wider soil pH range than most of its relatives, up to about 7.2, so it needs far less amending on alkaline ground.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 8–11
- Soil
- Sand · Loam
- Moisture
- Well-Drained · Moderate
Vertical layer
Herbaceous- Soil pH
- 5.5–6.8
- Plant type
- Annual
- Mature height
- 2–4 ft
- Mature spread
- 12–36 in
- Plant spacing
- 18–24 in
- Root type
- Tap
- Spread pattern
- Seed
Keep exploring
Similar plants
Discover more plants with shared forest layers or growing conditions.
Adzuki Bean
Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi & H.Ohashi
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African Eggplant
Solanum aethiopicum
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Alfalfa
Medicago sativa
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Aloe Vera
Aloe vera
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Alsike Clover
Trifolium hybridum
Alsike Clover fixes nitrogen in wet, acid ground too cold and heavy for red clover to thrive in, and its flowers keep bees working all season…
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Amaranth Greens
Amaranthus tricolor
Amaranth greens are one of the few leafy vegetables actually built for peak summer heat rather than one that just tolerates it - sown once…
Herbaceous · USDA 2–11
The deeper layer
Plan what comes next.
- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
- Locked ecological function
- Byproduct
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Behind the record
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