6.1.2 Egg Plant – Compost/Manure Technique

Eggplant is relatively low in vitamins and minerals, but they do have a high anti-oxidant concentration. They are also one of the easier large fruit vegetables to grow and far less susceptible to pest and disease as compared to Tomatoes. They should be grown in soils that are deep, well drained and fertile.

Eggplants prefer a spring or early summer planting time with optimal temperature ranges between 20-27°C.

Layout

For ease of access, it is recommended for Field scale growers to plant eggplant in double rows 75cm apart with 60cm between plants, then skip a row leaving a 150cm wide pathway until the next double rows.

Small scale gardeners can grow them at 60 by 75cm intervals for best use of limited space.

Eggplant is very heavy and therefore it is advisable to build a trellis network on the row lines for the plants to gain support.

Placing 60cm Measuring Rope

Place a 60cm measuring rope from one 75cm permanent peg to its adjoining 75cm permanent peg on the opposite side. Make sure the rope is taut and straight by lifting and dropping it.

Remove God’s Blanket

Move God’s Blanket 30cm downslope from each planting station, to expose the soil.

Soil Fracturing

Give your Eggplant a good chance of success by fracturing each 75cm row line to 30cm deep.

Digging Planting Stations

The wide plant spacing make them best suited for inputs placed directly into planting stations rather than surface composting. Dig a planting station 15cm deep at each 60cm interval, moving the soil downslope of the measuring rope, taking care to neatly heap the soil for reuse later. Planting stations should be 12cm wide, 15cm long and 15cm deep. Repeat this at each 75cm row or alternatively with field scale prepare double rows at 75cm with a 150cm walkway thereafter.

Correcting Acidic Soils

To correct acidic soils and allow for readily available plant nutrients evenly sprinkle 1 tablespoon of woodash/bonemeal or 1 teaspoon of lime, in each of the 60cm planting stations.

Compost/Manure

It is preferable to apply 500ml of compost, in each planting station. If you don’t have compost, then you should use older, more mature manure as fresh manure results in excessive leaf growth and reduced fruit.

Seed Depth and Soil Separation Layer

Cover all the inputs with soil from the downslope heap until the soil surface is level again. Replace the 2.5cm thick blanket on top of the planting stations.

Planting Seedlings

Twist the dibble stick through the blanket and press it into the centre of each of the planting stations, to the required depth. You must ensure the seedling roots are not bent into a J shape which will adversely affect the plants growth, so make sure the dibble stick hole depth, is sufficient but not too deep either. If the hole is too deep, it will cause there to be an air space under the roots which is also not desirable. To ensure you don’t have that, hold the Eggplant seedling in place and press with the dibble stick or your fingers at an angle, pressing the soil gently around the seedling roots. This ensures the seedling roots have no bend and ensures that there are no airspaces around the root zone.

Pest Control

Your first line of defence against pests and disease is to keep the plants stress free by having healthy soils, thick mulch cover and an excellent supply of nutrients. Any organic pest management control must focus on prevention rather than cures (See Chapter 5).

All the solanaceous plants, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Peppers and Potatoes are susceptible to similar pests and diseases, so it is critical to have a 2 year break in your rotation planning with these crops.

Observe your plants regularly and if diseased plants have been identified it is often the best option to simply remove those plants and dispose of them far away from the garden.