How to Grow Eggplants Perfectly Every Single Time 

Eggplants, tomatoes, or peppers? Pick your fav!

I have ADHD so trying to learn how to garden, as much as I wanted to; was too much. Until I stumbled across your channel about a year ago. You have made it so much easier to understand what I needed to know, you are informative, you chunk advice into smaller and targeted ways, you have good energy, you don’t over explain and bore your audience, and you aren’t vague with your titles (so it’s easy to find the information I’m looking for) Thank You 😊. Not only do I now have a decent grasp on gardening, but I enjoy it so much more then I thought I would.

I accidentally made eggplant chips in the oven yesterday, and they were delicious! Little bit of salt, little bit of olive oil, and baked to a crisp.

I am South African. Peel your eggplant, slice in rings, sprinkle salt on and leave till big droplets of water appear. Pat dry with papertowel. Cover in flour, dip in salted whisked egg and then cover in breadcrumbs. Fry in very little oil. Can be a replacement meat in vegetarian burger, but I love it just like that as a veg side to my meal.

I bought six really beat up black beauty eggplants from a big box store in June for cheap...thought i could save them. BIG MISTAKE...a little TLC and they are now 4 to 5 feet tall and I am awamped with fruit...lol

Wife from Brazil taught me a delicious way to prepare eggplant! This is my take on it: We slice the eggplant long (2-3 x 3/4” slices) drop into boiling water and cover with lid for 5-10 minutes (based on firmness preference). Pull from water and set on paper towel to absorb moisture. Brown some ground beef with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika. Place eggplant slices in a baking pan and top with ground beef. Sprinkle heavy mozzarella cheese. Top with a mixture of buttered panko crumbs, seasoned with smoked paprika, and Parmesan cheese Pop that into the oven at 400° or broil until golden brown and serve! Enjoy!

I've been growing Japanese eggplants for about 4 years. My favorite cooking method is to slice it lengthwise, then using pesto (fresh is best but store bought is good too), or a mix of olive oil with minced garlic and parmesan cheese, slather evenly over the cut sides. Roast at 400°F for about 15-25 min (depending on size) until tender. It is soooo sweet and absolutely melts in your mouth. Enjoy!!

I’m growing eggplant for the first time ever this year, a variety called Rosita. I planted it in a 7gal grow bag on my deck in zone 5b and it’s doing awesome and has had no problems! It has a beautiful pink fruit and is so prolific even in my zone. Highly recommend this variety to beginners.

I've been using alot of eggplant for grilling. Slice it into rounds, then mix it into a bowl with a small amount of balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper. After one side gets some good browning, I flip and add some Fontina cheese. When it melts and browns, delicous!

Hi an old European recipe I got told about the year was 1995: Cut eggplant in slices ( thick as your finger nail) Good Sprinkler with salt both sides cover leave in fridge for about 2 hours, wash eggplant dry with paper towel salt again and put back in fridge for 2 hours Wash and dry eggplant Mix pankco crumbs(rice crumbs) with grated Parmesan cheese, crumb as usual Fry until golden brown... It's great to make if your eggplant is getting old, also if you have time crumb once leave in fridge for about an hour then crumb again then cook.... Doubled crumbed is good!!!

I'm doing a eggplant garden this year. 9 varieties. Real successful last year with a couple diff varieties so I went with 11diff sources 9 diff kinds. Just one hybrid black beauty and one heirloom and one from a larger seed supplier. Wish me luck. I'm doing garlic and potatoes and a lot of green beans as well. You know how it goes. No land is safe lol

I have never grown eggplant, but I have eaten Greek Moussaka which is made with eggplant and creamy bechamel sauce on top. Excellent!

I don't know if you take recommendations on other youtube channels, but Refika's Kitchen has some great eggplant recipes. She is in Turkey and, from what I understand, it is a staple of the cuisine.

Grilled to a nice smokey flavor, then made into baba ganoush. Also in eggplant parmesan. Two of my favorite eggplant 🍆 dishes 😋

Hi Kevin. I'm from Melbourne, Australia, zone 10a so similar to yours. Huge fan for a couple of years now, podcasts and YT. I overwinter my capsicums (bell peppers for US peeps) and chillies without any issues. I have a few multi season plants growing reliably. For some reason eggplant doesn't do well in our winters so back in 2021, I got into Eggplant/Devil's Fig grafting. Basically Devil's Fig is a tree solanum that is virtually indestructible. I grafted an eggplant onto it 3 years ago and now I have an eggplant tree. 6ft tall, 4ft wide. Gives me about 10-15kilos (20-30pounds) of produce. The moment spring arrives it fruits, and doesn't drop it's leaves until well into the first month of winter. Everybody needs to know about this! Currently I raise both devil's fig rootstock and eggplant grafting stock and make them for friends and neighbours.

As a plant, it's quite beautiful. It makes a nice looking shrub with pretty leaves and purple stems.

Eggplants had always been on my, “Mehh” list...until I had Curry Eggplant! Basically, you prepare it like you would do Chicken Curry (with potatoes, onions, carrots in a soupy curry sauce, all over jasmine rice). It’s AMAZING!

I'm growing eggplant for the 1st time in my garden this year. I always refer to your channel 1st when I decide to try growing something new. Thanks for sharing!!! Keep on growing!!!

Wife and I have a black beauty raised from seed doing really well in a 7 gallon grow bag. Its on our west-facing apartment balcony and gets about 5-6 hours of solid sun. Here in Fargo ND, in the height of summer the sun hits it from about 1:45pm and is unobstructed till sunset. I think it grows a little more slowly than if it had full sun all day, but it's still producing great tasting eggplants.

I'll be experimenting this year with heavy pruning of the sideshoots to train it up a string like a tomato after seeing Charles Dowding do it that way. Has anyone else had experience with this method?

eggplant parmesan got me into eggplants! I've been obsessed with them ever since

I live in Southern California. When the extreme cold season comes around, I cut my eggplants back to the ground, and they come back in Spring. I get some nice small eggplants early but, like you said, when the heat comes around, they really get big.

I was curious if you’ll see this, but I randomly found your channel and was instantly hooked. I’ve learned so much about beginner gardening from your videos. I was also curious if you had a video on basics you’d need for a beginner garden? I haven’t come across one yet and i was curious was fertilizers/soils i should get. Im out in hawaii so our hardiness is 12b I believe. Thank you for the videos

I grow eggplants in pots in the UK. But not in ground but in pots as the soil gets too wet and cold. I'm currently growing the green variety and black beauty. Rosa bianca I grew a couple of years ago. Thankyou for sharing this video it was great information. The pruning part I only remove excess leaves if they are blocking the flowers so the bees can do their job. Once fruit has set I remove some leaves below the fruit so air can circulate around it.

Thanks, Kevin. Very valuable information. We usually cut eggplant into slices and sprinkle salt over the slices and leave them for around 10min. This draws out moisture as well as bitterness some eggplants have. We then wash the slices and discard the bitter brine from the eggplant. We then typically use it in a curry or fry it.

I'm growing the "patio baby" mini eggplant and it was great sauteed w/ garlic and lemon basil

I grew up eating steamed eggplant with fresh minced garlic. It tastes soooooo good!

I like to take my tomato sauce and basil and make egg plant parm dishes. My favorite. I use coconut oil to fry it in then fresh mutz on the top. Throw in the oven for about 35min to 45min on 350. Super tasty. The coconut oil is key for me. It brings a nice sweet flavor to the breaded fried eggplant. I do the same with chicken cutlets or parm.

I FINALLY have my first eggplant (Thai Green Frog Fingers!) showing up so this was right on time. Thanks for mentioning the other channel. I didn't know about it.

My daughter (who only 10) made us a delicious roasted eggplant and capsicum pasta. It was so yummy.

Thank you for the great info!! If you're still looking for a recipe, try making a dip. Roast several eggplants, scoop out the flesh into medium bowl, add fresh minced garlic, salt, pepper, lemon or lime juice and some olive oil. Mash together and enjoy with warm pita : )

I’m so excited you did this video. I am growing 7 different kinds of eggplant. THANK YOU!!!

Just harvested one today! Thank you for the videos - Straw mulch helped a lot and going to get Epic 4-cell tray for next season. Try Indian Recipes like Baingan Bharta (like a mash), Bharli Vangi, Vangi Bhaat or even Mediterranean Baba Ghanoush

It's really good if you fire roast it with a torch, then flash freeze it to cool it down, then rough chop into pasta sauce be sure when fire roasting to fully cook it while doing so to ensure the smoky flavor enters.

I'm also growing the Japanese ichiban variety. I've gotten a good harvest so far. Even gave some away bc we had so much

Growing eggplant for the first time I have 4 very healthy looking plants so video came at the perfect time

oh man.. I use this same eggplant in Thai basil eggplant stir fry and it is my jam! I know that these aren't the Thai variety but it works for me. The way eggplant soaks up the stir fry sauce.. *chef's kiss*. For this reason I always have Thai chilis and basil growing in my garden. As a bonus, all 3 plants can withstand this brutal Austin summer. :)

Hi!...My favorite way of eating eggplant is to slice about 1/4" thick, sprinkle salt and let it sit for about 30 minute or so covered with paper towel. Pat dry, drizzle olive oil all over then gill till nice and brown on both sides. Lay them on a plate, add cherry tomatoes, basil and feta cheese. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar a little sea salt and black pepper. Let me know when you make it :)

In the Philippines, my favorite method is fried with eggs. We char the skins slightly to achieve a smoky flavor then peel the skin off afterwards. We then flatten the inside, & dip it in scrambled egg (& diced onions), & fry it up in a pan. It's works as a viand with rice.

Love this video! Thank you for sharing right till the harvest, and reminding us to harvest it with the peduncle. I didn’t realize that if it shows a lot of seeds, it has been harvested a little late. I’ll definitely try to harvest earlier this round!

How did you know this is exactly what I went to search for tonight?? I wanted your educational video on eggplants 🍆 !!! I watched a couple other people but they were boring. I’m so glad I didn’t start pruning! Thank you for your knowledge!

Love love eggplant. Slice off skin, then slice into .5 discs. Salt both sides. Make egg wash. Get breadcrumbs. Coat eggplant with crumbs using the standard breading method. Shallow pan fry both sides to golden brown. Fishing with a little salt. Not only do you have delish snacks by themselves, but make a nice tomato sauce, cover eggplant, top off with good mozzarella and put under the broiler. So good. I have 8 in containers now and I can't wait!

Make Baba Ghanoush dip w/ eggplant. It's an absolutely delish middle eastern, Lavant area dish! Yum!

The two best eggplant dishes, by far, are imam bayildi and lamb moussaka. Perfection.

Olive oil (I use Spanish for the heavier flavor) salt, pepper, garlic. Grill it like a steak. Also, a neat trick the stop having to try and slice through thick parts of the flesh, use a peeler to remove some strips before slicing. It will be easier to eat, you'll get skin, and the eggplant will have a zebra look to it.

Try to make a Filipino eggplant salad (not sure of the official name.) I have 10 plants and this dish has been a good way to eat a lot of it. It has diced tomato, and onions (red or white), soy sauce, lemon. You grill the eggplant until really soft and mash it with a fork then mix with the other ingredients. Amazing with rice plus fried or grilled meat. Our favorite pairing is rice with Filipino pork bbq.

Imam Bayildi is the ultimate eggplant dish IMO. Great video.

Eggplant chopped up and in some pasta sauce is one of the best way's I have ever eaten it. Bonus points if you can grill/smoke the eggplant. A dollop of ricotta on top of your pasta and omg it's amazing.

Great vid, as always. In my Arizona garden (Zone 9b) my eggplants will not set fruit, despite flowering through the hottest part of the summer. So we plant in spring and grow through the summer to bulk up the veg growth and increase plant size, then toward the end of summer/early fall as temps drop, they set loads of fruits that we enjoy in fall and well into winter. This works for us. But if you have any tips for something we can do to make them set fruit all summer long, I would love to hear those as well. Thanks! Still loving the Birdies beds too, BTW.

Thanks for teaching me how to grow this🙏 now I know I can graft potato and eggplant as well. thanks!

The pop-up intros and the cane are everything for me.

Thank you for your video. I grow eggplant every year to make eggplant parmesan! Did not realize there were so many varities, though! Now, I will try different varieties and recipes. This year the flea beetles are destroying my plants, however.

Eggplant and okra are one of few crops to set fruit in very hot Bakersfield summer. Tomatoes usually set when we get a day under 85.

I love eggplant stewd with potatoes and the japanese one to curry. Growing several for the first in years. Good to have a garden again.

I’m growing my favorite eggplant, Santana. It’s prolific and I love it best cut up as fries or rounds and fried up with a cornmeal fish fry and flour coating...amazingly delicious!

Char on grill, drain and chop finely. Make homemade Mayo with just egg yolk and avocado oil. Mix and grade some onion and add some salt. Wonderful spread. A Romanian favorite, vinete, we call it.

I love growing eggplant. It’s such a lovely plant itself. Though like you, I haven’t found that great recipe yet. Still working on it. Love your channel ❤️🍆

7:36 I can't with that "big honking egg plant" 🤣🤣🍆

Good video. I'm growing 11 black beauty eggplants in my bed 🍆 and 4 plants in four 5 gallon bags. I will harvest 2 tomorrow to make some eggplant parmesan.

I’m growing black beauty, white eggplant and Rosa Bianca. All three have their own special flavor but I really enjoy the Rosa bianca. I either roast with peppers and tomatoes or bread and pan fry then assemble with cheese and sauce like a lasagna

stuffed eggplant and panko baked eggplant are my favorites

Despite "needing it to be warmer than for tomatoes and peppers", my eggplants produce at about the same time here in Southern Ontario. In fact, there's a variety I have called Applegreen that's supposed to be good for cooler summers like ours (which are mostly in the 60-90F range) that produced fruit about a week before my tomatoes even though I transplanted it 3-4 weeks later than the tomatoes. My hansel (long purple) and Ethiopian eggplant are just about ready to pick, which is similar/slightly early than my tomatoes. The first plant to ripen tomatoes was Aug 1 but the other 5 plants are still green or just starting to blush. My Rosa Bianca eggplant is a bit slower, I expect it'll require another week or so. And my peppers are slower still, the ones that can be eaten green are only just starting to get ready, and none of the red peppers have started to turn colour yet (other than the overwintered ones).

I'll be growing eggplant next year for sure, I'll be saving this video! Eggplant parmesan is perhaps my favorite eggplant dish. Or making ratatouille

This video came at the right time, i was about to prepare my eggplant seeds. Off t find more indepth videos. Thanks!

Haha. What? The clip at the end was so funny. 🤣 You are a wizard. 🧙

Eggplant Kevin blessed us at the end of the video!

First year growing eggplant, looking forward to using them

Growing Asian Delite variety from Johnny's Seeds this year. Super delicious, prolific variety (long, thin and light purple/lavender). Just harvested my own honker - a 12-incher.

Hello 💚Oh my goodness 🤗I love Eggplant 🍆 Enjoying your Vlogs!!!

Try a braising the eggplant with sweet potatoes and peppers in a sweet and spicy sauce (I'm lazy and mix together gochujang, homemade grape jelly, and soy sauce). It is the epitome of summer

I’m growing eggplant for the first time this year and we finally got 2 that have been fertilized so far and I’m looking forward to learning how to cook them!

Here on Cape Cod. Eggplant parmigiana is my go to dish, usually buy the small plants end of May, early June… Don’t return home until mid April, maybe will try from seed next year… perhaps my favorite plant to grow…

Thanks for showing the harvest part! Didn't know about the seeds.

Great video Kevin. On my farm here in Thailand those "Thai Round" plants grow like weeds, I'm constantly, and reluctantly, cutting them down.

Grill it and take the skin off leaving the stem, use fork to spread the flesh in a plate. Beat 2 to 3 eggs in a bowl and seasoned it with salt and pepper, dunk the eggplant in the bowl of beaten eggs using the stem and fry it in a medium heat oil enough to cooked it well. I love it

Make kashk bademjan! It’s a Persian eggplant dip and a summer favorite of mine!

Eggplant parmagiana. Honestly, it's how I learned to love eggplant. So good 🤤 It made growing them so worthwhile!

If you like pasta dishes, try making pasta alla Norma! I've made it so much with my eggplants and my 4 kids (ages 4-8) have been loving it!

I grow ping tung long eggplant in containers on my patio. They are really nice eggplant and tasty. Easy to grow, lots of fruit, and in Texas (Houston) they are a perennial 😁

You should try eating eggplant the way we eat in philippines . It is called tortang talong. The way i do it you have to boil or roast the eggplant until it gets soft . Remove the skin . Then put in a plate and mash it very well . Add 2-3 eggs and then mixed it very well and cook it ! Season with salt and pepper. My fave

My three favorite was to consume eggplant are as follows: 1. Berenjenas fritas-Spanish style fried eggplant covered in goat cheese and honey 2. Eggplant parm 3. Chinese style eggplant in garlic sauce

Tortang talong is my favorite eggplant dish

Hey Kevin! I really appreciate all you've shown thus far! I was interested in gardening in the past but now I think I want to REALLY try to grow a garden. I'm nervous but how many plants should I grow to start off? I'm scared to do too much but I am just excited and anxious to try. Any tips?

Not a big fan of eggplants, BUT I love miso glazed eggplants :)

In the South we peel our egg plant, slice into disc shape, egg wash then seasoned flour and fry them! Also, eggplant parmesan.

If you're looking for good eggplant preparations, you might wanna look into hunan style steamed eggplant. It's just phenomenal. Or maybe playing a bit more to your philipino heritage and cook it like an adobo stew. That's awesome too

Chicken and Eggplant Casserole Prep Time 15m ***** Very Good! Cook Time 50m Total Time 1hr 5m This recipe makes 4 servings Meal Plan Chicken mixed with hearty vegetables and a hint of delicious cheese makes a savory combination in this casserole. Make this dish ahead and cook it the next day, or make two batches and freeze one for an easy meal another day. Ingredients 1 medium eggplant peeled and cut into 12 slices ,( salt and set on rack for 2 hours to remove moisture and bitter taste if not broiling) 2 tablespoon cheese, Parmesan shredded, or Asiago cheese 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced 4 piece(s) chicken, breast, boneless, skinless (6 ounces each), chopped 1 can(s) tomatoes, diced (14.5 ounces) 1 medium onion(s) chopped 1 large pepper(s), green, bell chopped 1/2 cup(s) sliced mushrooms 3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning, dried 1/4 teaspoon pepper, black ground 1/4 cup(s) cheese, mozzarella, part-skim, shredded (1 ounce) Instructions 1) Preheat the broiler. 2) Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet. Mist the slices with cooking spray. Broil 4 inches from the heat for 2 minutes, or until golden. Turn the eggplant over and mist again. Sprinkle with the Parmesan or Asiago cheese and garlic. Broil for 1 minute, or until golden. Set aside. 3) Heat a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes (with juice), onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, Italian seasoning, and black pepper, stirring to break up the tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. 4) Preheat the oven to 375°F. 5) Coat an 8" baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange 6 eggplant slices in the bottom of the dish. Top with the chicken mixture. Arrange the remaining 6 eggplant slices over the chicken. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and finish cooking, or refrigerate until the next day. Or wrap with foil, label, and freeze for up to 3 weeks. 6) Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, or until heated through. To cook frozen casserole, bake, covered, at 375°F for 50 minutes, or until heated through. Nutritional Information Amount Per Serving Calories284 Total Fat6g Saturated Fat2.5g Sodium383mg Carbohydrates16g Dietary Fiber6g Protein40g

Cut in slices. Soak in salted water for 15 min, and pat dry a bit. Dunk in flour, then egg, then itailian breadcrumbs and pan fry. Serve with tzatziki sauce (cucumber shredded and strained, thick yogurt, grated garlic, lemon, bit of olive oil and salt). My favourites are the round sicilian eggplant and long asian varieties. You can also try making moussaka or eggplant parmesan. Or add them to green thai curry.

I loooove eggplant Parmigiano my fave way to eat eggplant!!!

Amazing looking eggplants there! Baba ghanoush is my favourite way to eat eggplant - when you get a good one, it's so so good 🥰

Loved growing Ichiban eggplant in Florida zone 9a, in raised beds. Long and somewhat skinny variety, I would slice up, on mandolin, slicing thicker chips sized, then egg, bread with panko and pan fry… omg so delicious, cause I don’t like eggplant otherwise. Perfect with a little ranch… 💋🤌

Kevin, What variety of eggplant did you harvest? I love edibles that are also ornamental & the dark purple stems & dark leaves on that variety are stunnung! Btw, I was BBQing chicken & went w/ the KISS method (Keep It Simple Stupid)--halved the eggplant, dipped it in the BBQ sauce, & threw it on the grill toward the end of cooking the chicken. Delish!

Thanks for the great info on eggplants - I think they are one of the prettiest produce plants but I've never been fond of them to eat, however I did come across a recipe for eggplant "meatballs" that looked really good, so my plan is to make some veggie meatballs & burger patties and see if I like them that way as they are so healthy to eat!

Thank you for the great info. Live in MN and will start them under our grow lights early this year. Please search for the Italian recipe "caponata" on RU-vid (there are several versions). It is absolutely delicious, somewhat sweet/sour eggplant recipe celery, olives, capers and tomatoes.

My favorite way to enjoy eggplant is to make "Salata de Vinete" - Romanian Eggplant Spread. Very tasty.

In Trinidad, we make eggplant (we also call it "melongene" or "baigan") choka. Kinda like baba ghanoush but not quite. We roast it with garlic, scoop out the flesh and crush it with culantro and pepper, then add very hot oil and mix. It tastes soooo good. I've been harvesting a ton of eggplants and that's what I do with them.

Grill with garlic and chili paste on top…delicious!!

Have you tried to make babaganoosh? it is a great spread on wraps.

This is so helpful, thank you! A month ago I was searching far and wide to figure out if it was safe to eat a homegrown eggplant with fully developed seeds. Most places just said it would be bad, and one article hinted it would be bitter. I sadly composted a bunch of eggplant to be safe because there were a ton of seeds (in a really pretty pattern inside, actually) but I'm wondering what your thoughts are. Would it just be bitter? Is there a health risk? My Beauty Hybrid and Ichiban plants in big containers are putting out another round here in Austin even in this 105F heat and while I'll try to pick them earlier this time, I am also tempted to make *something* out of them even if I discover seeds again. I LOVE your channel and super appreciate the clear, concise way you explain things!

Caponata and babaghanoush bro! Just planted mine today in south Florida.