How to Grow Japanese Eggplants in Your Home Garden

A Japanese eggplant is a long and slender cultivar of eggplant (Solanum melongena, also called aubergine) with delicate skin and a mild, sweet flavor. There are many varieties of Japanese eggplants, including Hari, Ichiban, Machiaw, Millionaire, and Little Fingers, that come in various shades of pink, green, purple, and black.

Japanese eggplants and globe eggplants are two cultivars in the eggplant family with several key differences:

• Shape: Globe eggplants are a standard American eggplant that grows large and heavy with a rounded end. Japanese eggplant varieties are long and slender fruits that look more like a dark-purple cucumber than a globe eggplant.
• Skin: The skin of globe eggplants is thick and sturdy, and chefs tend to remove it before cooking. Conversely, the skin of Japanese eggplants is delicate, thin, and doesn’t require peeling, making it easier to eat.
• Flavor: Globe eggplants have a slightly bitter taste, so chefs prefer salting or seasoning them during preparation. Japanese eggplants have a milder flavor with a sweet tinge and don’t require as much salt or seasonings.

Japanese eggplants are a warm-season crop that cannot tolerate frost or freezing temperatures—they can only grow in warm soil, at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit or above, with daytime temperatures of at least 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The best time to plant Japanese eggplant outdoors is in late spring after the last threat of spring frost—since eggplants have a long growing season, you’ll want to start them indoors around eight weeks before your region’s last frost date.

After your region’s last frost date has passed, you can begin planting Japanese eggplant in your home garden:

1. 1. Start the seeds indoors. Begin germinating Japanese eggplant seeds indoors about two months before the last frost date in your area. If you prefer to start your Japanese eggplants from seedlings, buy the seedlings early to give them a few weeks to germinate indoors before transplanting to accommodate their long growing season. To learn how to start seeds indoors, check out our step-by-step guide.
2. 2. Choose the site. Japanese eggplants prefer full sun and lots of warmth, so choose a planting area in your garden that gets at least six hours of direct sunlight per day.
3. 3. Prepare the soil. Japanese eggplants prefer loamy, well-draining soil with a pH between 6.0 to 6.5. (If you’re unsure whether your soil is alkaline or acidic, you can perform a soil test. Check out our soil testing guide for a step-by-step tutorial.) Adding row covers or a layer of black plastic to serve as mulch will help warm the topsoil before you transplant the seedlings.
4. 4. Transplant. Japanese eggplants need ample space to grow. Once the weather warms in your region, you can transplant your young plants into your home garden. Transplant the eggplant seedlings with adequate spacing—at least two to three feet apart—in holes approximately one inch deep, without disturbing the root ball. Secure the seedlings with a half-inch of soil around the stem.
5. 5. Stake. Staking or caging the seedlings can help keep the plants secure when they start growing heavy fruits (since Japanese eggplants are smaller than globe eggplants, supports aren’t necessary but can still be helpful).
6. 6. Water. Water the planting area well to settle the soil.

Japanese eggplants require basic routine maintenance to thrive:

1. 1. Water generously. All nightshade vegetables need generous watering to grow. Japanese eggplants need about an inch of water per week, depending on the soil moisture. The soil should feel evenly moist when you stick your finger an inch or so below the surface; if the soil feels dry, add an extra inch of water. When the weather is cooler in early spring, water your eggplant about once a week, increasing to two or three times per week when the air temperature rises.
2. 2. Compost and mulch your soil. The organic and biological materials living in compost are essential to your plants’ health. Amend the soil with a balanced fertilizer and organic matter twice during the growing season to keep the soil full of nutrients.
3. 3. Weed often. Weeding your garden is an essential step for proper Japanese eggplant maintenance. Make weeding part of your everyday gardening routine. Weeding in the morning when the soil is damp makes it easier to remove the weeds. Routine weeding can prevent fungus or verticillium wilt from infecting your plants.
4. 4. Use a natural or organic pesticide. Eggplant is prone to pests like flea beetles, aphids, spider mites, and Colorado potato beetles. Critters or insects snacking on your vegetables are an inevitable part of maintaining your garden. For pest control, use an organic or noninvasive pesticide. There are also many online recipes for making your own natural pesticide at home.
5. 5. Consider companion planting. Companion planting is a time-tested gardening method that enriches and protects vulnerable crops. Eggplants make great companions for marigolds, spinach, broccoli, and pole beans, all of which attract beneficial insects and pollinators, help improve plant growth, and impart nutrients into the soil. Learn more about eggplant companion planting in our complete guide.

Prepare to harvest Japanese eggplants around 70 to 80 days after transplanting, or when they’re about the size of a finger (for the Little Finger variety) or a hot dog (for the Ichiban variety), and the skin is glossy and wrinkle-free.

Use a sharp tool, such as pruning shears or a small, sharp knife, to sever the purple fruit at its stem, leaving about two inches of the stem on the plant so it can continue to grow.

Grow your own garden with Ron Finley, the self-described "Gangster Gardener." Get the MasterClass Annual Membership and learn how to cultivate fresh herbs and vegetables, keep your house plants alive, and use compost to make your community—and the world—a better place.