When to Pick Eggplants for a Perfectly Ripe Harvest Every Time

When their skins are shiny and evenly purple, it’s time to harvest your homegrown eggplants. There are a few signs you can look for that your eggplants are ready to pick, especially if they’ve reached their maturity date.

Eggplants are ready to pick when they are full size, firm and shiny, and slightly soft when pressed with a fingernail.

Read on for details on how to choose the perfectly ripe eggplant for your dinner.

When to pick eggplants

There are three factors that determine when to harvest eggplant: number of days to maturity, planting or sowing time, and growing conditions.

• Eggplant harvest time ranges from 55 to 70 days. Mini eggplants and some of the smaller Asian eggplants are the quickest to mature. You will see the maturity date listed on the seed packet.
• The soil temperature is always warm. Once seedlings emerge, the ideal soil temperature is around 70°F. Temperatures much hotter or colder will affect the growth of the seedlings, thereby extending the harvest time.
• The tree bloomed a few weeks ago. Instead of counting, you can also start monitoring the plants when they begin to flower, as fruit will form within a few weeks of flowering.

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4 Signs Your Eggplants Are Ready to Pick

If the eggplant meets all of the criteria below, it is ready to harvest:

1. The fruit has reached full size. Check the variety description for mature size, which is usually measured in inches in length. Baby or mini eggplants are harvested much smaller, about 3 inches long.
2. The eggplants are plump yet firm. Gently press the skin with your fingernail. If the skin springs back, the eggplant is ready to pick. If the indentation remains, more time is needed.
3. Shiny skin. All young and medium-ripe eggplants have shiny skin. When the fruit is overripe, the skin becomes dull.
4. Eggplants have uniform color. This is easy to do on eggplants that are a single color, and requires a closer look on variegated eggplant varieties like ‘Fairy Tale’ or ‘Graffiti’.

How to pick eggplant

1. Wear gloves when picking eggplants because some varieties have sharp spines on the leaves, stems, and on the star-shaped leaf cap at the top of the fruit.
2. Use pruning shears/pruners to cut the eggplant from the thick stem. Never try to twist or break the eggplant from the fruit as this will damage the plant. Cut the fruit about an inch from the calyx. Be sure to leave the calyx intact on each fruit.
3. Eggplants bruise easily, so handle them gently.
4. Harvesting eggplant from the same plant can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Once you have started harvesting, check for ripe fruit a few times a week. Regular harvesting will encourage the plant to continue producing fruit.

How to preserve eggplant

Store eggplants at about 50°F. Store them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or wrapped in a damp towel. This protects the eggplants from the cold and dry air in the refrigerator, which is about ten degrees colder than the eggplants.

In the refrigerator, unprotected eggplants will suffer cold injury, which is manifested by shrinking of the skin. Eggplants that show signs of frost damage are still edible, but the fruit will spoil more quickly if exposed. Use eggplants stored in the crisper within five days.

4 Additional Tips for Growing Eggplants

• Do not plant eggplants in the same location where you have grown other members of the nightshade family (tomatoes, peppers) in the last two seasons, preferably longer. The following crop rotation helps prevent pests and diseases.
• Staking eggplants helps protect them from strong winds and storms. Usually only one stake is enough. Stake the plants when they are young to avoid disturbing the roots once they are established.
• Keep pests such as flea beetles away from young plants by covering them with a row cover. Do not place the row cover directly on the plants.
• Remove mulch when plant flowers.
• Use a fertilizer that is low in nitrogen and high in phosphorus and potassium. Excess nitrogen will result in many leaves without fruit.