Eggplants take more patience than most veggies. They really seem to take forever to make a decent sized fruit.
The nice thing is that you can eat eggplant at any size so you don't have to wait for the bell types to get huge (unless you want to make eggplant parmesan!).

For an eggplant to be "ripe" means it's seeds have matured and by then it's yellow and soft and not good for eating anymore.

Those plants in the picture look great, just make sure they get enough water when it starts to get really hot. And you might need to add some fertilizer every now and again if you want the eggplants to keep producing. I use fish emulsion ever few weeks.
Cheers!

Well, yours have flowers already and look fine. It will depend on temperatures , variety and amount of direct sun to grow from flowers to fruits. I would say in general might take about six weeks. How do you know when they are ready ? Look at the color. There should not be any trace of green. and feel soft not hard. As mentioned, it is not necessary for eggplants to fully ripen unless you want to collect seeds from it. But unlike cukes that tinier is tastier , eggplant need to mature to develop flavor and texture.

I just grow Ichibans, which are modest-sized eggplants. Even for those, your pots look quite small. I should note that in my experience, while the Ichibans can fruit while the plant is still small, once they do fruit, the plant won't grow anymore until the fruit is harvested. That is, you could end up with a small plant that is straining to produce a single large fruit, and at least those small plants are smart enough not to try for another. Your plants do look very healthy. Good luck!

My oriental eggplants are just now beginning to bear fruit

Thank you everyone for your answers. I have been gardening forever and growing vegetables for a long time also but just never grew eggplant before. I have never even seen a full sized eggplant growing in someones garden. I I guessed at the size pots they needed. Hopefully they do good and next year I can always use larger pots if needed. The good thing about pots is that they can easily be pulled further apart as the plants grow and need to spread. I do have stakes ready to stake and support them.

Well, pots are nice, but by pulling them further apart, you just make room for the leaves. You aren't making any more room for the roots. You'll get eggplants with these pots, but it might be a struggle to get more than one big one for each plant, or maybe a few small ones. That's just my guess. Not sure what variety of eggplant you're growing, but a full-sized eggplant looks to me not much smaller than the plants in your pictures.

If you're growing full-sized ones, and they fruit while the plants are this big, you might be smart to pull off other flowers, to keep the plant from trying to make more than one big fruit.

How big are the pots you're using? They don't look much more than a foot across and deep, but it's pretty hard to tell from the pix. Eggplants are big fruit, and they can't be that well suited to container gardening. But I'd like to hear how it works for you.

The smallest of the pots are 14 inches accross. Some of the pots are slightly larger. I didn't measure how deep. Two of the eggplants (both Classic) not shown in the picture are in two of those plastic half barrel replicas that really are smaller than a half barrel.

I have Classic, Ichiban, Gretal, Rosa Bianca, Purple Rain and Fairy Tale.

There is not much I can do about the pots this year.

Fairy tale and Gretel are dwarf plants and ichiban is also fairly small. I think they'll be fine in your containers. Rosa Bianca gets about four feet tall in 20-gallon containers in my garden. The RB eggplants are heavy and it will need support to keep from tipping over. I don't know about the other two you are growing. In general, though, I think eggplants do very well in containers. In the northern states that may be the only way you can grow them because they are so sensitive to cold soil.

Classic grows large deep purple eggplants. Similiar to Black Beauty only less finicky I think.

Honestly the plants seem to be thriving. I did read that eggplant likes containers because of the warm soil.

I planted Japanese Millionaire seedling earlier this year in a 15 gallon black plastic pot, because I read on this forum that their roots like to be kept warm. It has grown well, and I have received several fruits from it. I tried growing eggplants before, and I've always failed. So far, it seems like the pot is the answer for me.

Thank you. I was just skeptical about growing them in small pots. But dwarf eggplant might well work just fine. I grow a lot of Ichiban's though, and I don't think a cubic foot of soil would work for them. May well depend on where you grow them, though.

The question was:" .. HOW LONG TILL FRUITs" ?

But I see most of my fellow gardener talking about CONTAINER SIZE, PLAN SIZE, FRUT SIZE etc.

Well Seyson, it looks like it's turned into an eggplant discussion. My answer is I don't know.
NYRita, that's a lot of eggplant! How do plan on using/processing them if you get a bunch all at once? Freezing, canning, dehydrating? I'm curious, cause I planted a bunch of the little japanese ones (don't remember the name) that go crazy all at once!
The little ones I toss on the grill along with zucchini, saute the same with onion, garlic and tomatoes when I'm cooking inside.
Any EP I've tried to freeze just mushes up!
Nancy

I plan to eat a lot of them and so my friends! My friend and neighbor next door noticed the eggplants as soon as I planted them and not so patiently waiting for eggplants. Just saw another friend this morning who also can't wait.

I grow lots of veggies and I give lots and lots away every year.

Well, I brought up containers because you told us that's how you planted them. My observation was that with small containers, you may well get early fruit, but you also may well not get very many.

You have flowers on your eggplants, so I guess I'm wondering if you're asking us how long it's going to take to pollinate them? Gee, I don't have a clue. Any bees around?

Actually, my apologies. Eggplant flowers are self-fertile (male+female in same flower). Like tomatoes and peppers. So you really don't need insects to do it. If you have flowers (which it looks like you do), you're well on your way!

As for tomatoes, there are ways to "encourage" self pollination, but I'm really not sure if there are particular strategies for eggplants. I've never done it.

It's the same thing for tomatoes, eggplant, peppers. Wind helps with pollination by shaking the flower. If you grow in a greenhouse or sheltered area where there's no wind, you can lightly tap the plant when flowers are present. The best time of the day to do this is around noon when the dew has dried.

-Mark

I sowed the seed for my Millionaire Eggplant March 8th, and grew then inside under lights until May 31st, hardened them off for a week, and planted them June 7th. All of them are making fruit, one is about ready to harvest (6-7" long).

I have flowers, I was asking how long from when the flowers bloom till I harvest an eggplant fruit. I knew they where self pollinating like tomatoes.

With my smaller eggplants, it takes at least a month and a half to get to full size, but I suppose it has to do a lot with the variety of eggplant and certainly the vitality of the plant. Also, have to assume that, up to a point, the warmer it is, the faster they'll grow. For example, they won't really flourish until nighttime temps don't go below 65F. Also, note that eggplants can be harvested well before they are full size. I think the rule of thumb is that once they get half as big as they're supposed to be able to get, they are harvestable. In fact, I find they're more tender if they're picked on the small side.

I'm sorry, I thought when you said "get fruits" you meant "start fruiting".

No problem. I should have made myself clearer in my description.

Nights above 65 are no problem. It is hot and humid here on Long Island where I live. I just don't know much about growing eggplant, fruit and harvest. That in spite of the fact that I looked up growing eggplants and tried to research. So I am learning as I go.

I had a single egg plant last year that I waited months to fruit, but nothing happened.

Then, I took a Q-tip and hand pollinated it. Bam! Instant fruit.

I do have lots of blossoms.

I do have lots of blossoms.

{{!gwi}}

When it's hot (65 or above at night, and 85 or above during the day), the flower can go to harvestable fruit within a week for small fruited types like Fairy Tale, 10 days for medium-size fruit like Millionaire and about two weeks for large fruit.

If you're impatient, you can always harvest the fruit at any time when immature.

I am waiting for fruit to get big enough that I can notice it. Right now I have some that I think are setting fruits but I am not sure yet.

I am all excited. I can see a small white fruit developing on my Gretal eggplant.

I also see a flower on my eggplant plant! Very exciting!! How many eggplants actually grow from one plant?

Look, look, look. I have small fruits on Fairy Tale and Gretal.

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They're lovely! Congratulations. My Rosa Bianca still has a week or so to go. Eggplants are beautiful plants.

I got so excited when I saw those little fruits! :-))

The fairy tale eggplants are beautiful. I love buying those guys at the farmers market. Need to grow them one day!

Eggplants are really fun plants to grow. I learned several years ago, though, that ONE plant still makes more fruit than my family of three can possibly (or willingly) eat. I picked my first Ping Tung Long last week and now I have 8 forming on my one plant. If they do like most years, and it looks very vigorous just like yours, we will have them coming out our ears until the nights begin to cool in November. Truly, the hotter the weather, the more fruits they make. The only pest I've had trouble with is flea beetles. That is itself a good reason to grow them in pots.
I heard a tip on the radio a couple years ago. You should harvest the fruits just as the skin begins to lose its gloss.
I think your pot size sounds just right, at least for the varieties I have grown (no experience with the big ones like Black Beauty). Keep them well watered and fertilized. I give my plants a good sprinkle of osmocote about every 4 to 6 weeks, and a liquid fertilizer every other week.

Thanks. I do keep them well fed, especially since they are in pots. And I am hoping for lots of fruit as I have friends already waiting for eggplants that I can share. And its hot and humid here on Long Island. I guess that is great for eggplant production.

Gretal white eggplants.
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Fairy Tale
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Ichiban
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First fruit harvested! Fairy Tale and Gretal.

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Honestly I was not sure if I should have left them longer or not. Going to have them with dinner tonight.

They look great!

â¢Posted by Slimy_Okra 2b (My Page) on
Mon, Jul 1, 13 at 18:27

When it's hot (65 or above at night, and 85 or above during the day), the flower can go to harvestable fruit within a week for small fruited types like Fairy Tale, 10 days for medium-size fruit like Millionaire and about two weeks for large fruit.
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Disagree
I would not think so. Never can get from flower to harvestable eggplant fruit in 10 days, IN MY EXPERIENCE. I have gardened in GA for years. You can hardly get cukes and zukes from flower to fruit in a week.

My Classic Eggplants are 6 inches long. Are they ready to pick? Should I pick them now? Afraid they will go to seed.

Rita, try not to worry too much, eggplants are very forgiving. When left on the plant they do not go bad quickly.
If you read through the great advice offered by people above you'll find that when eggplants start to get soft and show some yellowing, then they are getting past prime. If they are still firm then they may continue to get larger with some more time.
-Mark

Thanks. I couldn't stand it and I picked them.

Here are pictures of the Classic Eggplants I picked late yesterday afternoon. First picture is the biggest one and then the five others. So I had a total of 6. I gave them to my friend and neighbor that has been waiting for eggplants.

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Picked those two Classic Eggplants tonight.

Made grilled eggplant slices topped with tomato on the grill. Just ate them all up now!