you could boost your harvest and keep plague away by take the ripe companions .
Carson Downing
When you grow eggplantcompanion plants , you ’ll be capable to keep more pestis away — your eggplantwill be healthier , which intend you ’ll have a bumper harvest for your favoriteveggie sweetheart .
Credit:Carson Downing
Consider Trap Crops
One room to minimize pests is to plant a trap crop . This is a sacrificial plant that will lure pests away from the industrial plant you desire to protect ; you could get rid of the trap crop when it becomes infested . For illustration , radishes can draw in flea mallet away from eggplant seedling . ( The Japanese radish should be implant first in cool temperature before you transplant eggplant ) .
It can also be as easy as adding thyme or tarragon , which can keep pest off from Solanum melongena ( Do n’t industrial plant potatoes nearby ; Solanum tuberosum beetles tip on aubergine ) .
Here ’s our guide on how to diversify your garden with peak , veggies , and herbs , while protect your eggplant and serve it flourish .
Credit: Doug Hetherington
Marigolds
French marigoldscan help force back several coarse eggplant pests , including nematodes . They bring on rosin , a sticky sap , that tempt aphid , thrips , whiteflies , and other pest away from vegetables . When in bloom , marigold will also attract good insects such as lacewings to your garden , which feed on aphids .
Bush Beans
Bob Stefko
Colorado white potato vine beetles are a major pest of eggplants , as well as other members of the nightshade family . Bush beanscan keep this pest away , so couple bush beans with your eggplants can help protect your plants . Because bush bean plant stay belittled than vining bean varieties , they are also less likely to overwhelm your eggplant .
Dill
Dill is n’t just a delicious herb ; it ’s also an amazingcompanion plantthat offers several benefit for eggplants . Whendill is allowed to grow , it can be absolutely irresistible to epenthetic wasps and other beneficial insect . These insects will feed on armyworms and other pests and help keep your brinjal looking their skillful .
Borage
Robert Cardillo
Borageis a less normally planted herbaceous plant , but this pretty pollinator plant boasts periwinkle blue flowers and leaves that smack a turn like Cucumis sativus . When planted near your eggplants , borage can help hike pollination rate and increase your harvest .
Nasturtiums
Nasturtiumis another howling pollinator plant that can facilitate boost your eggplant yields . But nasturtium is also a top “ cakehole crop , ” which can be used to protect your eggplants by luring pests off . Nasturtium come in both mound and trailing variety , but mounding type run to be loose to keep in garden beds because they grow more compactly .
Spinach
Scott Little
Spinach is a low - arise plant that matures quickly . sow spinach seedsbeneath your eggplant is a smart manipulation of gardening blank , as you may be able to gather a harvest or two of spinach before your Solanum melongena mature . What ’s more , by keeping spinach leaf shelter beneath taller eggplant , you’re able to slack down spinach ’s leaning to bolt and extend your crop .
Oregano
Peter Krumhardt
Like many other florescence herbs , oreganois useful for both draw beneficial insects and repelling pain pests . bee adore oregano flowers and sow this herbaceous plant near your eggplants can increase your vegetable harvest . In the kitchen , the spirit of oregano and eggplant pair beautifully together in such classic sweetheart aseggplant Parmesan .
Mint
Denny Schrock
Mint plantscan repel flea beetles , aphids , and other pest , and their flower are very attractive to pollinators . rise mintnear your eggplant can help keep your garden beds pestilence - destitute by nature . Just keep in brain that mint can distribute quite aggressively , so you may need to keep this industrial plant in containers or pots placed among your aubergine .
Hot Peppers
It ’s usually serious to avoid get plants in the same family closely together because they can be susceptible to the same diseases . Becausehot peppersand eggplants are both member of the nightshade family , planting these veggies together may not be an obvious pick at first .
However , hot peppers ’ spiciness level makes them naturally resistant to most pests , and they have the same grow requirements as eggplants , so you wo n’t have to do a lot of surplus garden homework to keep these plant life together .
Wormwood
Dean Schoeppner
Wormwood is another plant that is often omit in the garden , although it is sometimes kept as a pollinator plant life . When paired with eggplants , wormwood can keep nettlesome flea beetles by . Amember of theArtemisiagenus , wormwood is known for its highly fragrant leaves , which are often used in homemade potpourri making .
Frequently Asked Questions
While mad apple can be as thought-provoking to acquire as any other vegetable or fruit , there may be some difficulty to get it right if you do n’t meet sure requirements . Provide these conditions for best results : nutritious - rich and dense soilto scratch line ; warm climate with no winds ; andconsistent lachrymation — as far as quantity and temperature — alongside a well - designed drain system .
Eggplant matures in about three months , but of course , this depends on the conditions and a miscellanea of gene , such as conditions and overall soil health . Keep in nous a single plant may not produce more than an norm of two to ten eggplants per time of year , so do n’t be discouraged .
Ideally , stay away from heavy self-feeder seeds — as brinjal are heavy feeders themselves — such as Citrullus vulgaris , cucumber , tomatoes , Beta vulgaris , carrot , corn , Cucurbita pepo , or squash . This means that these vegetable or fruits ask extra aliment and would plainly " slip " it from their neighbors , making them ache in the process .
Credit:Bob Stefko
Additionally , you may want to plant your mad apple far from flowers , likegeraniums , as some of them may hold or develop common flush diseases , bacterium , or pathogens that can spread out and stunt the eggplants ’ growth .
“ Growing Eggplant in the Vegetable Garden . ” Fairfax County Master Gardeners .
Mousaei Sanjerehei , Mohammad . “ Mixed Cropping with Companion Crops . ” Yazd , Iran , Tafakkor Talaei , 2023 .
Credit: Marty Baldwin
“ Growing French marigold for companion planting . ” Royal Botanic Gardens Kew .
Credit:Robert Cardillo
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit:Scott Little
Credit:Peter Krumhardt
Credit:Denny Schrock
Credit: Robert Cardillo
Credit:Dean Schoeppner
