How to Grow Eggplant in New Zealand

Loves heat and needs a long warm season, so in Auckland start seed indoors from August and plant out into the warmest spot once the soil warms. A glasshouse or sheltered sunny wall gives the most reliable crop. Produces for months once established.

When to plant eggplant in New Zealand

Timing is everything in New Zealand, where the warm north and the cooler south are weeks apart. Sow or plant in these months for your region:

Best eggplant varieties for NZ

• Black Beauty — Reliable favourite with large glossy dark-purple fruit and smooth flesh. (Kings Seeds, Egmont Seeds)
• Bonica F1 — Heavy cropping hybrid, oval purple fruit, fruits early and heavily. (Kings Seeds)
• Long Purple — Slim elongated fruit, tender and quick to mature. (Kings Seeds, Egmont Seeds)
• Early Prolific F1 — Heavy yielding hybrid with glossy black egg-shaped fruit and good flavour. (Egmont Seeds)

How to grow eggplant

• Space plants about 60cm apart.
• Sow seed around 0.5cm deep.
• Position: full sun.
• Ready to harvest in roughly 100 days.
• Seeds germinate in about 14 days.

Companion planting

Grow eggplant near: Beans, Marigold, Thyme, Capsicum.

Pests and problems

Watch for: Aphids, Whitefly, Tomato/potato psyllid. See our NZ pest and disease guide for organic control.