On the eve of the new season, we propose to analyze in detail how and when eggplants should be planted in 2024 for seedlings and in a greenhouse according to the lunar calendar, as well as how to get a really good harvest in different regions.
Varieties and their features
Eggplant is a popular vegetable of the nightshade family, widely used in cooking for preparing a wide variety of dishes and preserving. The people often call the culture "blue" for the characteristic shade of the skin of the fruits of the classic variety.
Today there are quite a lot of varieties of eggplant, which can be grown both in the garden (in the open field or using a greenhouse) and in the greenhouse. Varieties differ in the color and shape of the fruit, as well as the timing of the onset of fruiting.
| Sort | Mean fruiting time |
| Early | 80-100 days |
| Medium | 100-120 days |
| Late | 120-150 days |
Eggplant grows quite slowly, and the fruit itself is large and it also takes time to ripen, so it is best to plant seedlings and sow seeds taking into account the climatic features of the region.
Among the early and mid-season varieties for open ground, the most popular are:
- Fabina F1 is a hybrid of classic shape and color, which features resistance to a number of diseases, as well as the absence of seeds and bitterness.
- Negus - gives large barrel-shaped fruits with excellent keeping quality.
- Bull's forehead - an original variety with especially large fruits (about 1 kg) of a rounded shape.
- Bourgeois F1 is another unusual round eggplant, but due to its thermophilic nature, the variety is not suitable for growing in the northern regions.
- Helios - forms more sprawling bushes and spherical fruits of classic color.
For growing in a greenhouse, the best varieties are:
- Matrosik - a small striped fruit suitable for use in salads without heat treatment.
- The striped family is another "minke" , the advantage of which is considered a thin skin and the complete absence of bitterness.
- King of the F1 market - an incredibly productive eggplant variety, shaped more like long greenhouse cucumbers.
- Epic F1 is a hybrid native to Holland, which is best grown in warm regions or the middle lane.
- Joker - the variety produces small thin-skinned fruits with excellent taste, but they are poorly stored, therefore they are not recommended for commercial cultivation.
In the North, the classic varieties Epik and Andryusha, as well as the original white Bibo, have proven themselves well.
Recommendations by region
The climatic conditions of different regions of the Russian Federation have significant differences, therefore, the timing of sowing crops for seedlings, as well as planting young plants in open ground, varies.
- In the southern latitudes, you can plant a seed already in February, as the weather allows you to plant seedlings in the garden in late April or early May.
- In the middle lane, planting in the ground becomes possible at the end of May (under the film), and sometimes even at the beginning of June (in the opening of the ground), therefore it is worth starting work with seedlings much later. Optimal - the second half of March.
- In the northern regions, summer comes even later, the weather is particularly unstable, and return frosts are possible even at the end of May, so eggplant is usually planted under a film, in a greenhouse. In this case, seeds can also be sown in mid-March. If the landing is planned in open ground closer to mid-June, then planting material can be sown even in early April.
It is also worth considering how early the crop chosen for planting is, so as not to miss the favorable period for planting young plants in the ground:
| Sort | Disembarkation Recommended |
| Early | on day 60-65 |
| Medium | on day 65-70 |
| Late | day 70-80 |
At the same time, experienced gardeners recommend taking into account in 2024 that planting eggplant for seedlings takes about 70 days on average, of which:
- 3 days needed for seed germination;
- up to 10 days waiting period for entries;
- up to 10 days the plant needs to adapt after picking.
Important! Given the length of the growing season and fruit ripening, it is recommended to grow early and mid-season cold-resistant varieties in the central and northern regions of the country.
Lunar calendar
To correctly determine when it's time to sow seeds and plant a young plant in a garden, experienced gardeners use the lunar calendar - and in 2024, planting eggplants for seedlings and in a greenhouse will also be successful, given these basic rules:
- favorable period (both for sowing and planting seedlings) - the time of the growing moon (except for extreme dates);
- unwanted period - the time of the waning moon;
- bad period - New Moon and Full Moon (+ 1 day on each side of the date of the astronomical event in the calendar).
Thus, it is not difficult to determine what the eggplant planting calendar will highlight as favorable in 2024 such periods from February to April:
| Month | New Moon (+2 days) | Growing Moon | Full Moon (+2 days) |
| February (sowing) | 9-11 | 12-22 | 23-25 |
| March (sowing) | 9-11 | 12-23 | 24-26 |
| April (sowing) | 7-9 | 10-22 | 23-25 |
| May (landing) | 7-9 | 10-21 | 22-24 |
| June (landing) | 5-7 | 8-20 | 21-23 |
Influence of the zodiac constellations
If you want to choose the most favorable day in 2024 when planting eggplants in a greenhouse will be 100% favorable, you should take into account the influence of the zodiac constellations, among which there are fertile signs, neutral and unfavorable.
Important! It is strongly not recommended to work with seedlings on the days of Aquarius: February (9, 10), March (7, 8), April (3, 4, 5), May (1, 2, 28, 29), June (24, 25) .
The most fertile days in 2024 will be:
| Month | Taurus | Pisces | Scorpio | Cancer |
| February | 15, 16 | 11, 12 | 3, 4, 29 | 19-21 |
| March | 13, 14 | 9, 10 | 1, 2, 28, 29 | 18, 19 |
| April | 10, 11 | 6 | 24, 25 | 14, 15 |
| May | 7, 8 | 3, 4, 30, 31 | 21, 22 | 11-13 |
| June | 3, 4 | 26, 27 | 17-19 | 8, 9 |
unfavorable New Moon or Full Moon days
waning moon
The most auspicious days
Thus, by analyzing the lunar calendar and the influence of the zodiac constellations, you can determine the most favorable days.
So, sowing eggplant for seedlings in 2024 is best on these days:
- February - 11, 12, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21;
- March - 13, 14, 18, 19
- April - 10, 11, 14, 15.
The most favorable dates for landing in the ground will be the dates of 2024:
- May - 11, 12, 13, 21, 22;
- June - 8, 9, 17, 18, 19.
Seedling care
In order for the seedlings to turn out strong, quickly adapt after transplanting into the ground and eventually give a plentiful birth, it is important not only to plant the seeds on time, but also to provide the plant with optimal conditions for development.
Even before sowing, it is recommended to pre-sow the seeds by soaking them in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Important! It is recommended to sow seedlings immediately into peat pots in order to avoid the picking procedure in the future, because eggplants do not tolerate transplanting very well.
Blues will grow best in loose nutrient soil with a neutral pH, the temperature of which must be maintained at 25˚C. Watering the seedlings at the first stage is also necessary with settled water heated to 25˚С (in the first weeks using a spray gun).
In February and March, seedlings need to be additionally illuminated, artificially lengthening daylight hours for plants up to 14 hours a day.
The temperature regime for eggplant seedlings should be as follows:
| Stage | Temperature |
| Sowing | 25˚S |
| 1-2 weeks after the inputs appear | 15-17 C |
| in 2 weeks after the inputs appear | 24-26 ˚Happy day and about 17 ˚Night |
As the moment of landing in the ground approaches, the temperature is gradually lowered, bringing it to a close one in the natural environment (13-15 ˚С). A week before planting, the “hardening off” process begins, gradually extending the period the seedlings are outdoors.
It is also necessary to feed the seedlings (every 10-14 days).
