How to Grow Eggplant in Containers

What’s round, pear-shaped, or oblong, and often a rich purple color? If you live in the United States, English-speaking Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, you know it as eggplant (Solanum melongena).

Or maybe “guinea squash,” if you live in the southern states.

In other English-speaking parts of the world, including Ireland and the UK, you probably call it aubergine instead. This is also true in Quebec and much of Europe.

This pretty word is also used to describe the deep purple color of an eggplant, and I personally love using it in writing whenever the opportunity arises.

In English-speaking portions of South Africa, Malaysia, and South Asia, this member of the nightshade family, Solanaceae, is often known as “brinjal.”

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Whatever you happen to call it, this delightful berry (we’ll get into this startling fact in a moment!) grows well in a container.

So if you don’t have space in your garden, or you live in an urban area and want to add aubergine to your patio container garden, S. melongena is an ideal choice.

Ready to grow? Let’s get started!

Here’s what we’ll cover:

An Eggplant Primer

Eggplants typically grow 18 to 36 inches tall with a spread of 24 to 36 inches. Each plant generally bears between two and 12 fruits, although this number varies based on the variety and growing conditions.

If you’ve ever enjoyed a plate of crispy, savory eggplant parmesan with marinara sauce, you might be surprised to learn that you’re eating two kinds of berries: the eggplant, and the tomatoes.

This is because, botanically speaking, a true berry is a fruit that develops from one flower that has one