{"id":97889,"date":"2025-08-22T09:47:18","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T08:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/produto\/uncategorized\/eggplant-solanum-melongena-12-cm-pot\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T14:40:59","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T13:40:59","slug":"eggplant-solanum-melongena-12-cm-pot","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/en\/produto\/plants\/herbs-vegetables\/eggplant-solanum-melongena-12-cm-pot\/","title":{"rendered":"Eggplant – Solanum melongena (12 cm pot)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eggplant (Solanum melongena<\/em>) is a warm-climate horticultural plant, cultivated for its fleshy fruits that are highly versatile in the kitchen. It features a shrubby habit, large leaves, and flowers typically in shades of violet, which later give rise to its characteristic fruits.
While dark purple varieties are the most well-known, there is a wide diversity of eggplants, with fruits of various sizes and shapes and colors ranging from purple, violet, white, and green to combinations of several tones.
In Portugal, it is primarily grown as a spring-summer annual, benefiting from our hot and sunny summers. It can be grown directly in the ground or in appropriately sized pots, provided it has plenty of sun, heat, regular watering, and good drainage.<\/p>\n

Scientific name<\/strong>: Solanum melongena<\/em>
Common name<\/strong>: Eggplant
Family<\/strong>: Solanaceae<\/em>
Origin<\/strong>: Tropical and subtropical Asia; domesticated in the region between India, Myanmar, and China
Climate<\/strong>: Tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate
Category<\/strong>: Outdoor plant
Approximate height<\/strong>: 50cm<\/p>\n

CUIDADOS<\/strong>
Light<\/strong>: Requires full sun, ideally with several hours of direct sunlight per day. Good sun exposure is fundamental for growth, flowering, and fruit development. In Portugal, it should be placed in a sunny spot sheltered from strong winds.
Temperature<\/strong>: It is a heat-demanding crop, sensitive to cold and frost. It thrives best with mild to high temperatures during spring and summer. In Mainland Portugal, it should be grown outdoors only after the risk of frost has passed and when temperatures are sufficiently mild. Temperatures that are too low significantly delay growth and fruiting.
Watering<\/strong>: Regular, especially during the hottest periods and during fruit formation and growth. The goal is to keep the substrate moderately moist, but never waterlogged. In pots, the soil dries out faster, and it may be necessary to check moisture more frequently during the summer. Avoid prolonged alternations between extreme dryness and excess water.
Soil\/Substrate<\/strong>: Prefers fertile soil, rich in organic matter and well-drained. Adapts well to different soil types.
Fertilization<\/strong>: As a plant grown for fruit production, it benefits from regular fertilization during the growing season. After flowering and fruiting begin, a fertilizer suitable for vegetables\/fruiting can be used, always following the dosage and frequency indicated by the manufacturer.
Pruning\/Maintenance<\/strong>: Does not require regular pruning for home cultivation. Dry or damaged leaves can be removed and, when necessary, some shoots to improve air circulation. Depending on the variety’s size and the amount of fruit, it may be useful to use a stake to support the plant and prevent branches from sagging under the weight.
Flowering and fruiting<\/strong>: Flowering and fruit production occur during the warmest months. In Portugal, plants set out in spring can produce throughout the summer and early autumn, depending on the variety, weather conditions, and planting time.
Life cycle<\/strong>: Botanically, it can behave as a perennial in sufficiently warm tropical conditions, but in Mainland Portugal, it is normally grown as an annual due to its sensitivity to cold.
Not Pet Friendly<\/strong>: Eggplant belongs to the Solanum<\/em> genus, and the green parts of the plant should not be ingested by pets. As a precaution, the plant should be kept out of reach of dogs and cats that tend to chew on leaves or stems. The ripe fruit is the part intended for human consumption.<\/p>\n

Fun Fact<\/strong>: Eggplant belongs to the Solanaceae<\/em> family, the same botanical family as tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes. Although we usually call it a vegetable due to its culinary use, botanically the part we consume is a fruit\u2014more precisely, a berry. Its size, shape, and color can vary greatly depending on the variety.<\/p>\n

WARNING!
– Representative photograph \u2013 the image shown is of an item in stock at the time the product was added to the online catalogue, and is therefore a reference. As this is a natural plant, each specimen is unique and may show slight differences in size, density, and number of leaves, flowers and fruits. The plant provided will be similar to the photo; however, depending on its vegetative cycle phase, it may vary in shape, appearance, or size (e.g., with or without flowers or fruits, and with fruits at different stages of development).
– The mentioned height will vary slightly depending on the stock available, as it is a living plant (each specimen is unique).
– The presence of flowers or fruits is not guaranteed, depending on the plant’s stage of development at the time of the order.
– Colors in the photograph may show slight variations depending on the screen settings used for viewing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is a warm-climate horticultural plant, cultivated for its fleshy fruits that are highly versatile in the kitchen. It features a shrubby habit, large leaves, and flowers typically in shades of violet, which later give rise to its characteristic fruits.While dark purple varieties are the most well-known, there is a wide diversity of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":93676,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[1442,1440,1438],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-97889","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-herbs-vegetables","product_cat-outdoor-plants","product_cat-plants","first","instock","taxable","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/97889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=97889"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=97889"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hortodocampogrande.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=97889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}