What to Plant With Eggplant: Eggplant Companion Plants (and What to Watch For)

Eggplant is a heat lover. It sulks in cool weather, grows slowly until nights stay warm, and then produces steadily through the hottest part of summer. That makes its neighbors a question of timing and space: good companions are crops that tolerate the same warm conditions and do not shade a plant that wants full sun. This guide covers what extension sources list as eggplant companions, what to watch for with its nightshade relatives, and how to plant eggplant so it gets the warm start it needs.

Good companion plants for eggplant

Beans

Virginia Extension lists beans as eggplant companions. Bush beans are the easiest fit: they stay low, so they will not shade eggplant, and both are warm-season crops that go out after the last frost. Plant a row of beans along the sunny edge of the eggplant bed, or tuck them between eggplants spaced at their full width. More in what to plant with beans.

Marigolds

Marigolds are a listed eggplant companion, the same way they are for tomatoes and potatoes. They are easy, colorful and stay compact, so a few at the ends of the row do no harm. The extension evidence that marigolds protect vegetables is limited; their best-studied benefit is against root-knot nematodes, and it is strongest when marigolds are grown as a crop ahead of the vegetables rather than mixed in. Marigolds are also listed with tomatoes; see what to plant with tomatoes.

Celery

Virginia Extension uses eggplant and celery as an example of a companion pairing. Celery is upright and fairly narrow, so it can share a bed with eggplant without much shading, but it wants steady moisture that eggplant also appreciates. Our celery guide covers its other companions.

Cilantro

Penn State Extension's herb partner table lists cilantro (and dill) with eggplant to help control Colorado potato beetles by increasing the beneficial insects that prey on them. Cilantro is a cool-season herb, so sow it a few weeks before the eggplant goes out and let some of it flower nearby. See what to plant with cilantro.

Eggplant, tomatoes, peppers and potatoes

Eggplant is in the same plant family as tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and tomatillos. Many gardeners grow them in the same bed because they want the same warm, sunny conditions, and our sources do not list eggplant as incompatible with any of them. Two cautions apply, though:

• Shared pests. Maryland Extension lists Colorado potato beetles, flea beetles, eggplant lace bugs and spider mites among eggplant problems. Potatoes in particular draw Colorado potato beetles, so watch eggplant closely if they are nearby.
• Rotation. UMN Extension recommends planting eggplant where you have not grown tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant or tomatillos for the past three or four years. Verticillium wilt, the most common eggplant disease, lives in the soil.

For more on the relatives, see what to plant with peppers and what to plant with potatoes.

What not to plant with eggplant

None of the extension sources we use list a crop as clearly incompatible with eggplant, so we do not show a keep-apart table here. Practical cautions still apply:

• Tall crops that cast shade. Maryland Extension says eggplant needs at least six hours of direct sun and prefers eight to ten. Keep corn blocks and trellised vines on the north side.
• Last year's nightshade spot. Rotation matters more than neighbors for eggplant (see above).
• Planting too early. Cold nights stall eggplant for weeks, and UMN notes chilled plants may never recover and bear well.

For pairs that sources do list as incompatible, see the keep-apart chart.

When to plant eggplant

UMN Extension recommends starting eggplant seeds about eight weeks before planting outside, and Maryland Extension suggests transplants eight to ten weeks old. Seeds germinate best warm: UMN suggests a heat mat at 75°F to 85°F until seedlings emerge. Set plants out only after nighttime lows stay above about 50°F; eggplants are much less cold hardy than tomatoes. That is usually a week or more after your last frost. Our planting calendar shows the indoor-start and plant-out weeks for eggplant from your frost date.

Planting and spacing

• Sun: full sun, at least six hours a day.
• Soil: UMN gives a pH of about 5.5 to 7.5 as best; have your soil tested and work in compost or well-rotted manure. Too much nitrogen gives bushy plants that are slow to fruit.
• Spacing: UMD Extension gives 18 to 24 inches between plants in rows 30 to 36 inches apart; UMN uses 18 inches.
• Warm the soil: both sources note black plastic mulch helps heat the soil, which leads to earlier harvests. Lay it once the soil has already warmed in spring.
• Support: UMN suggests putting stakes or cages in at planting, and UMD suggests pinching the growing tip at about 12 inches to encourage branching.

Watering and pests

UMN Extension notes that uneven soil moisture makes eggplant bitter and lowers yields. If you get less than about an inch of rain a week, soak the soil thoroughly at least once a week, and water at the base rather than over the leaves. Flea beetles chew small round holes in young leaves and are worst in cool spring weather; Maryland Extension suggests floating row covers early in the season to protect plants and speed growth.

A simple warm-season bed with eggplant

1. Eggplants 18 to 24 inches apart.

   Down the center of the bed, staked or caged at planting.

2. Bush beans along the sunny edge.

   A listed companion that stays low and does not shade the eggplant.

3. Marigolds at the row ends.

   A listed companion that adds color without crowding.

4. Celery at one end, if you water often.

   Named by Virginia Extension as an eggplant companion.

Our raised bed layouts show how to map a 4×8 bed by the square foot.

Harvest

Maryland Extension lists 55 to 80 days from transplanting. Pick eggplants while the skin is still glossy and the fruit is firm; UMD notes ripe fruit keeps a slight dent when pressed with a thumbnail, and suggests cutting fruit at about two-thirds of its full size. Cut the stem with pruners or sharp shears rather than pulling. Over-ripe fruit turns dull with brown seeds, and leaving mature fruit on the plant reduces how much more it sets.

Eggplant in containers

Eggplant can grow in a large container with drainage holes, and compact or small-fruited varieties suit pots best. Containers warm up quickly, which eggplant likes, but they also dry out quickly, and uneven moisture makes the fruit bitter, so check the pot often in hot weather and give the plant a stake.

Frequently asked questions

What grows well with eggplant?

Extension-listed companions for eggplant in our checker are beans, celery, cilantro and marigolds. The table on this page explains why each pairing works.