Yes, You Can Keep Eggplant Alive Over Winter (and Grow It Again Next Season) – Here’s How Gardeners Do It
Knowing how to overwintering eggplant might change the way you grow it
Eggplants are warm-weather vegetables routinely grown as annual plants by gardeners around the globe. It is a one-season-and-done approach that reliably yields, but there is another way, and the reward can be earlier harvests.
You can overwinter eggplant plants indoors to keep them as perennial plants. This approach is best suited to warmer climates and can also save gardeners time and money. The truth is that the vigor of the plants will drop year-on-year, but you can overwinter eggplant plants for a good few years before they become inefficient.
Overwintering Eggplant – Is It Really Worth It?
I have grown eggplant for many years in vegetable gardens, but only ever treated them as annual crops. I was a professional gardener in US hardiness zone 8, which was too cold to overwinter eggplant outdoors, while I also didn’t have the space indoors to ensure plants survived winter.
To overwinter eggplant and keep them alive for several years, they must be kept protected from frost. This can be done outdoors in frost-free climates of US hardiness zones 10-12, but gardeners in cooler climates will need to overwinter the vegetables indoors.
You’ll be able to pick eggplant earlier in the year, as mature plants will produce fruit far in advance of those sown from seed in spring. Plus, you can save money by not buying new plants, and save time by not growing plants from seed. If that sounds good to you, let’s look at how to overwinter eggplant plants both indoors and outdoors.
See the range of eggplant seeds at Amazon
See the range of eggplant seeds at Walmart
See the range of eggplant seeds at Burpee
See the range of eggplant seeds at True Leaf Market
How to Overwinter Eggplant Indoors in 5 Simple Steps:
If you strive to take advantage of the benefits that come from overwintering eggplant plants, the following steps are crucial when looking after plants indoors over the colder months:
- Move plants before frost - Eggplants are very sensitive to cold and can be harmed when temperatures drop below 50°F. The tender plants are killed by frost. Keep an eye on your temperatures and weather forecasts, and move plants indoors when night-time temperatures look set to drop below that 50°F mark.
- Prune plants back hard - The eggplant should be trimmed back before being brought indoors. Don’t be scared by pruning eggplant drastically to overwinter them; this is the right approach. Michael Clarke, an experienced horticulturist and founder of Yardwork, recommends removing all fruit and flowers before trimming. He adds: ‘Prune stems back to the main framework, keeping the plant 8-12 inches tall and remove all thin/weak branches and any damaged growth. Strip off most of the leaves, leaving 2-4 small ones to help the plant stay alive through the winter.’
- Pot up healthy plants - I have often grown eggplant in containers. However, if you have cultivated the plant in the ground over summer, you will need to lift and pot it up to look after indoors over winter. Carefully dig up the eggplant and put it in a container filled with a quality potting soil for container gardening (such as this organic potting mix available at Burpee). Any pot must have drainage holes to prevent the roots from sitting in overly sodden soil over winter, which risks root rot. Before overwintering eggplant indoors, check the state of your plants and only pick healthy ones with no sign of pest or disease issues.
- Pick a warm, bright spot - The best way to overwinter eggplant plants is in a bright and warm environment. It does mean giving plants space, light, and warmth, which Michael Clarke admits ‘can be hard to maintain throughout the winter’ unless you have a dedicated space or a greenhouse. ‘Eggplants need a spot that stays between 60-70°F and doesn't get cold drafts with bright, indirect light near an east or south-facing window,’ he says. ‘Common places to place them include bright basements, sunrooms, heated greenhouses, and enclosed porches that never freeze.’ For healthy eggplant, you may need to use grow lights on plants to encourage strong growth in early spring, when the natural light levels are lower.
- Be gentle with watering - Only water plants sparingly over winter to prevent the soil from drying out. Keep a close eye on the moisture levels and ensure the soil remains scarcely moist during the overwintering period. A soil moisture meter (such as this soil moisture meter on Amazon) may help you make sensible decisions about when to water plants, as overwatering is a common reason for plants dying during the off-season. There is no need to fertilize eggplants until they start actively growing again in spring.
Michael Clarke is the founder of Yardwork and Pulled, the online platforms for everything home and garden. He has a degree in landscape architecture and horticulture from the University of California Davis. He was previously the founder of a landscape development and maintenance company.
How to Overwinter Eggplant Outdoors in Warmer Climates
Gardeners in warmer climates can overwinter eggplant outdoors, but admittedly, it is only really suitable for zones 10+ and those with tropical or Mediterranean climates. It can be a simple process, but plants may still benefit from some added protection throughout the winter months.
‘Cut back the plant the same way you would to prepare for indoor overwintering and mulch heavily around the base with straw, compost, or leaves,’ recommends Michael.
He adds: ‘Cover plants with a frost cloth or row cover on cold nights and keep the soil barely moist, watering sparingly.’
You can buy frost cloth on Amazon to protect plants from frost over winter. Alternatively, for a more budget-friendly DIY approach, there are cheap ways to protect plants from frost, such as using old blankets, bedsheets, or cardboard boxes.
When you successfully overwinter eggplant, and the plants start growing again in spring, you need to provide them with sufficient heat and light for healthy development.
A lack of light will be an eggplant growing mistake and will result in leggy growth. To combat this, grow lights may be needed for 12-14 hours daily in northern zones where natural levels are limited during winter, as you also increase watering and start feeding plants to guarantee those earlier yields than you’d otherwise get from sowing seeds indoors in spring.
Shop The Kit for Overwintering Eggplant
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