My Eggplants started out doing great. However, once the fruits are about 4-5 inches long, the skin is turning from deep purple to almost a sage green color. Does that mean they are no good to eat? Or what could be causing this to happen? Thanks.

Answer #1 · Brent Wilson's Answer · Hi Laura - A little green is typical for the deep purple eggplants, particularly around the area where the stem meets the fruit.

Sometimes the fruit will start out deep purple and change to green. This might be an indicator that the fruit is overmature. If so, it will be bitter. I would suggest picking the fruit before it turns green. As a test, you might want to leave one of the fruits that has turned from purple to green on the plant to see if it turns back to purple.

There isn't any exact size the eggplant fruit must be before picking. In general, a deep purple colored eggplant is ripe when it is of good size and glossy with deep purple skin. When harvesting the eggplant, it should be plump and firm. Harvest by cutting the stem of the fruit. The typical harvest time for eggplant is approximately 85 days from planting.

Eggplants are often picked when smaller in size as long as they have the proper coloration. Picking the fruits when they are ripe helps to increase the yields. It's not always a good idea to wait to see if they get any bigger. Picking the fruits as they mature will usually encourage more growth and more fruit to develop. Harvesting this way, you might see up to 10 or 12 fruits produced on a single plant during a season.

Hope this info is helpful and let me know if you have any further questions.
Brent)