When Do You Pick Eggplant From the Vine?

Time

• Give eggplants the time they need to grow and ripen before harvesting. Eggplants need a relatively long growing season in a warm, sunny setting to mature, and picking too early is likely to result in an inedible fruit. The Veggie Gardener website explains that eggplant requires 60 to 90 days on the vine before it matures, depending on the variety. However, the Easter egg cultivar, which is small and white, only requires 52 days.

Touch and Test

• A simple touch-test reveals whether or not an eggplant is ready to be harvested. Gently hold the eggplant and press your thumb into the flesh. If the eggplant is ripe, it will give slightly under the pressure before bouncing back into shape. If the flesh of the eggplant is too firm to be pressed inward, it's not yet ripe and needs more time. If an indentation is made, but doesn't pop back, it's overly mature and will be mushy and bitter.

Size

• Check the size of an eggplant to know if it's ready to be harvested. The University of Arizona explains that eggplants become edible when they are a third of their mature size and adds that harvesting regularly also helps with fruit production. Wait until the eggplant has reached 6 to 8 inches in length before picking in order to get one that is tender. Eggplants that have reached their full size may have a bitter taste, so pick a bit early for the best quality.

Harvest

• Pick the eggplant from the vine carefully to avoid injury to yourself and the fruit. As eggplant stems are thick and tough, use a sharp pair of gardening shears to cut them loose. Hold the eggplant upward, relieving pressure on the stem, and firmly cut the stem with the shears, leaving a couple of inches intact. Don't cut the green cap off the eggplant or the flesh will be exposed and begin to brown. Also, be careful of the sharp thorns on the stem.