What plants negatively affect eggplants?

Some of your plants may interfere with eggplants, either through the chemicals they secrete in their roots or because they attract similar pests that will use the eggplant as a host. It pays to study these difficult relationships to prevent slow growth and disease. For instance, fennel secretes chemicals through its roots that are toxic to nightshades growing nearby. Corn attracts cutworms that then migrate to your eggplants. I had to redesign the layout of my garden after seeing these effects for myself.

Spatial separation strategies. Place 15 feet between incompatible species, plant barrier crops (such as tall sunflowers) between them, and rotate crops. I move my nightshades to a new bed every year. My pest population dropped about 70 percent when I started applying this technique.

Maximize beneficial companion effects through interplanting. Place marigolds 12 inches from eggplants for root nematode protection. Plant basil nearby to repel thrips and improve flavor, and plant bush beans to fix nitrogen while serving as living mulch. They want to grow together, just be sure to treat them nicely.

Look for secondary negative influences. Not everything will be so apparent to you as parsley eats potatoes. Consider walnut trees, which release juglone, a substance to which eggplants (and others) are susceptible, 50 feet or more away from the trunk of the tree. Other heavy-feed plantings, like squash, will compete for nutrients. Observe your entire ecosystem. I create a map to help visualize the plantings.

Adjust for different garden formats: Use container isolation for problematic plants in small spaces. Use vertical separation with trellises on raised beds. These solutions provide aesthetics even in restricted spaces. They are much needed in an inner-city garden.

Read the full article: How to Grow Eggplant Successfully at Home