Eggplant.

A long crop with a heavy fruit and a demanding root zone

Eggplant is a smaller part of the Dutch glasshouse area than tomato or pepper, and that is exactly why it interests growers looking for a crop with less crowded competition. It is a long-cycle fruiting vegetable with a heavy individual fruit and a steady harvest rhythm, and it suits a house already equipped for high-wire production.

The plant is grown on rockwool with drip irrigation and drain recirculation. Its root zone is less forgiving than tomato’s: the crop carries a heavy fruit load on a comparatively coarse root system, so water availability and drain management do more of the work of holding quality. Grafting onto a vigorous rootstock is standard practice for the same reason.

The Dutch crop is a high-wire eggplant on rockwool gutters with recirculating drip, and the building follows from that: a structure that carries a heavy fruit load for a long cycle, and irrigation with the capacity to hold the root zone steady underneath it. Skin quality decides the grade, so row layout and the harvest route are drawn for a fruit that marks against anything it touches.

DutchGreenhouses® designs the structure, climate, screening and irrigation around the eggplant crop, its rootstock and the local climate, so a heavy fruit load is carried without losing grade. Get in touch to plan an eggplant greenhouse.