Growing a plant with fruit is a truly exciting experience. You pour your heart and soul into that garden, eagerly awaiting the day you see tiny fruits form.
Then, you watch the plant carefully until the fruits are just perfect for harvesting. Eating them is a huge reward, and tastes that much better because you grew it all yourself.
All of this can be transferred to eggplants. Waiting for them to fruit and watching them grow is thrilling.
So what happens when all that effort you put into it seems to go awry? If you’ve spent so much time cultivating eggplant carefully, only find your eggplant is yellow instead of purple, you’re in the right place.
We’ll demystify what’s going on for you.
Quick Answer: Why is My Eggplant Yellow Instead of Purple?
More likely than not, one of three things is going on with your yellow eggplant. Your eggplant could be getting sunburnt, may be over ripening, or you might simply be growing a variety of eggplant that’s naturally light-colored.
Read Also: Why is Eggplant Purple?
Top Three Causes of Yellow Fruit in Eggplants
Let’s take some time to describe the three reasons you’re seeing a yellow eggplant in more detail. We’d also like to explain how you can determine whether each individual cause is what you’re experiencing.
Here are the three main reasons behind a yellow eggplant:
- Sunburn
- Over ripening
- Eggplant variety
Sunburn
Much like people, plants can get too much sun. When this happens, they also get sunburnt. The only difference here is that it looks different from what occurs when a person soaks up a little too much sun.
You’ll know sunburn is the culprit when your eggplant’s leaves are no longer covering the fruit sufficiently. If the yellowing is only occurring in fruits that aren’t adequately covered, then you can infer your garden just needs some additional protection.
What kind of protection can you provide? One great option is to put a shade cloth over your garden if possible.
Over ripening
Eggplant needs to be harvested within a particular time frame. Similar to other fruits and veggies, once it’s past its prime, it will start to degrade.
Yellowing could be a sign that your eggplant is on the downhill part of its life cycle. You can tell that this is the case if it’s only the older fruits that are discolored.
If this is your situation, then you’ll just need to harvest the eggplants at an earlier time. Pay careful attention to when they start to turn yellow and pick them just before that point.
Eggplant Variety
Believe it or not, eggplant isn’t always purple. There are many types of eggplant that come in a variety of colors ranging from white to a deep violet that’s almost black.
It’s entirely possible the eggplant you’re growing is merely a different variety from any that turns purple. If you know what type of eggplant you’ve cultivated, do some research into its life cycle. You’ll be able to determine what color the fruit is supposed to be.
Related Article: Why is My Eggplant Green Inside?
What Should a Healthy Eggplant Look Like?
Worried your eggplant isn’t healthy? You can usually tell at a glance when there’s something amiss or if everything is going perfectly.
At maturity, eggplant can be a range of colors depending on the type. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the specific kind you’re growing and what color it should be.
Beyond that, your eggplant should have a taut skin. It should also have a shiny, waxy appearance.
If you’re spotting any discoloration or puckering in the surface, it might be past the point when you could harvest it.
Also Read: Why is my Eggplant Tough? (And How to Fix It)
Wrap Up
Gardening tends to be an exact science. Sometimes, despite our careful efforts, we overlook one tiny thing and suddenly you’ve got strangely colored yellow eggplant.
At the very least, there are only a few reasons your eggplant is yellow: sunburn, ripeness, and the variety of eggplant being grown. If there’s a necessary fix, you can implement it pretty easily for any of those causes.
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Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
