In this post I will explain step by step how to transplant eggplants and use fish as fertilizer. I have been freezing fish bones and skins for a while now for this purpose. It works well as a later in the season fertilizer as it’s dug deeper in ground and it releases nutrients as the plant grows bigger and its roots reach the fish.
Today I transplanted the last 3 eggplant seedlings into the garden and now my in ground garden is officially full!
How to transplant eggplants and use fish as fertilizer
In the picture below are the eggplants that will be transplanted. They are Millionaire and Shikou varieties and I started them from seeds which I saved last year. You can see how I grew them from seeds in the 2020 Seedlings update post.
I start the transplanting process by making a hole about 1 foot deep in the ground. Then I place the fish at the bottom and completely cover it with soil. The next step is to add my usual ingredients: half measuring scoop of starter fertilizer, half scoop of grounded eggshells and quarter scoop of epsom salt.
Afterwards I remove the plant from the pot, gently split the roots a little bit and place it in the hole. Then I cover the eggplant with soil up to about 1 inch from the ground level. Next I add the earthworm castings and cover it with a very thin layer of soil, leaving a small hole for the water to accumulate when I water the plants.
Hole 
Fish at the bottom of the hole 
Starter fertilizer, epsom salt and eggshells
Eggplant seedling 
Plant in the hole 
Adding earthworm castings 
The 3 eggplants in the ground
The last step is to water the plants 3-4 times to make sure the water gets all the way down to the roots.
Watering transplanted eggplants
I will monitor them over the growing season to see what difference the fish fertilizer will have on the plants and I will post updates.
Updates
May 28 – 12 days after the eggplants were transplanted, they have a lot more leaves and are growing nicely.
