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How to Grow Eggplant Canada | Regional Planting Calendar

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Eggplant (Solanum melongena)

A single glossy dark aubergine fruit ripening among green foliage and marigolds. Photo: Kolforn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

10 sources cited · Verified

The short answer

Plant out
Mid March to early April
Ready in
65–150 days
Site
6+ hours of sun, soil pH 6–6.5
Biggest risk
Verticillium wilt

In the UK, aubergines planted out mid March to early April, and are ready to harvest 65–150 days after sowing.

Aubergines (Solanum melongena) — Tender warm-season annual, raised fresh from seed each year in the UK.

Timing is the decision that matters most in the UK: there are 6 separate regional planting out windows, ranging from late April in southern England to early June further north.

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural and university-extension sources — see References.

Regional Planting Calendar

Region Plant out
Pacific Coastal Mild derived mid March to early April
Central Continental derived late April to mid May
Inland Valleys & Southern Lakes derived late April to mid May
Atlantic Maritime derived early May to late May
Prairies & Short-Season Continental derived late May to early June
Far North & Alpine derived early June to mid June

Rows marked derived are interpolated between regions our sources do state, because no source we consulted gives a figure for that region specifically. They are deliberately wider to reflect that uncertainty.

Pacific Coastal Mild - detail & sources

DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Eggplant should be transplanted when soils are 60F (about 15C) or after all frost danger has passed; row covers or hot caps protect plants set out before the frost-free period, and black plastic mulch brings maturity forward. Applied to a mean last frost of 18 March (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 18 March to 1 April. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.

Central Continental - detail & sources

DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Eggplant should be transplanted when soils are 60F (about 15C) or after all frost danger has passed; row covers or hot caps protect plants set out before the frost-free period, and black plastic mulch brings maturity forward. Applied to a mean last frost of 30 April (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 30 April to 14 May. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.

Inland Valleys & Southern Lakes - detail & sources

DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Eggplant should be transplanted when soils are 60F (about 15C) or after all frost danger has passed; row covers or hot caps protect plants set out before the frost-free period, and black plastic mulch brings maturity forward. Applied to a mean last frost of 30 April (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 30 April to 14 May. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.

Atlantic Maritime - detail & sources

DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Eggplant should be transplanted when soils are 60F (about 15C) or after all frost danger has passed; row covers or hot caps protect plants set out before the frost-free period, and black plastic mulch brings maturity forward. Applied to a mean last frost of 7 May (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 7 May to 21 May. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.

Prairies & Short-Season Continental - detail & sources

DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Eggplant should be transplanted when soils are 60F (about 15C) or after all frost danger has passed; row covers or hot caps protect plants set out before the frost-free period, and black plastic mulch brings maturity forward. Applied to a mean last frost of 21 May (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 21 May to 4 June. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.

Far North & Alpine - detail & sources

DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Eggplant should be transplanted when soils are 60F (about 15C) or after all frost danger has passed; row covers or hot caps protect plants set out before the frost-free period, and black plastic mulch brings maturity forward. Applied to a mean last frost of 5 June (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 5 June to 19 June. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.

Quick Facts

Factor Value
Soil pH 6 - 6.5
Sunlight 6-6 hours direct sun
Germination temp 21C
Optimal growing temp 20-35C
Minimum survivable temp 9C
Time to harvest 65-150 days
Drainage RHS: grow in "full sun" outdoors, enriching the soil with garden compost or well-rotted manure before planting. Neither source states a soil texture.
Lifecycle Tender warm-season annual, raised fresh from seed each year in the UK
Edible parts fruits

At a Glance

Solanum melongena Aubergine Verticillium wilt Bacterial wilt (Ralston… Phomopsis blight Southern blight Phytophthora blight Aphids Glasshouse whitefly Glasshouse red spider m… Flea beetles Flea beetles Stink bugs and leaf-foo… Hornworms Colorado potato beetle DISEASES PESTS

Soil & Growing Conditions

Aubergine plants under greenhouse cultivation with ripening fruit — "Auberginen Gewächshausanbau" by Josef Schlaghecken is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Auberginen Gewächshausanbau” by Josef Schlaghecken is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Water: RHS: plants need a "steady supply of moisture", and containers "may need watering daily in hot weather"; mist the leaves "ideally twice daily" or damp down the greenhouse. Clemson: "Water sufficiently to moisten the soil to a depth of at least 6 inches".

Soil pH range

6 6.5

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

Stage BBCH Notes
Sowing & seedlings 0 Aubergines are grown from seed sown indoors from February (as early as January with a heated propagator), as they need a long, warm season and at least 21C to germinate. Sow seeds about 0.5-1cm deep (Clemson/UMD: about 1/4 inch) in small pots or modules of moist seed compost on a warm windowsill or in a heated propagator. Prick out or pot on into individual 7.5-9cm pots once seedlings are large enough to handle, and grow on in good light at around 18-21C. Harden plants off before moving them outdoors or into an unheated greenhouse.
Vegetative growth & planting out 3 When plants are about 30cm tall, pinch out the growing tip to encourage a bushy, branching habit. Plant into final positions from April (heated greenhouse), early May (unheated greenhouse) or late May/early June outdoors after the last frost - one plant per 30cm pot, three per grow bag, or spaced about 60cm apart (Clemson/UMD: roughly 45-60cm / 18-24in apart in rows 75-90cm / 30-36in) in fertile soil enriched with garden compost or well-rotted manure. Support the top-heavy stems with canes, keep the soil evenly moist, and grow in full sun with at least 6 hours of light a day.
Flowering & fruit set 6 Purple, star-shaped flowers appear through summer. Mist the flowers and damp down under glass to raise humidity and help pollination and fruit set. Once the first fruits have set, begin feeding every 10-14 days with a high-potassium liquid feed (such as a tomato fertiliser). Maintain a steady, even supply of moisture - containers may need watering daily in hot weather - as fluctuating soil moisture and limited root space cause blossom end rot.
Fruit development & harvest 8 Restrict each plant to about five or six fruits for good size, removing further flowers once these have set. Continue feeding and watering steadily. Harvest from mid-summer into autumn (roughly 65-150 days from sowing) as soon as fruits are full-sized, ripe and well-coloured with a glossy skin, cutting them with a short stalk using secateurs. Pick promptly: once the skin becomes dull the fruit is over-ripe and may taste bitter. Harvested fruit stores in the fridge for about a week at 7-10C and 90% relative humidity.

Harvest & Storage

Close-up of a striped purple and white aubergine fruit — "Albergínia (Solanum melongena), jardí botànic de València" by Joanbanjo is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Albergínia (Solanum melongena), jardí botànic de València” by Joanbanjo is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

When to pick: RHS: pick "as soon as they're full sized, ripe and well-coloured, with a glossy skin"; once the "skin becomes dull" the fruit "is probably over-ripe and may be bitter". Clemson: "When the side of the fruit is pressed slightly with the thumbnail, and an indentation remains, the fruit is ripe" for Italian types, while Japanese types "may be ready to harvest when the size of a finger or hot dog".

Storage

Clemson: "store in the refrigerator for a week. The optimal conditions for storage are temperatures of 45 to 50 °F and 90-percent relative humidity". RHS states no storage method.

Diseases

Verticillium wilt
high

Verticillium dahliae

Soil-borne and long-lived. Linked here as an existing shared entity rather than duplicated.

Bacterial wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum)
high

Ralstonia solanacearum

A healthy plant wilts and dies within days, with the pith inside the stem turning reddish-brown. The bacterium persists in soil for years, so the only real control is rotation: no eggplant where tomatoes, potatoes or…

Phomopsis blight
medium

Phomopsis vexans

Chiefly a fruit rot -- pale sunken areas spreading on the fruit -- with a collar-rot stage that narrows the stem until it snaps 1-2 inches above soil level. More common in autumn than spring, so late plantings carry…

Southern blight
high

Sclerotium rolfsii

A white fungal mat at the stem base rots the stem; the plant yellows, wilts and dies. The tan sclerotia it leaves stay viable in soil for several years, so this is a rotation problem: keep eggplant off ground that grew…

Phytophthora blight
high

Phytophthora spp.

Dark streaking on the upper branches, then rapid collapse and death. Driven by excessive soil moisture, so the fix is drainage and drip irrigation rather than a spray.

Pests

Aphididae (various spp.)

RHS aubergine guide lists aphids among aubergine pests.

Glasshouse whitefly adult on a leaf — Sanja565658, CC BY-SA 3.0
Sanja565658, CC BY-SA 3.0
Glasshouse whitefly

Trialeurodes vaporariorum

RHS aubergine guide lists glasshouse whitefly among aubergine pests.

Two-spotted red spider mite with silk threads, magnified — Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Glasshouse red spider mite (two-spotted spider mite)

Tetranychus urticae

RHS aubergine guide lists glasshouse red spider mite among aubergine pests.

Flea beetles
high

Chrysomelidae: Alticini (various spp.)

Small shot-like holes through the foliage. Clemson: damage is most serious when the plants are small, which is what makes eggplant unusually vulnerable -- a level of damage a mature plant shrugs off can kill a young…

Flea beetles
high

Chrysomelidae (Alticini)

Small shot-like holes through the foliage. Clemson: damage is most serious when the plants are small, which is what makes eggplant unusually vulnerable -- a level of damage a mature plant shrugs off can kill a young…

Stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs
medium

Pentatomidae and Coreidae

Feeding leaves a discoloured spot beneath the skin of developing fruit, which only becomes evident when the fruit is sliced; the spot may be depressed on the outside.

Hornworms
medium

Manduca spp.

Large caterpillars that rapidly eat great quantities of foliage, leaving little more than the large leaf veins. Remove by hand when found.

Colorado potato beetle
high

Leptinotarsa decemlineata

Populations build up quickly and cause significant defoliation and yield loss. Clemson notes adults and larvae are easy to handpick and squish, which is the practical garden-scale control.

Nutrient Issues

Calcium (Ca)

deficiency (physiological, uptake-related)

Correction

RHS is explicit that this is NOT corrected by adding calcium: blossom end rot is caused by "Lack of calcium in the fruits" resulting from interrupted water flow, not by a calcium-poor soil, and "applying foliar sprays of calcium salts such as calcium nitrate are not effective because calcium is not readily absorbed by the fruits". The correction is water management -- keep compost "consistently moist throughout the growing season" and "never allowed to dry out", water twice daily rather than once with double volume in hot weather, use larger containers or border soil rather than small pots and growing bags, and mulch to conserve moisture.

Companion Planting

Potato seedling and harvested tubers — Scott Bauer, USDA-ARS, public domain
Scott Bauer, USDA-ARS, public domain
avoid shared disease

Solanum tuberosum

Clemson HGIC gives a three-year solanaceous rotation for eggplant twice over: for bacterial wilt, "do not plant eggplant in areas that have had tomatoes, Irish potatoes, or eggplant planted in the previous three years"; and for southern blight, "avoid planting in areas where tomatoes, peppers,…

Gardener planting tomato seedlings beside a greenhouse — Maasaak, CC BY-SA 4.0
Maasaak, CC BY-SA 4.0
avoid shared disease

Solanum lycopersicum

Clemson HGIC gives a three-year solanaceous rotation for eggplant twice over: for bacterial wilt, "do not plant eggplant in areas that have had tomatoes, Irish potatoes, or eggplant planted in the previous three years"; and for southern blight, "avoid planting in areas where tomatoes, peppers,…

Pepper
avoid shared disease

Capsicum annuum

Clemson HGIC gives a three-year solanaceous rotation for eggplant twice over: for bacterial wilt, "do not plant eggplant in areas that have had tomatoes, Irish potatoes, or eggplant planted in the previous three years"; and for southern blight, "avoid planting in areas where tomatoes, peppers,…

Pollination

Pollinating insects (bees and other flower visitors)

RHS: under cover, "open the door and vents on warm days when plants are in flower, to allow access for pollinating insects". Where insect access is limited, "misting the flowers also aids pollination, or you can hand pollinate flowers with a small paintbrush." Fruit set under glass is therefore an access problem before it is a plant problem.

Recommended Varieties

Variety selection matters more for aubergines than most UK crops, since every one of them needs the full glasshouse season to fruit well.

  • Moneymaker — F1 hybrid, early and reliable with classic glossy purple fruits; a sensible default for a first attempt.
  • Black Beauty — traditional variety producing large fruits; good if you want fewer, bigger aubergines per plant.
  • Bonica — very productive F1 hybrid with good disease resistance; worth choosing where red spider mite has been a problem before.
  • Ophelia — compact F1 hybrid bred for containers; the best choice where glasshouse space is limited.

Restricting a plant to 5–6 fruits isn't wasteful, it's the opposite: letting every flower set fruit spreads the plant's limited energy too thin, producing many small, poor-quality aubergines instead of a handful of good ones.

Recommended Tools & Supplies

Having the right tools makes growing aubergines easier. Our hand tools for gardening include secateurs for cutting fruit cleanly at harvest, and the soil and plant care range covers propagators for the heat aubergines need to germinate through to high-potash feeds for fruiting.

Planning the wider plot? See the UK vegetable planting calendar.

References

  1. Tier 1. Names Phytophthora blight, bacterial wilt, southern blight and Phomopsis blight as the diseases, and aphids/whiteflies, flea beetles, Colorado potato beetle, hornworms, stink and leaf-footed bugs, and spider mites as the pests, each with symptoms and management. Carries the three-year solanaceous rotation rule for both bacterial wilt and southern blight.

  2. country=USA

  3. country=INTL

  4. country=International

  5. country=UK

  6. country=UK

  7. country=UK

  8. country=USA

  9. country=USA

  10. Tier 1. US extension source for the arid Intermountain West: allow 8-10 weeks to grow the transplant; transplant when soils are 60F or after all frost danger has passed, using row covers or hot caps to protect plants set out before the frost-free period; most gardeners transplant through black plastic mulch for earlier maturity and higher productivity, and with plastic mulch and row covers plants can be set out several weeks before the last frost date; space 24 in apart in rows 24 in apart; germination at 80F, seedlings grown on at 65-75F; harvest at full size with a glossy sheen, 6-8 in long; stores 7 days at 50-55F.

10 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I plant aubergines out in the UK?

In southern England, from late April. In northern England and Scotland, wait until early June. Treat these as a guide rather than a fixed date — the governing rule is to plant out only once frost risk has passed and temperatures are reliably warm enough.

How long do aubergines take to grow?

Typically 65–150 days, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.

What soil pH do aubergines need?

A pH of about 6–6.5. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.

What problems affect aubergines?

Our data links 5 diseases and 8 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

Short-season growing is arithmetic before it is technique: days to maturity against frost-free days decides what will finish at all. The Canada Garden Planner does that subtraction for your region before you sow.

Get the Canada Garden Planner →

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SoilCommander Editorial Team

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Every SoilCommander guide is written and maintained by our editorial team for real Canadian growing conditions, and checked against provincial agriculture and Canadian university extension guidance, and against frost-date and growing-season data, before publication.

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Last verified 2026-08-06

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