How to Grow Eggplant USA
On this page
- Eggplant (Solanum melongena)
- Regional Planting Calendar
- Quick Facts
- At a Glance
- Soil & Growing Conditions
- Growth Stages
- Harvest & Storage
- Diseases
- Pests
- Nutrient Issues
- Companion Planting
- Pollination
- Recommended Varieties
- Recommended Tools & Supplies
- Plan your Eggplant planting
- Growing Eggplant in another region
- Sources
- Frequently Asked Questions
In the US, eggplant planted out early February to mid February.
Timing is the decision that matters most in the USA: there are 7 separate regional planting out windows, ranging from early February in Deep South & Gulf Coast to early May in Intermountain West.
The short answer
- Plant out
- Early February to mid February
- Site
- 6+ hours of sun, soil pH 6–6.5
- Biggest risk
- Verticillium wilt
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Eggplant (Solanum melongena)
10 sources cited · Verified
Regional Planting Calendar
| Region | Plant out |
|---|---|
| Deep South & Gulf Coast derived | early February to mid February |
| Pacific Northwest derived | early March to late March |
| Mid-Atlantic & Upper South derived | early April to mid April |
| Northeast & New England derived | early April to mid April |
| Lower Midwest & Ohio Valley derived | mid April to late April |
| N. Plains & Upper Midwest derived | late April to early May |
| Intermountain West derived | early May to mid May |
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.
Deep South & Gulf Coast - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Eggplant should be transplanted when soils are 60°F or after all frost danger has passed; Clemson likewise plants in spring after the last chance of frost and once soil has thoroughly warmed. Applied to a mean last frost of 2 February (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 2 February to 16 February. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
Pacific Northwest - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Eggplant should be transplanted when soils are 60°F or after all frost danger has passed; Clemson likewise plants in spring after the last chance of frost and once soil has thoroughly warmed. Applied to a mean last frost of 8 March (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 8 March to 22 March. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
Mid-Atlantic & Upper South - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Eggplant should be transplanted when soils are 60°F or after all frost danger has passed; Clemson likewise plants in spring after the last chance of frost and once soil has thoroughly warmed. Applied to a mean last frost of 4 April (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 4 April to 18 April. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
Northeast & New England - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Eggplant should be transplanted when soils are 60°F or after all frost danger has passed; Clemson likewise plants in spring after the last chance of frost and once soil has thoroughly warmed. Applied to a mean last frost of 6 April (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 6 April to 20 April. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
Lower Midwest & Ohio Valley - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Eggplant should be transplanted when soils are 60°F or after all frost danger has passed; Clemson likewise plants in spring after the last chance of frost and once soil has thoroughly warmed. Applied to a mean last frost of 16 April (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 16 April to 30 April. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
N. Plains & Upper Midwest - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Eggplant should be transplanted when soils are 60°F or after all frost danger has passed; Clemson likewise plants in spring after the last chance of frost and once soil has thoroughly warmed. Applied to a mean last frost of 25 April (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 25 April to 9 May. Your own local frost date is what matters — a region spans a range, and this figure comes from one representative station within it.
Intermountain West - detail & sources
DERIVED from this region's own frost normal, not quoted for the region. Eggplant should be transplanted when soils are 60°F or after all frost danger has passed; Clemson likewise plants in spring after the last chance of frost and once soil has thoroughly warmed. Applied to a mean last frost of 6 May (NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 for the USA; Environment and Climate Change Canada normals for Canada), that gives 6 May to 20 May. 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 | 70°F (21°C) |
| Optimal growing temp | 68-95°F (20-35°C) |
| Minimum survivable temp | 48°F (9°C) |
| 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. |
| Edible parts | fruits |
At a Glance
Soil & Growing Conditions
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 70°F (21°C) 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 64-70°F (18-21°C). 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 45-50°F (7-10°C) and 90% relative humidity. |
Harvest & Storage
Diseases
Pests
Nutrient Issues
Companion Planting
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.
Plan your Eggplant planting
When to sow and plant Eggplant depends on your own frost dates. Check the USA vegetable planting calendar, or the month-by-month guides that cover Eggplant: February, March, April, May, August, November. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.
Growing Eggplant in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
Sources
-
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.
-
US extension source for the arid Intermountain West: allow 8-10 weeks to grow the transplant; transplant when soils are 60°F 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 80°F, seedlings grown on at 65-75°F; harvest at full size with a glossy sheen, 6-8 in long; stores 7 days at 50-55°F.
These 5 sources are specific to this region. The full list of 10 sources behind this guide (Clemson Cooperative Extension, FAO EcoCrop, Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and others) is in the references of our UK guide to aubergines; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I plant aubergines out in the USA?
In Deep South & Gulf Coast, from early February. In Intermountain West, wait until early May. 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.
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 7 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.
Plan next season before the problems start
Almost everything on this page resolves to your own frost dates rather than the calendar — the last spring frost moves by roughly two months between zone 3 and zone 10. The USA Garden Planner works from your zone so the timing is already decided before the season starts.
Get the USA Garden Planner →Instant PDF download · Written for US growing conditions
How this guide is put together
The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against USDA hardiness-zone and frost-date data, with Cooperative Extension sources cited directly where one exists for a crop. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.
Related Problem Guides
Last verified 2026-08-06
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