When to Plant Eggplant
Eggplant is a tender warm-season vegetable. Frost damages it, so it goes out only after the last spring frost.
Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost, and plant out 2 to 4 weeks after the last frost. The first harvest comes about 70 to 90 days after transplanting.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start seeds indoors | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Mar 20 – Apr 3 |
| Harden off | Mar 22 – 28 | Apr 22 – 28 | May 22 – 28 |
| Plant out | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | Apr 29 – May 13 | May 29 – Jun 12 |
| Harvest | Jun 7 – Aug 16 | Jul 8 – Sep 16 | Aug 7 – Oct 16 |
Growing eggplant
Eggplant needs the warmest spot in the garden; harvest while the skin is still glossy.
- Spacing: 24 in apart, in rows 36 in apart. In a raised bed, 1 per sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 70 to 90 from transplanting, then about 10 weeks of picking.
- Rotation: eggplant is in the tomato family. Plant it where nothing from that family grew in the last two years. See crop rotation.
- Traditional companions: bush bean, cilantro, dill, marigold, oregano, parsley, pole bean, thyme. See companion plants for eggplant.
- Usually kept apart from: fennel (florence).
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant eggplant and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
When do I start eggplant indoors?
6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost: with a last frost of April 15, that's Feb 18 – Mar 4. Enter your ZIP code above for your own dates.
Can eggplant go in before the last frost?
No. Eggplant is damaged by frost: plant it out 2 to 4 weeks after the last spring frost.
How long does eggplant take to grow?
About 70 to 90 days from transplanting to the first harvest, which then lasts about 10 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- Colorado State University Extension: Vegetable Planting Guide (CMG GardenNotes #720)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech: Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant (426-331 / SPES-673P, 2025)
- University of Maryland Extension: Vegetable Planting Calendar for central Maryland
- UNH Cooperative Extension: Growing Vegetables: When to Plant your Vegetable Garden (2016)
- NC State Extension: Extension Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16: Vegetable Gardening
- WSU Extension: Pacific Northwest Gardener's Handbook, Chapter 7: Vegetable Gardening
- Iowa State: Germination Requirements for Annuals and Vegetables
- Iowa State: Growing Eggplant in the Home Garden
- Purdue University Extension: Starting Seeds Indoors (HO-14-W)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Small-Scale Gardening (square-foot planting guide)
- UC Master Gardener Program, UC ANR: Companion Planting Chart: Companion Planting for Edible Crops
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, Kenosha County: Companion Plants for the Vegetable Garden (column, 2012)
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Herbs and Flowers in the Vegetable Garden
- Penn State Extension: Herbs Make Good Plant Partners and Companions
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County: The Art of Companion Planting (Master Gardener presentation, 2023)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Plant Partners: 5 Benefits of Companion Planting (2025)