DibbleGrowing eggplant: from seed to harvest
Eggplant craves heat. Start seeds indoors about 10 weeks before planting out, and transplant only once the soil is warm and nights stay mild. A chill stunts the plants for weeks.
Planting dates for eggplant by zone
| Zone | Start seeds indoors | Sow or transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | Not suited | ||
| Zone 4 | April 2 | June 11 | August 8 |
| Zone 5 | March 23 | June 1 | July 27 |
| Zone 6 | March 19 | May 28 | August 1 |
| Zone 7 | March 6 | May 15 | July 17 |
| Zone 8 | February 10 | April 21 | June 13 |
| Zone 9 | January 20 | March 31 | May 27 |
| Zone 10 | February 19 | April 30 | April 24 |
| Zone 11 | January 1 | January 1 | March 10 |
Each date is the start of the best window from the same climate engine the Dibble app uses, run at typical places in each zone. Dibble tunes them to your garden's own location and lets you adjust frost dates for your own yard.
Companion plants
Good neighbors for Eggplant:
Better kept apart:
Family and rotation
Eggplant is in the nightshades family. Heavy feeders and disease-prone. Rotate so nightshades don't return to a bed for 3 years. Learn about crop rotation.
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Questions
When should I plant eggplant?
It depends on your zone. Eggplant is a tender crop, so the timing follows your last spring frost. Look up your zone in the table below for exact start, sow, and harvest dates, or open Dibble and set where your garden is to get your own calendar.
How long does it take to grow eggplant?
About 75 days from transplant to the first harvest, with a picking window of roughly 60 days after that.
What grows well with eggplant?
Good companions include Bean (bush), Pepper, Marigold. Keep it away from Fennel.
Plant at the right time this season
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