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Sprout Authority
Eggplant growing in a garden

How to grow eggplant

Solanum melongena

Get your exact dates

The windows below are relative to your frost dates. Enter your ZIP for the calendar dates.

Open the planting calendar

When to plant eggplant

Start seeds indoors8 weeks before your last spring frost
Transplant outdoorsat your last spring frost to 2 weeks after your last spring frost

Growing conditions

Spacing
18 in apart, rows 30 in
Planting depth
0.25 in
Sun
Full sun
Water
1 in per week
Soil pH
5.5 to 7.5

Common problems

Eggplant by hardiness zone

Planting dates for a typical location in each zone:

Sources

Last updated 2026-06-11.