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When to Start Eggplant Seeds

Dates to start eggplants indoors, harden off and plant out for your ZIP code or zone.

Tomato and pepper seedlings in trays under an LED grow light

Eggplant planting dates by zone

At the average last frost date for each USDA half-zone (the median across its ZIP codes, NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals). Enter your ZIP code below for your own dates.

ZoneLast frostStart indoorsTransplant
3aMay 28Apr 16 to Apr 30Jun 11
3bMay 17Apr 5 to Apr 19May 31
4aMay 13Apr 1 to Apr 15May 27
4bMay 8Mar 27 to Apr 10May 22
5aMay 4Mar 23 to Apr 6May 18
5bMay 1Mar 20 to Apr 3May 15
6aApr 29Mar 18 to Apr 1May 13
6bApr 23Mar 12 to Mar 26May 7
7aApr 16Mar 5 to Mar 19Apr 30
7bApr 6Feb 23 to Mar 9Apr 20
8aMar 29Feb 15 to Mar 1Apr 12
8bMar 18Feb 4 to Feb 18Apr 1
9aMar 3Jan 20 to Feb 3Mar 17
9bFeb 2Dec 22 to Jan 5Feb 16
10aJan 16Dec 5 to Dec 19Jan 30
10brareby seasonby season
Your location

Zone medians. Your ZIP code gives the dates of your nearest weather station.

Frost risk

Half of years still get a frost after the spring date, and half get the first fall frost before the fall date.

Frost dates at three risk levels
AverageSaferSafest
Last spring frostApr 23Apr 30May 9
First fall frostOct 22Oct 16Oct 7
Crops (1 selected)

Start your first seeds indoors

Mar 12eggplant

Average frost dates: last Apr 23, first Oct 22 (zone 6b).
Season
Spring seed starting schedule
CropStart indoorsHarden offTransplantNotes
EggplantVery tenderMar 12 to Mar 26Apr 16 to May 6May 7Indoor start from Clemson's 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting. Transplant 2 wk after last frost. Sprouts in 7 to 14 days, best at 75 to 90°F soil. Pot up at the first true leaves.

How to start seeds indoors

Light
Give seedlings 14 to 18 hours of light a day on a timer, with fluorescent or LED fixtures 2 to 6 in above the leaves. Raise the lights as the plants grow.
Clemson HGIC: 16 to 18 hours, tubes 2 to 4 in above. UMD Extension: 14 to 16 hours, 2 to 6 in.
Seed starting mix
Use a sterile, soilless mix, never garden soil. To mix your own, combine equal parts by volume of fine pine bark, sphagnum peat moss and perlite.
NC State Extension Gardener Handbook; Clemson HGIC.
Sowing and warmth
Sow two or three seeds per cell and keep the strongest seedling. A mix temperature of 65 to 75°F germinates most vegetables; after they sprout, 55 to 60°F nights and 65 to 70°F days keep them stocky.
UMD Extension.
Potting up
Move seedlings into larger pots shortly after the first true leaves appear, while they are small and recover quickly.
UMD Extension; Clemson HGIC (one or two sets of true leaves).
Hardening off
Start two to three weeks before transplanting, once plants are about 3 in tall: set them outdoors by day, bring them in before sundown, and give them more direct sun each day. Skip days below 45°F or with strong wind.
Clemson HGIC: 2 to 3 weeks. NC State: at least 2 weeks, not below 45°F.

When to start eggplant seeds

Start eggplant seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost date, and plant the seedlings out 2 weeks after it. That start date comes from Clemson Cooperative Extension's seed starting guide, which gives eggplant 6 to 8 weeks from sowing to setting out, counted back from a transplant date 2 weeks after the frost; the transplant date follows Colorado State University Extension and Utah State University Extension, who wait until frost danger has passed and the soil is at least 60°F. The table above shows the dates for every USDA zone, and the planner below it uses your ZIP code.

Transplant = last frost + 2 weeks · Start indoors = transplant − 8 to 6 weeks

Example dates by zone

At the median last frost for each half-zone (NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals):

ZoneAverage last frostStart indoorsHarden offTransplant
4bMay 8Mar 27 to Apr 10May 1 to May 21May 22
5bMay 1Mar 20 to Apr 3Apr 24 to May 14May 15
7aApr 16Mar 5 to Mar 19Apr 9 to Apr 29Apr 30

Clemson gives 65 to 80 days from transplanting to harvest. In zone 4b a May 22 transplant has 132 days before the average first fall frost of Oct 1, so the season is long enough even there.

Clemson's weeks or Utah State's?

The two sources differ on how long eggplant needs indoors. Clemson's table gives 6 to 8 weeks, and that is what the calculator uses. Utah State allows 8 to 10 weeks to grow the plant. If you want the bigger transplant Utah State describes, sow at the early end of the window or a week or two before it; in zone 5b that means Mar 6 to Mar 20 for the full 8 to 10 weeks.

Warm seed, warm soil

Oregon State University Extension's germination table puts the minimum soil temperature at 60°F and the best range at 75 to 90°F, with seedlings up in 7 to 14 days. Sow ¼ inch deep. Clemson keeps seedlings under 16 to 18 hours of bright light, with fluorescent tubes 2 to 4 inches above them.

Hardening off and planting out

Clemson hardens seedlings off over 2 to 3 weeks, starting at about 3 inches tall, which is why the planner puts the hardening off window in the three weeks before transplanting. Eggplant is very tender: a light frost kills it. If the soil is still below 60°F on your transplant date, Utah State's advice is to wait for it.

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