When to plant eggplants in Bologna: 16 May – 9 August

In Bologna, eggplant: sow for seedlings from 24 February to 10 June; plant into a greenhouse from 25 April to 9 August; plant out into open ground from 16 May to 9 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include La boulangerie - Annagrazia Gualandi (farm shop, 3 km) and Società Agricola Cristoni (farm shop, 13 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Eggplant in Bologna: soil, season and weather

In Bologna the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 10 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the eggplant card — only around 16 May, 67 days later.

Last spring frost	10 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	16 May, 67 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	25 April – 9 August; April outside: 8 °C at night, 18.9 °C by day; card 21–29 °C
First autumn frost	29 November, 197 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	25 July – 18 October
Days left for picking	127
Daylight	11:58 on 17 March, 14:49 on 16 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, July, has 7 rainy days

The same dates in Bologna hold for Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Zucchini, Pumpkin and Watermelon.

Eggplant in Bologna: care after planting

Planted on 16 May: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

Feeding, by the card’s schedule from that day:

16 May — feed: balanced (NPK)
13 June — feed: nitrogen

Pests and diseases of eggplant to watch for:

Dates count from the first planting day of the window above; a later planting moves them by as many days.

Weather in Bologna during the eggplant season

Days average above the eggplant card's 21–29 °C in June (29.3 °C), July (32 °C) and August (31.6 °C). Months that stay below 21 °C even by day on average: October (20.5 °C) and November (13.4 °C). Nights average below 21 °C in every month of the season, from 5.8 °C to 20.2 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	22.6	12.5	120	14	14:47
June	29.3	17.9	59	7	15:32
July	32	20.2	45	7	15:14
August	31.6	19.9	50	8	14:05
September	26.1	15.6	73	8	12:34
October	20.5	11.2	77	8	11:03
November	13.4	5.8	94	11	9:37

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Eggplant in nearby cities

Around Bologna, Ferrara is 3 days earlier and Florence 12 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Modena	37 km	14 May – 10 August	2 days earlier
Ferrara	45 km	13 May – 8 August	3 days earlier
Ravenna	69 km	15 May – 22 August	1 day earlier
Florence	80 km	28 May – 7 August	12 days later
Mantua	86 km	14 May – 8 August	2 days earlier
Parma	87 km	19 May – 9 August	3 days later

Where to buy eggplant plants and seeds near Bologna

Buy plants ready to set out from 16 May to 9 August (from 25 April to 9 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 24 February to 10 June. Within 15 km of Bologna OpenStreetMap lists 9 garden centres, 3 farm-supply shops, 4 plant nurseries, 18 markets and 15 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Mercato di Via Beolco — market
Thu 08:00–13:00 · 3 km
Wednesday Market — market
Wed 06:00–16:00 · 5 km
La boulangerie - Annagrazia Gualandi — farm shop
Via Giovanni Francesco Barbieri 123, 40129 Bologna · Mon–Fri 06:00–19:00; Sat 06:00–13:00 · 3 km
Società Agricola Cristoni — farm shop
Via di Mezzo a Ponente 26, Calderara di Reno · 13 km · campagnamica.it

Each window starts on the Greenly calendar date and ends on the last day that still leaves the crop’s days to harvest (from its card) before the average first autumn frost, plus six weeks of picking for crops harvested over weeks (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, watermelons, beans) — our rule; earlier in the window is safer.

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