When to plant eggplants in Cedar Rapids: 20 May – 5 July

In Cedar Rapids, eggplant: sow for seedlings from 28 February to 6 May; plant into a greenhouse from 29 April to 5 July; plant out into open ground from 20 May to 5 July. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Walmart Garden Center (garden centre, 3 km) and Culvers Garden Center and Greenhouse (garden centre, 15 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Eggplant in Cedar Rapids: soil, season and weather

In Cedar Rapids the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 22 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the eggplant card — only around 20 May, 28 days later.

Last spring frost	22 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	20 May, 28 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	29 April – 5 July; April outside: 4.4 °C at night, 15.4 °C by day; card 21–29 °C
First autumn frost	25 October, 158 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	29 July – 13 September
Days left for picking	88
Daylight	12:10 on 21 March, 14:42 on 20 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, September, has 8 rainy days

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

Eggplant in Cedar Rapids: care after planting

Planted on 20 May: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

20 May — feed: balanced (NPK)
17 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 Cedar Rapids during the eggplant season

No month of the season averages above the eggplant card's 21–29 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 28.6 °C. Months that stay below 21 °C even by day on average: October (17.6 °C). Nights average below 21 °C in every month of the season, from 8.1 °C to 19.2 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	21.9	11.1	115	13	14:33
June	28	17.5	114	10	15:13
July	28.6	19.2	84	11	14:57
August	27.6	18.1	91	10	13:54
September	25.2	15.2	81	8	12:32
October	17.6	8.1	97	10	11:08

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Eggplant in nearby cities

Around Cedar Rapids, Springfield is 5 days earlier and Rockford 8 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Davenport	100 km	17 May – 10 July	3 days earlier
Des Moines	165 km	17 May – 7 July	3 days earlier
Rockford	219 km	28 May – 8 July	8 days later
Madison	224 km	28 May – 7 July	8 days later
Peoria	224 km	18 May – 11 July	2 days earlier
Springfield	295 km	15 May – 12 July	5 days earlier

Where to buy eggplant plants and seeds near Cedar Rapids

Buy plants ready to set out from 20 May to 5 July (from 29 April to 5 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 28 February to 6 May. Within 15 km of Cedar Rapids OpenStreetMap lists 5 garden centres, 3 markets and 1 farm shop (collected 28 October 2026).

Culvers Garden Center and Greenhouse — garden centre
Dubuque Road 1682, 52302 Marion · 15 km
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
Mon–Sun, public holidays 06:00–23:00 · 3 km
NewBo City Market — market
3rd Street Southeast 1100, 52401 Cedar Rapids · Mon–Fri 10:00–20:00; Sat 10:00–18:00; Sun 10:00–16:00 · 2 km · newbocitymarket.org
Karibu Market — market
3rd Avenue Southeast 707, 52401 Cedar Rapids · 3 km · karibumarketcedarrapids.com

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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