When to plant eggplants in Derby: 22 June – 2 August

In Derby, eggplant: sow for seedlings from 2 April to 3 June; plant into a greenhouse from 1 June to 2 August; plant out into open ground from 22 June to 2 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Acton Garden & Aquatic Centre (garden centre, 15 km) and Gro-well Direct (garden centre, 15 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Eggplant in Derby: soil, season and weather

In Derby the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 12 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the eggplant card — only around 22 June, 71 days later.

Last spring frost	12 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	22 June, 71 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	1 June – 2 August; June outside: 10.7 °C at night, 19.2 °C by day; card 21–29 °C
First autumn frost	22 November, 153 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	31 August – 11 October
Days left for picking	83
Daylight	14:28 on 23 April, 16:55 on 22 June
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, August, has 12 rainy days

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

Eggplant in Derby: care after planting

Planted on 22 June: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

22 June — feed: balanced (NPK)
20 July — 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 Derby during the eggplant season

No month of the season averages above the eggplant card's 21–29 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 20.9 °C. Months that stay below 21 °C even by day on average: June–November (9.5–20.9 °C). Nights average below 21 °C in every month of the season, from 4.2 °C to 12.6 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
June	19.2	10.7	70	12	16:53
July	20.9	12.6	76	14	16:27
August	20.4	12.4	67	12	14:48
September	17.8	10.3	80	13	12:45
October	13.9	7.9	86	14	10:41
November	9.5	4.2	75	13	8:44

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Eggplant in nearby cities

Around Derby, Nottingham is 2 days earlier and Sheffield 7 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Nottingham	22 km	20 June – 3 August	2 days earlier
Leicester	39 km	21 June – 30 July	1 day earlier
Stoke-on-Trent	48 km	20 June – 26 July	2 days earlier
Sheffield	51 km	29 June – 2 August	7 days later
Birmingham	55 km	20 June – 30 July	2 days earlier
Coventry	57 km	21 June – 28 July	1 day earlier

Where to buy eggplant plants and seeds near Derby

Buy plants ready to set out from 22 June to 2 August (from 1 June to 2 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 2 April to 3 June. Within 15 km of Derby OpenStreetMap lists 19 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 1 plant nursery, 5 markets and 13 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Acton Garden & Aquatic Centre — garden centre
Acton Close, NG10 1FZ Nottingham · 15 km
Gro-well Direct — garden centre
Peasehill, DE5 3JQ Ripley · 15 km
Market Hall — market
Mon closed; Tue–Wed 08:00–15:00; Thu–Sat 08:00–22:00; Sun 11:00–18:00 · 0 km · derbymarkethall.co.uk
Ilkeston Market — market
Market Place, DE7 8GS Ilkeston · Thu–Sat 09:00–15:00 · 13 km

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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