When to plant eggplants in Knoxville: 4 May – 23 July

In Knoxville, eggplant: sow for seedlings from 12 February to 24 May; plant into a greenhouse from 13 April to 23 July; plant out into open ground from 4 May to 23 July. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Plush Moon Terrarium (garden centre, 2 km) and Mayo Garden Center (garden centre, 6 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Eggplant in Knoxville: soil, season and weather

In Knoxville the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 29 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the eggplant card — only around 4 May, 36 days later.

Last spring frost	29 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	4 May, 36 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	13 April – 23 July; April outside: 9 °C at night, 20.8 °C by day; card 21–29 °C
First autumn frost	12 November, 192 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	13 July – 1 October
Days left for picking	122
Daylight	11:32 on 5 March, 13:44 on 4 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, November, has 8 rainy days

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

Eggplant in Knoxville: care after planting

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

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

4 May — feed: balanced (NPK)
1 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 Knoxville during the eggplant season

Days average above the eggplant card's 21–29 °C in June (29.6 °C), July (31.6 °C) and August (30.2 °C). Months that stay below 21 °C even by day on average: November (15.7 °C). Nights average below 21 °C in May, June and August–November (5.1–20.1 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	25.3	14.5	115	13	14:03
June	29.6	18.6	82	12	14:35
July	31.6	21.3	87	14	14:23
August	30.2	20.1	111	14	13:33
September	28.3	17.5	85	9	12:27
October	22.7	11.3	87	7	11:19
November	15.7	5.1	77	8	10:17

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Eggplant in nearby cities

Around Knoxville, Atlanta is 21 days earlier and Asheville 20 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Asheville	130 km	24 May – 13 July	20 days later
Chattanooga	156 km	27 April – 23 July	7 days earlier
Greenville	184 km	23 April – 2 August	11 days earlier
Athens (United States)	229 km	17 April – 2 August	17 days earlier
Lexington	231 km	15 May – 18 July	11 days later
Atlanta	249 km	13 April – 2 August	21 days earlier

Where to buy eggplant plants and seeds near Knoxville

Buy plants ready to set out from 4 May to 23 July (from 13 April to 23 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 12 February to 24 May. Within 15 km of Knoxville OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres, 1 plant nursery and 5 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Southern Rail Station — market
1 km
Mayo Garden Center — garden centre
Kingston Pike 4718, 37919 · Mon–Sat 09:00–18:00; Sun 00:00–17:00 · 6 km · mayogardencenters.com
Kirby Plants — garden centre
Oak Ridge Highway 7234, 37931 Knoxville · 15 km · kirbyplants.com
Plush Moon Terrarium — garden centre
East 5th Avenue 1423, 37917-7713 Knoxville · Thu–Fri 17:00–20:00; Sat 12:00–18:00; Sun 12:00–16:00 · 2 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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