When to plant eggplants in Milwaukee: 28 May – 12 July

In Milwaukee, eggplant: sow for seedlings from 8 March to 13 May; plant into a greenhouse from 7 May to 12 July; plant out into open ground from 28 May to 12 July.

Eggplant in Milwaukee: soil, season and weather

In Milwaukee the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 27 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the eggplant card — only around 28 May, 31 days later.

Last spring frost	27 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	28 May, 31 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	7 May – 12 July; May outside: 8.8 °C at night, 18.7 °C by day; card 21–29 °C
First autumn frost	1 November, 157 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	6 August – 20 September
Days left for picking	87
Daylight	12:34 on 29 March, 15:02 on 28 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, November, has 7 rainy days

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

Eggplant in Milwaukee: care after planting

Planted on 28 May: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

28 May — feed: balanced (NPK)
25 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 Milwaukee during the eggplant season

No month of the season averages above the eggplant card's 21–29 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 27.6 °C. Months that stay below 21 °C even by day on average: May (18.7 °C), October (16.2 °C) and November (8.2 °C). Nights average below 21 °C in every month of the season, from 0.9 °C to 18.3 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	18.7	8.8	113	13	14:38
June	25.4	15.2	116	12	15:21
July	27.6	18.3	90	10	15:04
August	26.7	17.8	81	10	13:59
September	23.4	14.9	91	10	12:33
October	16.2	8.3	98	10	11:06
November	8.2	0.9	50	7	9:45

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Eggplant in nearby cities

Around Milwaukee, Green Bay is 1 day earlier and Traverse City 8 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Madison	121 km	28 May – 7 July	same day
Rockford	128 km	28 May – 8 July	same day
Chicago	131 km	28 May – 17 July	same day
Green Bay	165 km	27 May – 10 July	1 day earlier
Grand Rapids	182 km	28 May – 14 July	same day
Traverse City	266 km	5 June – 20 July	8 days later

Where to buy eggplant plants and seeds near Milwaukee

Buy plants ready to set out from 28 May to 12 July (from 7 May to 12 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 8 March to 13 May. Within 15 km of Milwaukee OpenStreetMap lists 9 garden centres, 10 markets and 1 farm shop (collected 20 October 2026).

Fondy Farmer's Market — market
West Fond du Lac Avenue 2200, 53206 Milwaukee · 3 km · fondymke.org
West Allis Farmers Market — market
May Sat[1]–Nov Sun[4]: Tue, Thu 12:00–18:00; May Sat[1]–Nov Sun[4]: Sat 13:00–18:00; Jul 04 closed; Nov Thu[4] closed · 7 km · thatswhywestallis.com
Cathedral Square Market — market
Jun 01–Oct 10 Sat 09:00–12:30 · 1 km · easttown.com
Phongsavan Market Place — market
North 76th Street 6318, 53218-1208 Milwaukee · 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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