Greenly Garden

When to plant eggplants in Napier: from 3 November

In Napier, eggplant: sow for seedlings from 14 August; plant into a greenhouse from 13 October; plant out into open ground from 3 November. There is no autumn frost here, so the frost dates set no end to the window. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Jervoistown Garden Centre (garden centre, 7 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Eggplant in Napier: soil, season and weather

In Napier the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 31 July, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the eggplant card — only around 3 November, 95 days later. Napier has no autumn frost in the median year, so frost does not end the season.

Last spring frost31 July
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C3 November, 95 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhousefrom 13 October; October outside: 10.6 °C at night, 19.3 °C by day; card 21–29 °C
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)70
First harvest, if planted in this windowfrom 12 January
Daylight11:20 on 4 September, 13:51 on 3 November
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)every 3 days; the driest month, April, has 8 rainy days

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

Eggplant in Napier: care after planting

Planted on 3 November: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

  • 3 November — feed: balanced (NPK)
  • 1 December — 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 Napier during the eggplant season

No month of the season averages above the eggplant card's 21–29 °C by day; the warmest, January, averages 24.3 °C. Months that stay below 21 °C even by day on average: April (19.9 °C). Nights average below 21 °C in every month of the season, from 12.1 °C to 16.2 °C.

MonthDay, °CNight, °CRain, mmRainy daysDaylight on the 15th
November21.513.1881114:17
December23.615.2891214:56
January24.316.1841014:39
February24.116.292813:35
March2214.2901012:23
April19.912.166811:04

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Eggplant in nearby cities

All the nearest cities on our list plant eggplant later than Napier; the closest date is in Gisborne, 4 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Gisborne133 kmfrom 7 November4 days later
Palmerston North147 km4 December – 29 February31 days later
Rotorua161 km10 December – 3 February37 days later
Tauranga210 kmfrom 4 December31 days later
Hamilton (New Zealand)237 km3 December – 23 February30 days later
Wellington269 kmfrom 17 December44 days later

Where to buy eggplant plants and seeds near Napier

Buy plants ready to set out from 3 November (from 13 October for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 14 August. Within 15 km of Napier OpenStreetMap lists 3 garden centres, 2 markets and 2 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant eggplants in Napier?

In Napier, eggplant: sow for seedlings from 14 August; plant into a greenhouse from 13 October; plant out into open ground from 3 November. There is no autumn frost here, so the frost dates set no end to the window.

When to sow eggplants for seedlings in Napier?

Sow for seedlings from 14 August.

Other crops in Napier, with their dates