When to plant eggplants in Raleigh: 18 April – 30 July

In Raleigh, eggplant: sow for seedlings from 27 January to 31 May; plant into a greenhouse from 28 March to 30 July; plant out into open ground from 18 April to 30 July. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Fords Produce Company, Inc. (farm shop, 2 km) and Alvarado & sons produce (farm shop, 2 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Eggplant in Raleigh: soil, season and weather

In Raleigh the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 13 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the eggplant card — only around 18 April, 36 days later.

Last spring frost	13 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	18 April, 36 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	28 March – 30 July; March outside: 6.7 °C at night, 17.7 °C by day; card 21–29 °C
First autumn frost	19 November, 215 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	27 June – 8 October
Days left for picking	145
Daylight	10:57 on 17 February, 13:11 on 18 April
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, October, has 7 rainy days

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

Eggplant in Raleigh: care after planting

Planted on 18 April: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

18 April — feed: balanced (NPK)
16 May — 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 Raleigh during the eggplant season

Days average above the eggplant card's 21–29 °C in June (30 °C), July (32 °C) and August (30.2 °C). Months that stay below 21 °C even by day on average: November (16.6 °C). Nights average below 21 °C in April–June and September–November (6.7–19.7 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
April	22.4	10.9	97	9	13:05
May	26.1	15.8	124	12	14:03
June	30	19.7	111	13	14:34
July	32	22.3	136	16	14:22
August	30.2	21.2	137	15	13:32
September	27.6	18.4	156	12	12:26
October	22.4	12.8	77	7	11:19
November	16.6	6.7	83	7	10:18

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Eggplant in nearby cities

Around Raleigh, Charleston is 37 days earlier and Richmond 12 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Greensboro	109 km	28 April – 24 July	10 days later
Wilmington	186 km	2 April – 11 August	16 days earlier
Charlotte	208 km	13 April – 24 July	5 days earlier
Richmond	224 km	30 April – 27 July	12 days later
Columbia	294 km	28 March – 9 August	21 days earlier
Charleston	353 km	12 March – 30 August	37 days earlier

Where to buy eggplant plants and seeds near Raleigh

Buy plants ready to set out from 18 April to 30 July (from 28 March to 30 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 27 January to 31 May. Within 15 km of Raleigh OpenStreetMap lists 8 garden centres, 2 farm-supply shops, 1 plant nursery, 4 markets and 6 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

State Farmers Market — market
Agricultural Street 1201, 27603 Raleigh · 2 km · ncagr.gov
Fords Produce Company, Inc. — farm shop
Agriculture Street 1109, 27695 Raleigh · 2 km
Alvarado & sons produce — farm shop
Farmers Market Drive 1225, 27603 Raleigh · 2 km
Earth Family Organics — farm shop
Agricultural Street 1109, 27603 Raleigh · 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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