When to plant eggplants in Richmond: 30 April – 27 July

In Richmond, eggplant: sow for seedlings from 8 February to 28 May; plant into a greenhouse from 9 April to 27 July; plant out into open ground from 30 April to 27 July. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Berry's Produce (farm shop, 14 km) and Pole Green Produce (farm shop, 15 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Eggplant in Richmond: soil, season and weather

In Richmond the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 26 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the eggplant card — only around 30 April, 35 days later.

Last spring frost	26 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	30 April, 35 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	9 April – 27 July; April outside: 9.7 °C at night, 21.5 °C by day; card 21–29 °C
First autumn frost	16 November, 200 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	9 July – 5 October
Days left for picking	130
Daylight	11:21 on 1 March, 13:42 on 30 April
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, November, has 8 rainy days

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

Eggplant in Richmond: care after planting

Planted on 30 April: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

30 April — feed: balanced (NPK)
28 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 Richmond during the eggplant season

Days average above the eggplant card's 21–29 °C in June (29.9 °C), July (32.6 °C) and August (30.5 °C). Months that stay below 21 °C even by day on average: November (15.5 °C). Nights average below 21 °C in April–June and September–November (5.7–19.1 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
April	21.5	9.7	86	9	13:09
May	25.1	14.7	115	12	14:11
June	29.9	19.1	96	10	14:44
July	32.6	22.2	108	13	14:31
August	30.5	21	105	12	13:38
September	27.5	18.1	104	9	12:28
October	21.7	12.2	87	7	11:16
November	15.5	5.7	68	8	10:10

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Eggplant in nearby cities

Around Richmond, Raleigh is 12 days earlier and Hagerstown 23 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Washington, D.C.	156 km	4 May – 27 July	4 days later
Annapolis	179 km	8 May – 30 July	8 days later
Baltimore	207 km	5 May – 2 August	5 days later
Raleigh	224 km	18 April – 30 July	12 days earlier
Hagerstown	231 km	23 May – 22 July	23 days later
Dover	246 km	11 May – 6 August	11 days later

Where to buy eggplant plants and seeds near Richmond

Buy plants ready to set out from 30 April to 27 July (from 9 April to 27 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 8 February to 28 May. Within 15 km of Richmond OpenStreetMap lists 6 garden centres, 4 farm-supply shops, 2 plant nurseries, 5 markets and 2 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Pole Green Produce — farm shop
Pole Green Road 6547, 23116 Mechanicsville · 15 km · facebook.com
Berry's Produce — farm shop
Chamberlayne Road 9592, 23116 Mechanicsville · 14 km
PlantBar — garden centre
1 km
The Water Garden Center — garden centre
6 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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