When to plant eggplants in Vila Real: 18 May – 1 September

In Vila Real, eggplant: sow for seedlings from 26 February to 3 July; plant into a greenhouse from 27 April to 1 September; plant out into open ground from 18 May to 1 September. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Rocas Vale Ouro (farm shop, 1 km) and Satisfazverdade (farm shop, 3 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Eggplant in Vila Real: soil, season and weather

In Vila Real the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 20 January, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the eggplant card — only around 18 May, 118 days later.

Last spring frost	20 January
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	18 May, 118 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	27 April – 1 September; April outside: 8.4 °C at night, 19 °C by day; card 21–29 °C
First autumn frost	22 December, 218 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	27 July – 10 November
Days left for picking	148
Daylight	12:04 on 19 March, 14:35 on 18 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, July, has 3 rainy days

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

Eggplant in Vila Real: care after planting

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

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

18 May — feed: balanced (NPK)
15 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 Vila Real during the eggplant season

Days average above the eggplant card's 21–29 °C in July (30.7 °C) and August (31.4 °C). Months that stay below 21 °C even by day on average: November (15.4 °C) and December (12.4 °C). Nights average below 21 °C in every month of the season, from 5.3 °C to 17.4 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	22.7	11.3	64	10	14:29
June	26.2	14.6	48	8	15:08
July	30.7	17.1	8	3	14:53
August	31.4	17.4	8	2	13:52
September	26.6	14.7	48	6	12:31
October	22	12.3	130	11	11:09
November	15.4	7.8	143	14	9:54
December	12.4	5.3	139	13	9:13

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Eggplant in nearby cities

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

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Braga	63 km	24 May – 2 September	6 days later
Viseu	73 km	27 May – 20 August	9 days later
Porto	75 km	22 May – 29 August	4 days later
Guarda	93 km	28 May – 5 August	10 days later
Bragança	99 km	29 May – 6 August	11 days later
Viana do Castelo	101 km	30 May – 22 August	12 days later

Where to buy eggplant plants and seeds near Vila Real

Buy plants ready to set out from 18 May to 1 September (from 27 April to 1 September for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 26 February to 3 July. Within 15 km of Vila Real OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre, 15 farm-supply shops, 6 plant nurseries, 11 markets and 4 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Feira de Levante de Vila Real — market
Tue, Fri 07:00–13:00 · 2 km
Rocas Vale Ouro — farm shop
Rua Camilo Castelo Branco 66, 5000-658 Vila Real · 1 km · bcdvilareal.pt
Satisfazverdade — farm shop
Rua da Estrada Nacional 2 3, 5000-021 Vila Real · 3 km
Sonhos Verdes - Viveiros, Jardinagem, Decoração — plant nursery
1 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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