When to plant eggplants in Wellington: from 17 December

In Wellington, eggplant: sow for seedlings from 27 September; plant into a greenhouse from 26 November; plant out into open ground from 17 December. There is no autumn frost here, so the frost dates set no end to the window.

Eggplant in Wellington: soil, season and weather

In Wellington the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 17 August, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the eggplant card — only around 17 December, 122 days later. Wellington has no autumn frost in the median year, so frost does not end the season.

Last spring frost	17 August
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	17 December, 122 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	from 26 November; November outside: 10.4 °C at night, 15.3 °C by day; card 21–29 °C
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	from 25 February
Daylight	13:17 on 18 October, 15:09 on 17 December
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, January, has 8 rainy days

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

Eggplant in Wellington: care after planting

Planted on 17 December: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

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

17 December — feed: balanced (NPK)
14 January — 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 Wellington during the eggplant season

No month of the season averages above the eggplant card's 21–29 °C by day; the warmest, January, averages 18.7 °C. Months that stay below 21 °C even by day on average: December–May (13.3–18.7 °C). Nights average below 21 °C in every month of the season, from 9 °C to 13.1 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
December	17.1	11.9	95	13	15:08
January	18.7	13	45	8	14:49
February	18.7	13.1	82	8	13:41
March	17.1	12.1	79	9	12:25
April	15.2	10.4	104	10	11:00
May	13.3	9	111	12	9:51

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Eggplant in nearby cities

Around Wellington, Napier is 44 days earlier and Nelson 3 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Blenheim	73 km	11 December – 8 February	6 days earlier
Palmerston North	125 km	4 December – 29 February	13 days earlier
Nelson	125 km	20 December – 29 February	3 days later
Napier	269 km	from 3 November	44 days earlier
Christchurch	305 km	1 December – 13 February	16 days earlier
Rotorua	372 km	10 December – 3 February	7 days earlier

Where to buy eggplant plants and seeds near Wellington

Buy plants ready to set out from 17 December (from 26 November for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 27 September. Within 15 km of Wellington OpenStreetMap lists 2 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 2 plant nurseries and 3 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Palmers — garden centre
4 km
Twigland — garden centre
10 km
Wellington Botanic Garden Nursery — plant nursery
2 km
Berhampore Nursery — plant nursery
4 km

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