Oregon · Washington · Idaho
When to plant eggplant
Plant in the garden: Portland and Seattle May 25 – Jun 15; Spokane May 30 – Jun 20; Boise May 10–31; Bend Jun 16 – Jul 7.
Your dates in
Eggplant is a nightshade, a relative of tomatoes and peppers, grown for glossy fruit that's usually eaten cooked: grilled, roasted, in curries, baba ghanoush or eggplant Parmesan. Besides the big, dark Italian globes there are long, slender Asian types and small white, green and striped kinds. The name likely comes from old white varieties with egg-shaped fruit.
Puts eggplant on your free plan, with dates for your town and a spot in your beds.
- Difficulty
- Tricky here
- Sun
- Full sun; the hottest spot you have
- Spacing
- 18 to 24 inches apart
- Planting depth
- Plant starts at the depth they grew in the pot
- Frost
- Killed by frost
- First harvest
- About 80 days after planting
Needs even more heat than peppers. Small-fruited, early varieties do best west of the Cascades, helped by black plastic mulch or a warm wall. Hot eastern valleys grow them easily.
Eggplant planting dates
| Towns | Start seeds indoors | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR, Seattle and Tacoma, WA | Mar 16–30 | May 25 – Jun 15 |
| Spokane, WA | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 30 – Jun 20 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID | Mar 1–15 | May 10–31 |
| Bend and Redmond, OR | Apr 7–21 | Jun 16 – Jul 7 |
| Astoria, OR | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | Jun 1–22 |
Dates for six main cities. For any of the other 80 towns, type it in the box at the top of the page or browse all towns.
| Gresham, OR, Hillsboro and Beaverton, OR, Oregon City and West Linn, OR, Portland, OR, St. Helens and Scappoose, OR, Wilsonville and Canby, OR | Mar 16–30 | May 25 – Jun 15 |
|---|
| Corvallis and Albany, OR, Cottage Grove, OR, Eugene, OR, McMinnville and Newberg, OR, Salem, OR | Mar 16–30 | May 25 – Jun 15 |
|---|
| Ashland and Talent, OR, Grants Pass, OR, Medford, OR, Roseburg, OR | Mar 16–30 | May 25 – Jun 15 |
|---|
| Astoria, OR, Brookings and Gold Beach, OR, Coos Bay and North Bend, OR, Newport and Lincoln City, OR, Tillamook, OR | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | Jun 1–22 |
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| Bend and Redmond, OR, Klamath Falls, OR | Apr 7–21 | Jun 16 – Jul 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Burns, OR | Apr 9–23 | Jun 18 – Jul 9 |
| Lakeview, OR | Apr 2–16 | Jun 11 – Jul 2 |
| Madras, OR | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | Jun 5–26 |
| Prineville, OR | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | Jun 8–29 |
| Baker City, OR, Enterprise and Joseph, OR, John Day, OR | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | Jun 5–26 |
|---|---|---|
| Hermiston, OR, Hood River, OR, Ontario, OR, Pendleton, OR, The Dalles, OR | Mar 1–15 | May 10–31 |
| La Grande, OR | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 30 – Jun 20 |
| Bremerton and Port Orchard, WA, Everett, WA, Kent, Renton and Auburn, WA, Olympia, WA, Seattle and Tacoma, WA, Shelton, WA | Mar 16–30 | May 25 – Jun 15 |
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| Anacortes, WA, Bellingham, WA, Friday Harbor and the San Juans, WA, Mount Vernon and Burlington, WA, Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, WA | Mar 16–30 | May 25 – Jun 15 |
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| Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA, Forks, WA, Long Beach and Ilwaco, WA | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | Jun 1–22 |
|---|---|---|
| Port Angeles, WA, Port Townsend, WA, Sequim, WA | Mar 16–30 | May 25 – Jun 15 |
| Centralia and Chehalis, WA, Longview and Kelso, WA, Vancouver, WA | Mar 16–30 | May 25 – Jun 15 |
|---|
| Chelan, WA, Wenatchee, WA | Mar 1–15 | May 10–31 |
|---|---|---|
| Leavenworth, WA, Omak and Okanogan, WA, Winthrop and Twisp, WA | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 30 – Jun 20 |
| Ellensburg, WA, Goldendale, WA | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 30 – Jun 20 |
|---|---|---|
| Ephrata and Quincy, WA, Moses Lake, WA, Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser, WA, Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA, Walla Walla, WA | Mar 1–15 | May 10–31 |
| Yakima, WA | Mar 6–20 | May 15 – Jun 5 |
| Colville, WA, Pullman, WA, Spokane, WA | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 30 – Jun 20 |
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| Bonners Ferry, ID, Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls, ID, Sandpoint, ID | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 30 – Jun 20 |
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| Lewiston, ID | Mar 1–15 | May 10–31 |
|---|---|---|
| Moscow, ID | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 30 – Jun 20 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID, Emmett, ID, Nampa and Caldwell, ID | Mar 1–15 | May 10–31 |
|---|---|---|
| McCall, ID | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 29 – Jul 20 |
| Burley and Rupert, ID, Idaho Falls, ID, Pocatello, ID, Rexburg, ID, Twin Falls, ID | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 30 – Jun 20 |
|---|---|---|
| Salmon, ID | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | Jun 5–26 |
Eggplant year at a glance
| Task | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start indoors | Mar | |||||||||||
| Plant | May | Jun | ||||||||||
| Harvest | Aug | Sep |
Around Portland. Colder towns, especially east of the Cascades, run a few weeks later; the table above has your town's planting dates.
How to grow eggplant
- Start seeds indoors on your city's dates in trays or small pots under a grow light or in your sunniest window. Or skip this step and buy young plants (starts) at a garden center.
- Harden off the young plants: about a week before planting, set them outside for a few hours a day, a little longer each day.
- Plant them in the garden on your city's dates, 18 to 24 inches apart. Plant starts at the depth they grew in the pot.
- Water deeply once or twice a week rather than a little every day, and mulch once the soil is warm.
- Harvest: Pick when the skin is glossy and springs back when pressed. Dull skin means it's overripe and seedy.
Growing eggplant in your part of the Northwest
The same plant behaves differently on the wet west side, the foggy coast and the dry, colder east side.
West-side valleys
Willamette Valley, Puget Sound, southern Oregon
Eggplant needs warm nights and is slow here. Plant in early June, use black plastic or a hoop house, and choose small-fruited, early varieties.
Coast
Oregon and Washington coast
Eggplant rarely does well outdoors on the coast. A greenhouse or large pot in a sheltered, sunny spot is your best chance.
East of the Cascades
Columbia Basin, Yakima, Boise, Spokane, north Idaho
Hot summers suit eggplant well. Flea beetles chew young leaves, so cover transplants at first.
High desert and mountain towns
Central Oregon, high eastern Oregon valleys, McCall, Salmon
Cool nights make eggplant very hard to grow here. Grow it under cover if at all.
More eggplant varieties
More widely sold picks that do well somewhere in the Northwest. The tag says which part of the Northwest suits each one best.
Hansel
Clusters of slender purple fruit that are tender and seedless at 3 inches. Early and compact, it is one of the surest bets for cooler west-side summers and containers.
West side
Fairy Tale
Small purple-and-white striped fruit on compact plants, with mild, non-bitter flesh. Early and productive, it suits pots and short Northwest summers.
Short seasons
Orient Express
Long, slender, glossy black fruit with thin skin and tender flesh. It sets fruit even in cooler weather, which helps west of the Cascades.
West side
Gretel
The white-skinned sister of Hansel, with clusters of small, sweet, tender fruit. Early and compact, it does well in pots on a warm patio.
Both sides
Ichiban
A long-time favorite Japanese type with long, dark purple fruit and mild flavor. Productive and fairly early for its size.
Both sides
Black Beauty
The classic large, glossy, oval eggplant. It needs a long, hot summer, so it does best in warm eastern valleys rather than cool west-side gardens.
East side
How much to grow
How many to plant
For a family of four, 3 to 6 plants. Smaller Asian types produce best in cool summers.
What to expect
About 4 to 8 large fruit or 10 to 20 long Asian fruit per plant.
Storing the harvest
Keep a few days in a cool spot or the fridge's crisper. They don't freeze well raw; roast first.
What to plant after eggplant
Around Portland, the eggplant harvest wraps up around September. These crops can still go into the same bed, and they come from a different plant family, which helps with rotation.
- Mâche Aug 13 – Sep 17
- Spinach Aug 20 – Sep 10
- Mustard greens Aug 20 – Sep 10
- Cilantro Aug 27 – Sep 10
- Arugula Aug 27 – Sep 17
- Radishes Sep 3–17
- Garlic Oct 1 – Nov 15
- Fava beans Oct 1–31
Mâche 
Spinach 
Mustard greens 
Cilantro 
Arugula 
Radishes 
Garlic 
Fava beans Portland dates. Pick your town at the top of the page for yours.
Key numbers
- 75–90°FSoil to sprout
- Nights stay above 55°FPlant out when
- 5.8–6.8Soil pH
- Flea beetles, cool nightsBiggest risk
Top care tip: Keep row cover on until plants grow strongly, and water deeply once nights stay warm.
Growing notes
What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.
Soil, warmth and feeding
Eggplant loves heat even more than peppers. Give it well-drained soil rich in compost with a pH of about 5.8 to 6.8, and wait to plant until nights stay above about 55°F and the soil has warmed. Plants set out into cold soil stall and often never recover their pace. Feed with a balanced fertilizer at planting and lightly again when fruit sets. Water deeply and evenly, about an inch a week.
Growing it east vs west of the Cascades
West of the Cascades, eggplant is a challenge because summers are mild and nights are cool. Choose small-fruited, early varieties like Hansel, Fairy Tale and Orient Express, plant them in your hottest spot, and use black plastic mulch and row cover early in the season. Growing in a large dark container against a south wall also works well. East of the Cascades, hot valleys grow eggplant easily. Flowers can drop in extreme heat, though, so steady water and mulch help there.
Flea beetles, wilt and harvest
Flea beetles chew many tiny holes in young leaves and can stunt small plants. Keep row cover on until plants grow strongly, then remove it so bees can reach the flowers. Verticillium wilt, a soil disease shared with tomatoes and potatoes, causes leaves to yellow and wilt on one side; rotate so eggplant doesn't follow those crops. Pick fruit when the skin is glossy and springs back when pressed. Eggplant doesn't store long: keep it a few days in a cool spot, since the fridge can cause brown spots and pitting.
Good neighbors and crop rotation
Good neighbors
- Basil and peppers. Same heat-loving needs and planting date.
- Bush beans. Low plants that fill gaps without shading.
Tomato family: Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant, tomatillos and ground cherries are all one family. Keep them out of the same bed for three years: early blight survives on old plant debris and verticillium wilt lives in the soil. Dig up volunteer potatoes, which can carry late blight over winter.
Pests and problems
What most often goes wrong with eggplant in Northwest gardens, how to spot it and what to do.
Flea beetles
Signs: Tiny holes all over young leaves.
What to do: Row cover from planting until plants are growing strongly.
Cool weather stall
Signs: Plants barely grow or drop flowers.
What to do: Black plastic mulch, a warm south-facing spot, or a pot against a wall.
Verticillium wilt
Signs: Leaves wilt and yellow on one side of the plant.
What to do: Rotate beds; don't follow tomatoes, potatoes or strawberries.
Common questions about growing eggplant
When should I plant eggplant in Oregon, Washington and Idaho?
Plant in the garden: May 25 – Jun 15 in Portland and Seattle, May 30 – Jun 20 in Spokane, May 10–31 in Boise and Jun 16 – Jul 7 in Bend. Pick your town at the top of the page for your own dates.
Why isn't my eggplant producing fruit?
Cool nights are the most common cause in the Northwest, and extreme heat can do the same in eastern valleys. Plants also need pollinators, so remove row cover once flowers open. Small, early varieties set fruit most reliably here.
What are the tiny holes in my eggplant leaves?
Flea beetles. They're worst on young plants in spring. Use row cover until plants are growing strongly, and older plants usually outgrow the damage.
How do I know when eggplant is ripe?
Look for glossy skin that springs back when pressed gently. Dull skin and brown seeds mean it's overripe. Cut the stem with pruners rather than pulling, since the stems are tough and sometimes spiny.
See what else to plant in March, May or June.
Tomatoes
Peppers
Sweet corn
Tomatillos
Ground cherries