Aubergine

Thrives in warm and sunny conditions.

Aubergine grows best in warm, sunny conditions. A greenhouse is your best option for these, but they can survive outside if you plant them in a sheltered spot that gets plenty of sun. Ideally, you’d have a cloche or protective covering for the plant to keep it warm in cooler conditions. 

It‘s best to sew the seeds in January if using a heated greenhouse, February for a non-heated greenhouse or March if you’re planning to grow the plant outside. In this case, sew the seed indoors and keep it somewhere warm, like an airing cupboard, until the seed germinates, then transfer it outside. Plant each seed in a 9cm pot, then transfer to a 23cm pot once the first pot is filled with roots. This will be in April if transferring to a greenhouse, or late May if you’re planting outdoors.

If you don’t have the right conditions for sowing the seed, you can buy grown plants from most garden centres and plant them in your garden to enjoy the fresh vegetables!

Top tips

– If growing in open ground, use a cloche or horticultural fleece to heat the soil for 2 weeks before planting, and keep the young plants under the cloche for a further 2 weeks while they acclimatise.

– Stake and tie they plants as they grow, they need help supporting the heavy fruit!

– Water regularly and feed with a high potassium fertiliser every 2 weeks once the first fruit appears

– Remove their flowers once 5 or 6 fruit are growing. They’ll be ready to harvest in August once each fruit is around 15cm.

– Have a go at making our aubergine and chickpea wat to enjoy your harvest!

Key timings