An aubergine plant in full fruit is one of the best sights in a greenhouse: velvety grey-green leaves, nodding violet flowers and glossy fruit in purple-black, lilac or ivory hanging beneath them. It is also a crop that punishes a late start. Solanum melongena needs a long, warm season, so the gardeners who pick a dozen fruit in August are almost always the ones who sowed in February — not May. Here is how to grow aubergines (eggplant) from seed, from a warm germination in late winter to the moment a fruit is ready to cut, with the varieties that suit a greenhouse, a patio pot or a sunny wall.
- Sow Indoors with heat · late January–mid March (into April for compact varieties)
- Germination 21–30 °C, ideally around 25 °C · 7–21 days
- Grow on Greenhouse, polytunnel or a hot, sheltered patio · final pot at least 10 litres
- Harvest July–October · cut while the skin is still glossy
What aubergines need — and why they are slower than tomatoes
Aubergine, eggplant, brinjal and melanzana are all the same plant: Solanum melongena, a tender perennial from tropical Asia grown as an annual in our climate. It belongs to the same family as the tomato and the chilli, and it is raised in much the same way, but it is the most heat-hungry of the three. Seed germinates poorly below 20 °C, young plants stall in cool nights, and flowers often drop without setting fruit when temperatures stay below about 15 °C. That is why the timing advice in our guides to growing tomatoes from seed and growing chillies from seed applies here with even more force: the earlier and warmer the start, the bigger the harvest.
From sowing to the first ripe fruit takes roughly five months for a large-fruited variety. Count back from a July harvest and you arrive in February, which is the sweet spot for most gardens with a greenhouse. Without a greenhouse, aubergines are still possible — but choose a compact variety, give it the hottest corner you have, and expect fewer, smaller fruits.
Varieties: long, round, white and mini
Our aubergine and eggplant seeds (also listed under the botanical name Solanum melongena) cover the four shapes most gardeners want. Black Beauty is the classic: large, glossy, purple-black fruit on a sturdy plant, also available as organic aubergine seed. Violetta Lunga is the long, slim Italian type — easy to slice, quick to cook and reliable under glass. Prosperosa is an Italian heirloom with round, gently ribbed fruit in lilac to deep violet on plants around 70 cm tall. White Egg earns its name: compact plants of about 50 cm with small ivory fruits that look exactly like hens' eggs. For pots and balconies, Patio Baby F1 stays at around 40 cm and carries a steady crop of mini fruits weighing 50–180 g each — the best choice for a sunny patio rather than a greenhouse.
When to sow aubergine seeds
Sow from late January to mid March on a heated propagator or a warm windowsill, aiming for 25 °C at seed level. Large-fruited types like Black Beauty and Violetta Lunga benefit most from the early slot; compact varieties like Patio Baby and White Egg can still be sown into early April and catch up in a warm summer. Sowing in January only makes sense if you can also give the seedlings strong light — on a dark windowsill they stretch, and a grow light for seedlings pays for itself in sturdier plants. If you are planning next year's plot now, pencil aubergines into the same February sowing session as your chillies; our guide to planning a vegetable garden shows how to fit them into the season.
How to grow aubergines from seed, step by step
- Sow into warm, moist compost Fill a small pot or modules with fine seed compost, water it and let it drain. Sow seeds 1 cm apart and about 0.5 cm deep, cover lightly and set the pot on a heated propagator at 21–30 °C. Keep the compost moist but never soggy — cold, wet compost is the main cause of damping off.
- Be patient for one to three weeks Fresh seed at 25 °C usually emerges in 7–14 days; cooler conditions can stretch that to three weeks. If nothing has appeared after 21 days, check the temperature before you blame the seed — our guide to germinating seeds covers the usual suspects.
- Give maximum light straight away Move seedlings off the heat once most have germinated and into the brightest spot you have, at around 18–21 °C by day and no lower than about 15 °C at night.
- Pot on at the first true leaves Hold each seedling by a leaf, never the stem, and move it into its own 9 cm pot. Pot on again into a 1–2 litre pot when roots show at the drainage holes. Aubergines dislike being root-bound; a check now delays flowering later.
- Plant into the final home when nights stay above 10 °C In an unheated greenhouse that is usually late April or May; outdoors, early June after careful hardening off. Use a pot of at least 10 litres (20 litres for Black Beauty), a grow bag with two plants, or a greenhouse border spaced 45–60 cm apart.
- Pinch, support and limit the fruit Pinch out the growing tip when the plant is about 30 cm tall to encourage side shoots. Tie the main stem to a cane — laden plants snap easily (see plant supports). On large-fruited types, keep five or six fruits per plant and remove later flowers so the fruit you have can swell.
- Water evenly, mist and feed Water little and often so the compost never dries out completely, mist leaves and flowers on hot days to help pollination and deter red spider mite, and once the first fruits have set, give a high-potash tomato feed every 10–14 days, as in our guide to feeding plants.
Greenhouse vs patio: where to grow aubergines
Greenhouse or polytunnel
The most reliable route in a temperate climate, and the only sensible one for large-fruited varieties.
- Plant out from late April or May
- Best for Black Beauty, Violetta Lunga and Prosperosa
- Harvest from July into October
- Watch for red spider mite in hot, dry air — damp down the floor
Sunny patio or balcony
Works well in a hot, sheltered spot with compact varieties grown in pots.
- Move outside only in June, when nights stay warm
- Best for Patio Baby F1 and White Egg
- Harvest from late July to September
- A south-facing wall adds valuable heat; dark pots warm the roots
Harvesting: when is an aubergine ripe?
Aubergines are picked before they are botanically ripe. The fruit is ready when it has reached the size and colour typical of its variety, the skin is glossy, and the flesh springs back when you press it gently with a thumb. Once the shine dulls, the fruit is past its best: the seeds inside turn brown and the flesh becomes bitter and spongy. Cut the stalk with secateurs, leaving a short stub of stem above the green calyx — many varieties have small spines on the calyx, so wear gloves. Regular picking keeps the plant flowering, and a healthy greenhouse plant will often keep producing until the first cold nights of October. Like the rest of the harvest, aubergines do not store for long; use them within a week or two, or grill and freeze slices for winter.
Black Beauty and Violetta Lunga are open-pollinated, so you can save seed from a fully over-ripened fruit using the same fermentation method as in our guide to saving tomato seeds; F1 varieties like Patio Baby will not come true.
Common mistakes
- Sowing too late. A May sowing of a large-fruited variety rarely ripens much before autumn. Sow in February, or choose a compact variety if you start late.
- Germinating in a cold room. Below 20 °C, aubergine seed rots or sits still for weeks. A heated propagator is the single best investment for this crop.
- Planting out too early. One cold night below 10 °C can check plants for weeks. Wait for warm nights, especially outdoors.
- Letting every flower set. Too many fruits on a large-fruited plant means a crop of small, slow ones. Keep five or six.
- Erratic watering. Pots that dry out and are then flooded lead to flower drop and split fruit. Water little and often.
- Picking too late. A dull, matt skin means seedy, bitter fruit. Harvest while it still shines.
Frequently asked questions
Is aubergine the same as eggplant?
Yes. Aubergine is the British and French name, eggplant the American one — inspired by small white varieties such as White Egg. Both refer to Solanum melongena.
Can I grow aubergines outside in the UK?
In a warm summer and a sheltered, south-facing spot, yes — especially compact varieties like Patio Baby F1 in pots against a sunny wall. In a cool summer, plants outdoors may flower but set little fruit, which is why a greenhouse or polytunnel is the reliable choice for large-fruited types.
Why are my aubergine flowers dropping off?
Usually cold nights, very hot and dry air, or irregular watering. Keep the compost evenly moist, mist the flowers in the morning on hot days and gently tap the stems to help pollination. Aubergines are self-fertile, so you do not need two plants.
How many aubergines will one plant produce?
Large-fruited varieties typically give five to ten fruits in a good greenhouse season; mini types like Patio Baby can produce many more small fruits over a longer period.
Aubergines ask for an early, warm start and a sunny, sheltered home, and in return they give one of the most handsome — and most delicious — crops of the summer. Get your seed and propagator ready for February, sow alongside your chillies and tomatoes, and pick while the skins still shine. Find more warm-season crops among our tomato seeds and pepper and chilli seeds, browse all vegetable seeds or the whole seed shop, and find every growing guide in one place on our guides page.
