Eggplant

The aubergine does not tolerate frost and is grown as an annual in the open ground in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. After harvest it goes on the compost heap. Bring potted plants indoors before the first cold nights (below about 10 °C), cut the shoots back to a hand's breadth and overwinter them in a bright, frost-free place at around 10 to 15 °C; water only sparingly, do not feed and watch out for spider mites.

Sowing (main method): Sow aubergines indoors in seed compost between mid-February and early March; from sowing to planting out takes around 8 to 10 weeks. Press the seeds about 0.5 to 1 cm deep into moist seed compost and put the tray somewhere warm: aubergines only germinate reliably from 20 to 25 °C, and 25 to 28 °C is ideal. Cover the tray with a lid or a clear propagator cover to keep the moisture in; germination takes 15 to 21 days, depending on temperature. As soon as the seedlings appear, give them a very bright spot without fail, otherwise they turn leggy (long, thin, pale shoots). Prick out into individual pots when the first true pair of leaves is visible, and keep night temperatures above 18 °C. From mid-May, once night frosts are no longer a threat, plant out into the open ground or the greenhouse. Aubergines need more warmth than tomatoes: in the climate of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, a sheltered, fully sunny spot, a polytunnel or the greenhouse works well.

Cuttings (supplementary method, worthwhile for valuable varieties): If you want to save a special variety over the winter, take shoot tips 8 to 12 cm long in August or September, remove the lower leaves and put the cuttings into moist seed compost or first into a glass of water. At room temperature and in plenty of light, roots form within about two to four weeks; changing the water every few days helps prevent rot. Pot rooted cuttings into nutrient-rich compost and overwinter the plants in a bright, frost-free place at 10 to 15 °C, away from dry heating air; water only sparingly in winter. Because overwintering is demanding and risks pest infestation (e.g. spider mites, whitefly), this method is mainly worthwhile for open-pollinated favourites, which would otherwise be easy to grow again from seed, or for F1 hybrids, which do not come true from seed.