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Aubergine in the UK

You'll want to get your aubergine seeds sown indoors nice and early, sometime in February or March is best. They need warmth, a good 18 to 25 degrees Celsius to get going, so a heated propagator or a warm spot with a mat is cracking. Pop the seeds about 1cm deep in small pots or trays of seed compost, and if you've got 'em, grow lights really help. They take about 100 days from sowing to harvest, so an early start is key. If sowing from seed feels like too much faff, plug plants are commonly sold and a great option.

Once your seedlings are big enough to handle, usually when they have a couple of true leaves, prick them out into individual 9cm pots. Keep them warm, mind, they don't like anything below 15 degrees Celsius. Harden them off gradually once the weather warms up, but don't even think about planting them out until all risk of frost has well and truly passed – that's mid to late May up here. Plant them in your greenhouse or a super sunny, sheltered spot, giving them about 60cm between plants. And remember, those fruits can get heavy, so they'll need some support, like a cane.