Aubergine 'Meatball' – Tender Summer Crop (Set of 3 or 6)

Aubergine 'Meatball' is a warm season vegetable grown for glossy, tender fruit through summer and into early autumn.

Plants make a sturdy, well branched bush around 50 to 90cm tall and 45 to 60cm across, with soft grey green leaves and small flowers that give way to the fruit. Pick while the skins are still glossy and firm, and keep picking to keep the plant cropping.

Aubergines want more heat than a British summer usually gives, so a greenhouse, a polytunnel or a very warm, sheltered patio is the honest recommendation. Grow one plant to a large pot or growbag and stake it, as the fruiting stems flop once loaded. Water regularly, feed every week or two once flowering begins, and keep plants under cover until the nights are warm, as the first frost kills them.

Supplied as strong, well rooted plants in 10.5cm pots, grown in peat-free compost at our Yorkshire nursery and ready to pot on or plant out.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Aubergine, also sold as eggplant
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: 50 to 90cm tall by 45 to 60cm across
• Growth Habit: Bushy, upright and well branched
• Perfect For: A greenhouse or polytunnel border, a growbag, a large pot on a warm patio or a raised bed
• Foliage: Large, soft grey green leaves
• Flowering Time: Summer, small purple flowers
• Planting Position: Full sun in a warm, sheltered spot. One plant per large pot or growbag
• Soil Type: Fertile, rich in organic matter, moist but well drained
• Hardiness: Not hardy. Killed by the first frost, so it is a summer only crop
• Maintenance: Water regularly, feed every week or two once flowering starts and stake the plant, as fruiting stems flop
• Seasonal Interest: Summer and autumn
• Type: Tender fruiting vegetable, grown as an annual in Britain