About
A bushy annual vegetable reaching 1m tall. It has green leaves and purple flowers. These develop into a good crop of long slender dark purple fruits the size of a small cucumber.
About the genus
Solanum can be annuals, perennials, evergreen or deciduous shrubs or twining climbers, with simple or pinnnately lobed leaves and star- or bowl-shaped, 5-lobed flowers with prominent stamens, followed by fleshy fruits
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun
Soil typeChalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAcid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained
AspectEast-facing, North-facing, South-facing, West-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH1C
Plant details
Plant typeFruit Edible, Conservatory Greenhouse
HabitBushy
FoliageDeciduous
Height0.5-1 metres
Spread0.5-1 metres
Time to full height1 year
Suggested usesMixed borders, hedging, foundation planting.
Care notes
CultivationGrow in fertile moisture-retentive soil in good light. Can grow outside in summer. For more advice see aubergine cultivation
PruningPruning group 1
PropagationPropagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds or sowing seeds indoors for further advice
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to aphids, glasshouse whitefly, glasshouse red spider mite and two-spotted mite
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely)