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to pests and diseases, and (most importantly) much quicker to crop.This is where they become exciting: aubergines are normally quite tricky to grow. They're best raised in a warm greenhouse, and if you sow seed later than March, you’re in danger of losing

, the best results come from growing plants on a windowsill indoors or in a greenhouse. Large fruited varieties such as 'Black Beauty' should yield three to six aubergines per plant. Smaller fruited varieties like 'Fairy Tale' will produce at least 10

and aubergines are starting to ripen, they develop a mass of spots at the end of the fruit. These merge to form a sunken, leathery, dark brown area.Don't allow the soil around the plant's roots to dry out. Water plants regularly, as even a short period of drought

These tiny, sap-sucking pests may be only 0.5mm long but they can wreak havoc in a greenhouse or on houseplants indoors. For most of the year they are a pale green colour with two dark spots on their back; it's only in autumn and winter that they turn orange-red. They thrive in h...

for eating in salads, some for using in sauces and some for roasting. My aubergines will be so plentiful, I won’t need to buy any again (no matter how many aubergine parmigianas I make). I’ll grow enough garlic to hang in plaits around my kitchen and my

to their baseFlowersGrow early-maturing potatoes in a bag of compostFork compost into beds to prepare soil for plantingChit potatoes Fruit & vegSow cucumbers, tomatoes, aubergines and peppersWater compost with a suitable pesticideSow summer bedding plants

, but my thoughts are turning to the Mediterranean, and summer holidays. I like to imagine what I'll be growing and eating in the summer: masses of zingy tomatoes, sweet and crisp peppers, juicy cucumbers and buttery salad leaves. Oh, and warm ratatouille

the pepper and aubergine plants in pots. I spread them out on the benching, where they could enjoy the increased light levels coming through that sparkling clean glass.A friend recently gave me a trailer load of manure, so, once the ‘housekeeping’ tasks were

individual bulbs of garlic into pots, then transplanting them later on.Everything else is starting to move too, the tomato, pepper and aubergine seedlings are responding well to the increased light levels. I planted a few potatoes earlier but had to protect

trumpets bursting open at tip of yellow courgettes are pure beauty – and yes, they are good enough to eat (deep fried in a tempura batter sounds appetising).Flowers adorn climbing beans, squash, tomatoes, aubergines, chillies, garlic chives and many more