Aubergine
Solanum melongena
Also called Eggplant and Brinjal
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitStop it at five fruit and pinch the rest off. A plant carrying ten ripens none of them.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Hard
- Water
- Every 2 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Full sun — needs real heat
- Feed
- Every 10 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out for the summer RHS H1C, to 5°C
- Size
- 1.25 m tall · 0.75 m across
- Lifecycle
- Annual
- Origin
- South and East Asia
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsToxic to pets
Affects dogs, cats, horses. Signs: drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea, drowsiness and a slowed heart rate.
PeopleNot checked yet
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Checked against ASPCA, RHS, Johnny's Selected Seeds and Clemson HGIC on 2026-07-31.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- A fine sand-coloured stippling across the upper leaf that will not wipe off, and threads of webbing between the leaf stalks when the plant is tilted to the light.Glasshouse red spider mite · pest
- A small cloud of white flies lifting when the plant is brushed, and a sticky varnish on the leaves directly beneath them.Glasshouse whitefly · pest
- Green specks packed along the stalk of the newest, still-folded leaf at the growing tip, before any leaf curls.Aphid · pest