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~ Seed for Very Early AUBERGINES ~ Back in 2002 we started our aubergine trials. We asked many collectors around the world for their earliest & most reliable varieties to try out, and grew them together to compare them. The 'best of the best' are offered here - these ultra-early aubergines give you a good chance of a decent crop in the variable UK summers. We've had really nice letters from people who haven't been able to grow aubergines until they tried these varieties. Aubergines are a little slower growing than their near relatives the Tomatoes & Peppers. The key point is to start them off with some heat and then either transplant out (after all danger of frost) or grow on in a greenhouse/polytunnel (depending on your local climate). Josie says "this one's my favourite" ... When to sow aubergine seed? You must start it going really early, under cover, and keep the seeds warm until they germinate - for example in a propagator or in your airing cupboard. Diamond This excellent variety produces nice plump black fruit 3" x 6" long, with soft flesh & not a hint of bitterness. From the Ukraine, it is well adapted to cooler/shorter summers, and is always productive for us, with a very good flavour when fried. Dark Purple-black , traditional shape Order AuDI - 30 seed £1.68 Thai Long Green Now here's a different one for you! Long curved aubergines with a pretty pale green skin and creamy white flesh. As well as being unusual and beautiful, it is also early and really tasty. Popular both in Thailand and Louisiana in the USA, it grows well in Europe, too Bound to attract lots of attention in the garden or allotment. We like the soft sweet flesh fried with peppers. Long thin curved green fruit. Nice! Order AuTL - 30 seed £1.48 De Barbentane A great medium-sized cylindrical black aubergine from France, with firm white flesh. We have always found it quick to get going and the plants are very sturdy. This variety was bred for outdoor growing (in France, mind you, so we in the UK are really better off growing it under a bit of cover) and it does not require the same high temperatures that glasshouse aubergines are used to. Earliness, consistently high production and good flavour make this one of our favourites. If you only grow one, try this one! Long black fruit, white flesh. Order AuBN - 30 seed £1.74 Saving your own Aubergine Seed: Ben demonstrates: Here you can see the seed squidged out of a very ripe fruit - this is best done in a bowl of water - then rinsed through a sieve, and tapped out onto a plate to dry. Aubergines do cross quite a lot, so you need to grow only one variety - or isolate plants (or branches) with a net cage. Seed-saving instructions are included with your seeds, so you can do this yourself. And of course, seed-saving is only possible because these are all real, non-hybrid varieties.