What's not to love about having eggplant in your garden? The fruit of this tropical perennial is a perfect addition to vege stews, an essential ingredient in Mediterranean moussaka and French ratoutielle, and great simply sliced, sprinkled with salt and barbecued.

Look in your vege garden for a well-drained and sunny position to grow your eggplant, otherwise known as aubergine.

If you planted capsicum and cucumbers recently like I recommended, try popping your eggplant seedlings next to them. They're good companion plants, as they all like the same conditions.

They also like to hang their fruit, so grow well planted in a pot or raised garden bed.

Grab some Awapuni Nurseries eggplant seedlings next time you're down at your local supermarket, Bunnings, or The Warehouse. Alternatively, head to our online store at and have them delivered direct to your door.

Simply plant each seedling around 20cm apart. If you don't have a suitable raised bed or tub, add some straw or newspaper around the base of the plants to stop the fruit from sitting on damp soil and rotting.

To help your seedlings establish well, I recommend making some mini glasshouses out of old milk bottles for them. Cut the bottom off a recycled and clean milk bottle. Put the top over the plant but remove the lid to allow for a bit of wind circulation. Once they get growing you can remove the milk bottles.

The key with eggplants is not over watering. They like it quite dry and sunny and will rot if they get too much water. If you do water them, make sure you avoid overhead watering.

In around February, your fruit should be ready to harvest. For a tasty addition to your late summer BBQs, simply slice the fruit into about six to eight pieces (around 1cm thick each), brush with olive oil on both sides and barbeque. Once cooked, add some rock salt for taste and serve as a side.

Lastly, although eggplant is technically a perennial (a plant that dies down and pops up again for many growing seasons), in New Zealand it tends to behave like an annual because of our temperate climate, which means once you've harvested all your fruit simply remove the plants and replant next year.