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Photo: Wikimedia contributor / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
VegetableExotic

Aubergine

Solanum melongena

باذنجان

A warm-season crop that suits Dubai's long autumn and mild winter: sow from August to October, harvest from December, and keep water steady to avoid bitter fruit.

Mature size0.6–1.2 m tall, 0.5–0.9 m spreadGrowthModerateSunFull sunWaterModerate
Heat: 4 of 5
Salt: 2 of 5
Drought: 2 of 5
Shade: 1 of 5
Ease of care: 3 of 5
Use in a designGet it looked after

Season

Through the Dubai year

How Aubergine behaves through Dubai's seasons, month by month.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
24°
26°
29°
34°
38°
40°
42°
42°
40°
36°
31°
27°

Main sowing window

Aug – Oct

Plant out seedlings

Sep – Nov

Spring sowing

Lilac flowers

Jan – Apr

Picking season

Jan – May

Flowers and fruit stall in the heat

Jun – Sep

Spider mites, whitefly and aphids

Apr – Oct

  • Main sowing window: Aug–Oct

    Ministry calendar: nursery August–October. Keep seedlings in shade while it is still very hot.

  • Plant out seedlings: Sep–Nov

    Ministry calendar: field planting September–November; harvest follows in 70–80 days. Install stakes at planting.

  • Spring sowing: Feb–Mar

    Garden-centre calendars list March for aubergine seed; fruit must ripen before peak heat.

  • Lilac flowers: Nov–Apr

    Flowering stalls when days pass about 32°C or when nights are below about 15°C or above about 21°C.

  • Picking season: Dec–May

    Pick at mature size with skin still shiny and firm; cut with secateurs rather than pulling.

  • Flowers and fruit stall in the heat: Jun–Sep

    Sunburn and flower drop rise above about 32°C; pull spent plants or shade them.

  • Spider mites, whitefly and aphids: Apr–Oct

    Mites flourish in hot, dry weather; check leaf undersides and hose them down.

Aubergine's year in Dubai begins in August with nursery sowings and runs through to early summer. Seedlings go out from September to November, staked at planting, and flowering follows from November to April while days sit below about 32°C. Picking runs from December to May, with fruit cut while the skin is shiny. A spring sowing in February or March is possible, but the crop races against the heat that begins in April. From June to September flowers and fruit stall, and mites and whitefly build from April to October. After the plants are pulled, rotate the bed to a different family to keep soil-borne disease down.

Meet the plant

Meet the Aubergine

Meet the aubergine, the handsome heavyweight of the warm-season vegetable bed. It has soft grey-green leaves, lilac star-shaped flowers and glossy purple fruit that hang like polished lamps, and it looks as good in an ornamental border as it does in a kitchen garden.

Its character is sunny and a little fussy. It wants real warmth, steady water, a stake from the day it goes in and a gardener who checks the leaves for mites before they do any harm. Treated well, it keeps producing for months; left to dry out between waterings, it sulks, and the fruit turns bitter.

What it brings is a vegetable that rewards the transition between summer and winter, planted when the heat still lingers and harvested in the best weather of the year. It is the plant for grills, curries and baba ghanoush made with fruit that was growing on the terrace that morning.

Aubergine needs warmth, and Dubai's long, warm autumn and mild winter give it a generous season, which is why it sits comfortably in UAE home gardens alongside chillies and okra. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment's calendar lists nursery sowing from August to October and field planting from September to November, with harvest 70 to 80 days later. A second, spring sowing in February or March is possible, but the fruit then races against the heat.

The University of Minnesota's extension service explains the technicality. Aubergine needs warmth and will not thrive in a cool season, but flowering suffers when daytime temperatures pass about 32°C or when nights fall below about 15°C or climb above about 21°C. Consistent soil moisture produces the best fruit; inconsistent watering makes it bitter and low-yielding, and also causes blossom-end rot. Hot, dry weather favours spider mites, and the fruit can sunburn if leaf cover is thin. FAO rates aubergine as moderately sensitive to salt, with a threshold of about 1.1 dS/m, one of the lower figures for vegetables.

On the plate, aubergine is picked when it reaches mature size and the skin is still shiny and firm; a fruit left on the plant loses quality. In the plot, install stakes at planting, mulch the soil, avoid overhead sprinkling and rotate the bed, since verticillium wilt is a soil-borne disease of the nightshade family. A pot of about 30 litres will carry one plant, and a plant that is picked regularly keeps flowering and setting fruit, which is the practical reason to cut early rather than let the biggest fruit hang.

Design

Where to use it

Container cropRaised-bed vegetableOrnamental edibleKitchen-garden staple

Give aubergine a sunny, sheltered bed or a large pot with a stake already in place, close enough to the house to check for mites and pick fruit at the right moment. Use drip irrigation and mulch rather than overhead sprinklers, and keep it away from the lawn's daily watering. Group it with chillies and cherry tomatoes if you wish, but plan the next season's bed in a different spot, since nightshades share soil-borne diseases.

Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio

Chilli

Same sowing window and watering routine, so the two share a bed or a row of pots, with rotation in later seasons.

Cherry Tomatoes From The Garden

Cherry tomato

A fellow nightshade with an overlapping cool-season calendar; place them in separate beds the following year to limit soil-borne disease.

Ocimum basilicum 8zz

Basil

A pot of basil at the foot of an aubergine shares the cool-season routine and gives a ready kitchen partner.

Care guide

How to grow it in Dubai

Watering

Summer: Daily in pots and every one to two days in beds if still growing; water at the base, not over the leaves.

Winter: Every two to three days; consistent moisture matters more than volume. Light, frequent watering encourages shallow roots.

Establishment: Water the root ball before transplanting, then keep evenly moist; mulch to cool the soil and hold moisture.

Soil
Rich, free-draining soil with compost. Mulch to keep the roots cool and the moisture steady.
Feeding
Compost at planting, then a balanced feed every two to three weeks once the first fruit set; extra potash helps fruit quality.
Pruning
Pinch off early flower clusters on small transplants, stake at planting and remove yellowing lower leaves for airflow.
Planting
Sow August–October in trays at about 25°C, plant out September–November 50–60 cm apart in full sun, and install stakes at planting.
Pests
Spider mitesWhiteflyAphidsFlea beetlesVerticillium wilt (soil-borne)

Avoid these

Common mistakes

  • Letting the soil swing between dry and wet. UMN Extension notes inconsistent moisture makes fruit bitter and lowers yield, and poor moisture can cause blossom-end rot.
  • Planting without a stake. Plants lean and snap under fruit, and installing support later damages roots.
  • Leaving mature fruit on the plant. Quality declines once the fruit reaches full size, so pick while the skin is shiny and firm.
  • Overhead watering. Wet leaves are more disease-prone and soil splash carries spores; water at the base.
  • Growing aubergine in the same bed year after year. Verticillium wilt is soil-borne and builds up in nightshade beds.

Extra notes

Good to know

  • UMN Extension says daytime temperatures above about 32°C, and night temperatures below about 15°C or above about 21°C, can cause poor flowering in aubergine.
  • FAO's crop tables rate aubergine as moderately sensitive to salinity, with a yield threshold of about 1.1 dS/m, lower than cucumber or pepper.
  • The Ministry's planting calendar gives aubergine a harvest 70 to 80 days after planting, longer than cucumber, which is ready in about 40 days.
  • Fruit is vulnerable to sunburn, showing white patches, if there is not enough leaf cover in hot, dry weather.

Toxicity: The fruit is a standard food when cooked. Like other nightshades, the leaves and stems are not meant to be eaten; keep pets from chewing the plant.

Pros

  • Starts in the warm tail of summer and fruits through the cool season (Ministry calendar)
  • Keeps flowering and setting fruit as you harvest (UMN Extension)
  • Ornamental as well as productive: lilac flowers and glossy fruit
  • Grows well in a 30-litre pot on a balcony or terrace

Cons

  • Flowering stalls when days pass about 32°C or nights fall outside about 15–21°C
  • Uneven watering makes fruit bitter and causes blossom-end rot
  • Moderately salt-sensitive (FAO threshold about 1.1 dS/m); use clean water
  • Spider mites flourish in hot, dry weather; verticillium wilt builds up in soil

FAQ

Common questions

When should I plant aubergine in Dubai?
Sow in trays from August to October and plant out from September to November, following the Ministry's calendar. A second, spring sowing in February or March is possible, but fruit then ripens against the heat.
Why are my aubergine flowers dropping?
Temperature is the likely cause. UMN Extension says days above about 32°C, and nights below about 15°C or above about 21°C, cause poor flowering. Uneven watering also reduces fruit set.
Why is my aubergine bitter?
Inconsistent soil moisture is a common cause: UMN Extension says uneven watering makes eggplant bitter and lowers yield. Keep watering steady and mulch the soil.
How do I know when to pick?
When the fruit has reached mature size and the skin is still shiny and firm. Cut it with secateurs and do not leave it to hang once mature.
Can I grow aubergine in a pot?
Yes, in a pot of about 30 litres with a stake in place at planting. Water daily in hot weather and mulch the surface.
What pests should I watch for?
Spider mites in hot, dry weather, plus whitefly, aphids and flea beetles. Verticillium wilt is the most common soil-borne disease, so rotate beds.

Not sure how it suits your garden?

Ask about Aubergine on WhatsApp

Sources

  1. 1. UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment: Dates for Planting Vegetables and Fruits in the UAE
  2. 2. University of Minnesota Extension: Growing eggplant in home gardens
  3. 3. FAO: Crop salt tolerance data (Annex 1)
  4. 4. Acacia Garden Center: Dubai Garden Calendar, what to plant and when
  5. 5. Khaleej Times: The gardening season in Dubai has begun

Last reviewed 2026-10-05 by Ghaf Gardens horticulture desk.

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