Growing Aubergines, Peppers and Beefsteak Tomatoes
Now is the best time to sow aubergines, sweet peppers and large-fruited beefsteak tomatoes to get the earliest and best crops here in Ireland. In over 40 years of growing these crops, both as a commercial grower and for home use, has taught me that these important summer crops need an early start if they are to produce good crops over as long a period as possible, throughout summer and autumn.
On our cold, windy hill on the County Meath border it is especially important to make an early start. Down by the coast years ago, when I first started growing them, the summer was much earlier and warmer, the light far better and they even grew well outside by a south-facing wall. Growing hundreds of varieties of tomatoes for the Totally Terrific Tomato Festival, which I founded in 2012, also gave me a great chance to compare many beefsteak varieties to see how well they grew here in Ireland, especially in our now less-than-ideal conditions.
Choosing varieties
Tomatoes need a warm dry atmosphere and good light to be successful – especially the many eastern European varieties like Opalka or Black Crimea (aka Krim), as do most American types of beefsteak tomatoes, which all enjoy a hot and dry continental climate with very bright light, which we most definitely do not have here in Ireland!
My favourite beefsteak of all time is unquestionably Pantano Romanesco – which I have found to be thoroughly reliable and easy to grow in my Irish polytunnel. It is disease-resistant and productive, with mostly smooth, only slightly ribbed, huge, meaty fruits without too much juice. It has a mouth-wateringly rich, complex tomato flavour – perfect for a Caprese Salad, delicious sauces or an impressive tomato ‘Tarte Tatin’! Some other varieties may have almost as good flavour but may be more disease-prone due to more deeply ridged skins which attract and hold onto moisture, which can cause rotting in fruits.
Seed of Pantano has become increasingly difficult to source, as the many Big Ag-owned global seed companies prefer to promote their own F1 hybrid varieties, to which they own lucrative seed patents, rather than precious heirloom, open-pollinated, naturally bred varieties! Luckily, I spotted recently that Tuinzaden.eu have seed on sale currently – and once you have grown it, you won’t want to be without it, so you can save your own seed in case it disappears forever as so many wonderful varieties have, as it is not an F1 hybrid! Their website picture is not very good, but you can see some I have grown here pictured below, and here is a link to their website: https://tuinzaden.eu/en/35-50-discount-sale-other/923365-pomodoro-pantano-romanesco-tomato-organic-seeds-2025.html?srsltid=AfmBOorjJJIi3LETSV0rAntdzmvbkxxAKZqZEVvs3mZKMc3UChvQqOAp
It is important to select varieties which are proven to tolerate a wide range of conditions as our summers are becoming much more erratic and less predictable due to climate change, they are often wet and humid for weeks, and not hot and sunny which most sub-tropical crops prefer. Frankly, I can’t see the point of wasting valuable space on growing anything which only produces one or two fruits – no matter how fabulous their looks and flavour! My plants must earn their space in my polytunnels – not be capricious divas! Other varieties I have found to be reliably good are Green Cherokee, Black from Tula, Moonglow and Thorburn’s Terracotta. I love the brilliantly multicoloured Ananas Noire, Giant Belgium, Neve’s Azorean Pink and Marizol Gold too – but they can sometimes be difficult, producing very few sound fruits in a poor summer.
Valuable early-fruiting tomatoes like the compact bush Maskotka, Naked Honeyman or the very reliable and early, extremely tasty, medium, classic round variety John Baer, will ripen in early- mid June whatever our weather, if sown now and grown in an unheated greenhouse or polytunnel. They have a fantastic flavour, and I proved years ago in a comparison trial that Maskotka is actually the earliest fruiting tomato in the world, bar none! Luckily, these three wonderful varieties are available from https://brownenvelopeseeds.ie/ My other large-fruited favourite for flavour is medium classic round Dr Carolyn Pink, which is available from https://sowdiverse.ie/products/dr-carolyn-pink-cherry-tomato-irish-grown?srsltid=AfmBOopip1uajqKqzvtBno5ZyhSKbGtj–dzvtnrqKbcKF5dqyFp-gG9
I have saved my own, open-pollinated tomato and other vegetable seeds, or bought non-F1 hybrid seeds, for many years, for reasons of preserving varietal biodiversity, and if possible, also supporting organic production rather than patronising Big Ag-owned seed companies producing chemically grown seed. Organic seed is usually healthier and more vigorous than non-organic seed.
Some people find Aubergines difficult here in Ireland and while they are tropical plants not as easy as tomatoes, and they do need lots of TLC – they will more than amply reward you, if you pay attention to a few details. Especially when you know that the price of just two or three organically grown aubergines imported from Spain in the supermarket will more than cover the cost of the seed! F1 seed is expensive, but when it comes to aubergines – they are one of the very few exceptions where I ignore my ‘no F1 hybrid’ rule and buy Bonica F1, a hybrid which came top of the RHS trials about 25 years ago. I have grown it ever since and have found it thoroughly reliable despite our often sunless and gloomy, sea mist bedevilled summers here! Seed of this variety is widely available from many UK companies now, but as we can no longer order UK seed due to Brexit, and as I also prefer to buy organic seed if possible, happily this variety is available in the EU from Tuinzaden.eu., so we can order it from Ireland. https://tuinzaden.eu/en/aubergine-eggplant-seeds/920085-bonica-f1-eggplant.html
Sweet peppers are a bit less fussy than aubergines, but need similar growing conditions, love being in large 15 litre tubs, again paying great care to promote good drainage around the base of the plant and not to overwater in cool weather in order to prevent root rots. Tuinzaden EU have a good selection of organic seed – https://tuinzaden.eu/en/117-sweet-pepper-seeds?srsltid=AfmBOooErDvfxhx6OvX50DSNsU8mbyeWRWB_3jltsexgLoOTza4HUbrS&page=2
Fruit Hill Farm in Co Cork also have a good selection of peppers https://www.fruithillfarm.com/seeds-and-propagation/organic-seeds/organic-vegetable-seeds/greenhouse-crops.html
Throughout the British Isles, from north to south or east to west, our gardens have many differing climates, and there’s no point in wasting a whole growing year on an aubergine or tomato which only produces one or two fruits if you’re lucky – no matter how wonderful it tastes! So, if you are choosing varieties to grow which are recommended on other people’s blogs – first look to see where those people live, and how similar their climate is to yours. There is no point expecting a variety which does well in the warm south-east of the UK in Kent or Sussex for instance, to do well in Northern Ireland or western Scotland! Seed catalogues will always tell you that all their varieties are wonderful – but rarely do they ever say that a variety won’t do well in poor light in the cold north or wetter west of the UK, where the summer growing season is shorter!
Sowing
I find that a small seed tray-sized propagator is the best way to maintain the optimum germination temperature of about 21C or 70F. Into that I can fit eight small 9cm pots which is plenty for these early very warm sowings, which will be moving out onto the heated mat by the time I need it for the next seeds needing early warmth. Larger, roll out propagating mats are useful for growing on at a lower temperature after the first 2-3 of weeks, but it would be a waste of energy to use larger ones for propagation. Hotbeds are difficult to build, manage and maintain at the correct heat and need tons of heavy manure built into a heap of at least a cubic metre or larger, capped with soil. Some folks tend to be macho about doing this and say it’s easy – but believe me, having tried it years ago I can assure you that it is not! Especially if you have a dodgy back like me! And if it overheats, you can also lose valuable seed and seedlings very fast!
I use 9 x 9cm square plastic pots, or recycled milk cartons with the corners cut off for drainage to sow seeds in. These fit neatly into the propagator which prevents any heat loss and waste of energy. The added advantage of the recycled cartons is that you can write the variety names on them with a marker – avoiding label loss disasters! This is a boon if you are growing a lot of different varieties, as I did years ago when growing about eighty different varieties of tomatoes for the first Totally Terrific Tomato Festival in 2012.
I fill the pots with organic, peat-free seed compost, firmed lightly, then water with tepid water, preferably at the same temperature as the propagator. Then I make 4-6 holes about .6mm or 1/4 in deep with the end of a pencil, and sow into these, and fill up the holes with vermiculite, adding a little more on top to cover the surface and aid drainage, then water again very gently with a small amount of tepid water – not freezing cold water from a watering can held high!
I use organic, peat-free compost for sowing all my seeds because it is not just the best seed compost I’ve ever used, producing the healthiest seedlings, but also it is also far better for the environment. Peatg bogs are the Earth’s biggest carbon sinks – digging them up releases huge amounts of carbon and also destroys vital biodiversity! Peat composts also have a lot of synthetic chemicals added to them to make them suitable for growing plants, none of which I want in my food, and peat is also much more attractive to pests like fungus gnats which eat the roots of tiny seedlings and destructive vine weevil grubs. Damping-off fungal diseases, which can cause the total collapse and loss of seedlings, are also far more prevalent in peat composts.
After the initial watering when sowing – afterwards, I always water from below, by briefly sitting in ambient temperature or barely tepid water for a few seconds until I can feel by the weight of the pot that it has absorbed enough. This keeps the compost around the seedling neck, where the stem joins the roots, as dry as possible, to avoid neck rots (I keep a small bottle of clean water and a small tray beside the propagator so that I’m always using ambient temp water.)
Pricking out, dividing and potting on
When seedlings have their first two ‘true’ leaves, not seedling leaves/cotyledons, I gently tip them out of the pots, divide the seedlings and pot them on into individual small pots, always planting at the same depth with the neck of the seedlings level with the compost, NO deeper! (this applies to peppers also)
Either 9cm/3in square pots or cut off milk cartons with the corners cut off at the bottom for drainage are the ideal size, for either sowing 4-6 seeds or later potting up individually. I never over-pot by putting them straight into a large pot, as this can cause problems if the compost gets too wet. Using square pots means that no heat is wasted between the pots and I can fit more into the propagator, which I keep them in for a few days after potting on if possible, until they’re growing well at that temperature. After that I put them out onto to the heated mat which is at a lower temperature of around 10-16C/50-60F.
If the weather is very cold, I may pot them on again into slightly larger pots and keep them on the heated mat or another week or so before beginning to harden off in the polytunnel without heat, before eventually finally planting out.
Planting out
I don’t grow aubergines and peppers in the ground here. I have tried doing so in the past, but I’ve always found that they do far better in tubs – where their roots are warmer, as they can warm up in any sun. I plant them in 15 litre tubs of organic peat-free compost, in around mid – late May. Before doing this, I fill the tubs and have them in situ warming up to tunnel temperature for a few days beforehand. I usually put their grow bag tray up on crates or a heavy wooden table, as being higher up I feel they get slightly more light, and the tubs can be warmed better by catching the heat of any sun.
I plant them slightly mounded-up in the tubs, leaving the outer edge of the surface of the compost around the side of the pot a little lower than the middle, so that any water drains away from the stem of the plant if I am watering from the top. Keeping water away from the stem is vitally important, and the same applies when feeding, as this is where aubergines and peppers are potentially most vulnerable to root problems.
After planting, I always water around the outside edge of the tub, or later in the summer from the bottom, so that if the weather is very hot and they are thirsty they can soak up exactly how much they need. I always try to water with ambient temperature water – especially when watering around the top of the compost, rather than using cold water from a hose!
I sit the tubs two or three to a grow bag tray which is roughly the ideal spacing of 45 cm/18 in apart for good air circulation and works well as any nutrients which may drain through the pots can be taken up by the plants later. Later in summer and early autumn, when the plants are bigger and carrying a heavy crop – I may move one tub to another tray – leaving only two tubs on each grow bag tray, for better air circulation. The plants may need staking when they get bigger and are carrying a heavy crop. This I do by pushing three or four canes in around the outside of the compost in the tub, linking them with twine. This gives better support than just one cane close to the plants if they are carrying a heavy crop.
I plant tomatoes differently, whether I’m planting them in pots or the ground. I plant them more deeply than they are in their pots, as this stimulates their stems to produce more roots out from their stems above where the stem meets the roots. This is a very useful attribute which means that plants can access more nutrients and water to help them produce better crops. I generally use 8 foot canes, pushed well into the ground, or 6 foot canes in tubs to support cordon tomatoes, and for bush varieties, three or four shorter ones again around the outside of the plant, linked with twine.
Feeding and aftercare
I use a combination of approaches for feeding to supply nutrients and health-promoting microbes, starting to feed at every other watering when the plants have just set their first fruits, whether plants are in planted tubs or in the ground.
If I don’t have too many plants, I make a comfrey and nettle feed by stuffing a barrel with lush, young nettles for nitrogen, and ‘Bocking 14’ comfrey leaves for potash, and leave them to rot for about 6 weeks, stirring frequently (it really stinks – so don’t get it on you or you’ll never wash it out!). This makes quite a balanced feed which I dilute to about the colour of weak tea when watering it onto the plant roots. ‘Bocking 14’ was a strain of comfrey selected by the late Lawrence Hills of the HDRA, as it was the highest in potash of many strains which he assessed in trials. I am lucky enough to treasure some of those original roots here, which were given to me by a gentleman whose father was one of the original founders of the HDRA (now re-named Garden Organic). I also feed ‘Bocking 14’ to the worms in my wormery and use it for mulching between plants, where it keeps weeds down and simultaneously feeds plants.
I also top dress with very high nutrient home-made worm compost, when I feel plants need a bit of a boost. It is full of beneficial enzymes and microbial life and is like rocket fuel for plants! I do this by scattering a small handful on the surface of each pot and watering it in afterwards.
The excellent Osmo high potash liquid tomato feed, made from composted vine waste, is also a good organic plant food widely available in most garden centres now. It is very easy to use and useful if you don’t have access to other high nutrient feeds, or have too many plants to make comfrey feed for.
All this advice also applies to peppers and tomatoes – the only difference that tomatoes can be planted much more deeply, when dividing up seedlings, and when eventually planting out. You must be careful never to plant aubergines or peppers deeply like this, as they may well rot where the stem joins the roots if that area is covered.
If you’re buying plants from nurseries, be very careful to inspect them thoroughly for red spider and whitefly – it’s even worth taking a magnifying glass with you! Also make sure they are not saturated, are firm at the roots and not loose, which could indicate poor root development.
Side shoots
Aubergine and Pepper plants are bushes, so the more branches and side shoots they produce the more productive they will be. Tomato plants all start to produce side shoots when they are still quite small, before potting on or planting – and if these are ‘cordon’ varieties, pinch those tiny shoots out before they get too big, or they will drain energy from the plants. Later on in the summer, if you want more plants, you can let some side shoots grow too about 10cm or a bit longer as these root vry easily in a jar of waters.
If the tomatoes are bush varieties – don’t pinch out ANY side shoots! Check the seed packet first if you’re not sure whether they are a bush or a cordon variety – or the name on the label if you have bought them from a nursery and check the name online! Side shoots on bush varieties like Maskotka are precious!
Some varieties of tomatoes also produce what appears to be growing shoots from the ends of fruit trusses which have already set fruits. Pinch these out immediately as they won’t produce fruit, will drain energy away from the fruit trusses, and hamper air circulation. This often happens if plants are stressed by fluctuating weather conditions.
Harvesting
Well grown aubergine plants should produce between 6 –10 fruits each in a good year. Harvest using secateurs, when the fruits are big enough with no trace of green on the fruit, glossy, firm and black. Don’t leave them until they are dull and soft, when they may have developed a lot of seeds and become bitter.
Peppers can be harvested as soon as they are fully developed if green or left to develop their eventual colour – but if left too long once they have coloured, this may make the plant think that it has done its job of producing seeds and it may delay production of more flowers and fruits so that you end up with a smaller crop! The same applies to some tomatoes – especially some bush types. Leaving them for too long on the plant can mean a slightly smaller crop or splitting of fruits if they are a variety prone to this.
I hope you have enjoyed this blog post and found it useful. We are so lucky to have a climate where we can grow these wonderful plants, and it is so important to preserve their genetic diversity by continuing to grow as many open-pollinated varieties as possible and to save their seed for future generations. Tomatoes in particular are hugely important economically, as the world eats half its own weight in them every year! With increasing climate change, we have no idea when some disease may strike them which we will need a wide gene pool of varieties to source from to be able grow new disease-resistant varieties. If they’re not there – we can’t do it! I can’t imagine living without them! That is why I started the Totally Terrific Tomato Festival.
