I have these aubergine plants; I may have mentioned them before. There are so many of them that they are in three areas: in the greenhouse, on a windowsill, and in a shed with a glass side. Each area has had a different problem.

Indoors on the windowsill is the worst: a plague of greenfly, which I eventually sprayed with pyrethrum, has been followed by something that looks like a bad piece of artwork by a child. There are little bits of white fur in a web all over the plants, like tiny pieces of cotton wool, and the leaves are turning brown and cracking. From above, each leaf looks like one of those satellite images showing destruction of the rainforest. Except covered in fluffy white mould.

In the greenhouse, the problem has been watering: they dry out so fast they need a sprinkle twice a day, but they are lucky to get one. However, these aubergines and peppers are doing fine – bushy and beginning to flower well.

My problem with the ones in the shed is that at a key time of the year, when I should have pricked off the tops to encourage them to bush out, I was too busy and forgot. Now they are quite elegant-looking, a good colour, but about 2ft high and not producing a lot of flowers. This happened last year: the fruits eventually came through so late they couldn’t ripen in time. I ended up with one and a half aubergines and that was it. And I forgot to eat them.

SARAH WAIN'S EXPERT ADVICE

– The browning and cracking might be due to variable watering (feast to famine), reaction to the chemical application, waterlogging, or fungal diseases such as botrytis. Cotton-like fluff on the aubergine may be mealybug, which is a common pest on potted plants, particularly house plants. There isn’t much you can do as they are food-bearing plants, the fluffiness of the mealybug makes it difficult to control chemically, and the chemicals needed are not available to the amateur gardener. You could use SB Plant Invigorator or you could throw the plants away and put it down to experience. Next year, use biological controls under glass to control greenfly: seek help from people such as the Green Gardener. Clean all your pots and the glasshouse in the winter thoroughly as mealybug can over-winter on the structure without the presence of a plant. Always a worry.

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