Space plants: 60 - 75 cm apart Compatible with (can grow beside): Beans, capsicum, lettuce, amaranth, thyme Avoid growing close to: Potatoes A large bushy plant with attractive purple flowers. Different varieties have different colours and sizes of fruit, ranging from the 'classic' large purple to the Thai small white varieties and Brazilian red. Has spiky stems. Wear gloves to harvest fruit as the spikes on the calyx are sharp enough to break one's skin. Perennial in tropical climates otherwise grown as an annual. Needs a long season. Start under cover and plant out when frosts have finished. Some varieties with slim, long fruit such as Asian Bride produce their fruit earlier. Mulch well and keep well watered. May need staking
