Green-fingered Britons are being told it’s now or never if they want to enjoy the fruits of their labour this summer, as experts warn that April is the last chance to plant three hugely popular vegetables. According to Gardeners’ World, aubergines, chillies, and tomatoes must be sown this month, or gardeners risk missing the crucial window for a successful harvest.

These Mediterranean staples are firm favourites in UK gardens, but they demand time, warmth, and attention to flourish. As the weather begins to warm and daylight increases, April offers the final opportunity to get them growing. But act fast, even now, seed sowing is only advised under controlled conditions.

“Very early April is your absolute last chance to sow these tender fruits, which need a long growing season to do well,” Gardeners’ World advised in a seasonal update.

They recommend sowing seeds indoors using a heated propagator to speed up germination and give young plants the strong start they need.

Without enough warmth and light in these early stages, seedlings may fail to thrive, leaving disappointed gardeners with no crops come summer.

For those who may have left it a little too late, there’s still hope. The experts suggest that buying seedling plants, already sprouted and ready to grow, is a much safer bet at this point in the season.

These young plants can be kept indoors for a few more weeks and then planted out once the risk of frost has passed, usually in May.

The payoff for those who act now is a bountiful harvest from July to October, with juicy homegrown tomatoes, fiery chillies, and glossy aubergines ripe for the picking.

Whether used in summer salads, spicy sauces, or sizzling barbecues, these vegetables bring unbeatable flavour and freshness to the table.

Tomatoes are a particularly popular choice, perfect for patios, greenhouses, or even windowsills. Chillies, loved for their punch and colour, can be grown in pots, while aubergines do best in greenhouses or sheltered spots in the garden.

So if you’ve been thinking about planting, don’t delay. This is your final call to get aubergines, chillies, and tomatoes into the soil, or risk missing out on one of the tastiest parts of the gardening calendar.