No Aubergines on my plants :(

[Cheffi]

Oh so I'm not the only one having problems then. My daughter has a couple of plants outside and only one aubergine on them Don't think I'll bother next year. I'll give the room over to peppers which are growing great guns this year.

[bazzaboy]

Problems with aubergines.... I usually manage to grow a few in an unheated greenhouse but this year they're even more pathetic than usual, wholly due I suspect to the 2007 summer. I saw some commercial research results on the Internet that suggested that fertilisation/fruit setting of aubergines was best undertaken at 30C (low 80s in old money, greenhouse territory) but that once set the fruit develops best at 22C (mid 60s, achievable outside in a "normal" summer). Perhaps this helps to explain the inside or outside question? I guess the problem remains, as always, knowing in advance what the summer's going to be like....

Incidentally, I was once told that whatever I did with an eggplant not to use the fruit until fully ripened as immature fruits contain toxins that can be poisonous - is that true? Along with tomatoes and potatoes it's evidently another one that belongs to the Nightshade Family which also of course contains Cousin Deadly so I've never been tempted to experiment! (Not that I have to worry about it this year!)

bb