aubergines: final pot size? And can they go outside?

[queen of the cobs]

Afternoon all,

I've taken a well-deserved day off work and have spent it pottering on the plot. Ahhh, weeding done.

2 questions about aubergines, if there are any knowledgeable grapes around:

1. What size final pot should they be in? last year I put them in 12 " pots and you know, I think that was too big.

2. Can I pant them outside or do they need to stay in the greenhouse? I seem to have 8 plants and a very small greenhouse (and what with the tomatoes, the cucumbers, the melons, the peppers, chilli and bell, there just isn't much space )

thanks.

[Alice]

No expert here Queen of the Cobs. I've managed great plants but no edible aubergines. This year is my last shot.
I thnk 9" pots are fine for aubergine. I'm not putting mine outside - keeping them in the conservatory for pets. I put great plants in the greenhouse last year and they got botritis - but it was a miserable summer.
Plants are covered in flowers - so hoping for success.
Good luck with yours.

[Alison]

Mine are in 10" pots in the greenhouse. You'll be lucky to get much going on outside in the UK but you are a lot futher down south than me and perhaps you could put some of them outside during the day when it's nice and give them more shelter at night otherwise you could run the risk of the greenhouse becoming too full and airless.

[smallblueplanet]

What type of aubergine are they? The smaller fruiting ones might do okay outside.

[gojiberry]

I planted some outside and they are only 3/4 inches high. I have several varieties under cover and some of them are 14/16 inches high with flowers just starting. You can see the difference a bit of cover makes. Mine are chinese ancestor, caliop and black beauty. Havn't looked to see which one is doing best. Pot size 9/12 inch but go by the plant size to determine pot size.

Ian