Aubergines - is this normal?

[clareg]

Hi,

I hope everyone is well. I went to a plant swap a few months ago and got 2 aubergine plants. I have no idea what variety they are but they seem to be doing well, lots of flowers and no disease. I watered regularly and kept the greenhouse warm but not too hot, and this is the result...

Is this normal? Does this look like a variety anyone has ever grown, or does it look like there is something wrong?

I got a tomato plant at the same swap and the tomatoes have done a very similar thing. I was wondering if I have picked up some diseased/virus infected plants? All my own grown plants are healthy.

The aubergine doesn't exactly look appetising...

Any help/suggestions/laughs welcome.

Clareg

[nick the grief]

It could be that or it maybe that they have got sprayed with something accidentally or maybe theywere grown in some dodgy compost. I would have said it was just the variety but you say the Tomato has done the same.

[clareg]

Hi ntg

Yes the tomato plant has gone the same way. I decided to pick the aubergine, when I sliced into it, it looks perfectly normally. There are 2 more beginning to grow so I shall see what comes of them!

Thanks,
Clareg

[smallblueplanet]

Do toms and aubs get blossom-end rot?

The variety of aub I've seen b4 but can't remember the name, sorry.

[nick the grief]

Yes they can SBP.

OK Clare, thats the only things I can think of. Maybe it got stressed with the heat we had & that caused the deformation. I guess it could have got dry then you watered something like that & it it's just the cell wals going Hard causing the malformation.

[MissyMoo]

Hi Clareg,
What sort of aubergines are they? They look like the mini variety Baby Rosanna, which is what I have.
I think it's just a natural defect where multiple fruits fail to seperate and I'm watching with great interest three or four 'interestingly' shaped ones on my own plants.

It makes for an interesting plate dont you think? It goes well with my forked carrots, long swede's and occasional 'double' or lumpy cherry toms!!!!

[clareg]

Hi MissMoo,

When I got them at the plant swap it just said aubergine on the pot nothing else. Googled the variety you said and that looks like what they are, so thank you!

I guess everyone is used to "perfect" veggies from the supermarket, maybe we need a "weird" vegetable competition, some of my last dug potatoes are strangly shaped due to the hard soil caused by the heatwave in the summer.

Thanks for help
Clareg

[SueA]

Hi Clare, it looks like what is called 'fasciation' where stems, flowers or fruits appear to be fused together. No one is exactly sure why this happens, it could be due to damage at the growing point, stress due to the weather or something genetic but it doesn't usually cause any harm to the plants & I'm sure they'll taste just as good!

[smallblueplanet]

Ahhh, I thought from the picture that the fruit was 'squashy', couldn't really make out it was lots fused into one!