Aubergines

[sewer rat]

Aubergines! - Never grown them before but have to grow for the hotel. So
some quick questions.
1. Will they grow happily alongside tomatoes ?
2. What height will the plants grow to ?
3. Are they bushy plants or do the fruits form off the central stem?
4. Will they be happier in a heated greenhouse or an unheated polytunnel
5. Any other tips ?
Thanks in advance

[Eyren]

No idea, Rat, as I'm an aubergine virgin myself, but since the seeds I got in a swap finally germinated, I'll be watching this thread with interest

[walshie]

I grew them last year for the first time (black beauty). they grew to about a foot and half tall and not particulary bushy. i had two fruits out of 8 plants and they didnt go purple, they went purplish but still very green. they were kept in an unheated greenhouse in small pots. this year i am trying them again and they are just starting to germinate. i will use bigger pots and give them some feed, which i didnt do last year.

[TEB]

Grown them for a few years now, a bit like toms in that they come in varying heights and bushiness, I had no problem with them alongside Toms, they can be grown in an unheated poly tunnel (dont know about your locale though), fruit per bush is low (I averaged 4 fruits per plant), main problem that I had was with whitefly. This is a link to RHS 2008 trial for AGM http://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/documen...e2008trial.pdf

[Capsid]

Don't overwater them. Little and often is best.
Pinch out the growing point to encourage more side shoots and thereby get more flowers/fruit
Restrict the number of fruits to about 3-4 per plant.
Greenhouse is best, warm sunny humid conditions is what they prefer.

[gojiberry]

Have grown them on and off over the years but not much success with producing fruit. From what I have experienced the plants need their own space and don't like to be crowded, They need plenty of light and sunshine (if we get any). They are prone to whitefly and red spider mite. Polination tends to be hit and miss and you need to consider hand pollination. Thats about it on my experience. Am trying them again this year and have plenty of space for them this year.

Ian

[janeyo]

I had one plant bought from a garden centre, it was in the unheated g/h and I got about 8 aubergines off it! The last couple were quite small but I was chuffed!
I got to about 3 feet high in a bigish pot and I just fed it and watered it the same as all the toms and cukes in there with it.
The have little spines on the backs of the leaves so beware, they can hurt!

[smallblueplanet]

Aubergines! - Never grown them before but have to grow for the hotel. So some quick questions.

1. Will they grow happily alongside tomatoes? - We grow ours in an unheated greenhouse alongside toms, cuke, (occassionally) melon and basil and marigolds.

2. What height will the plants grow to? Like toms they are variable, some are more bushy, but some grow easily to 3ft.

3. Are they bushy plants or do the fruits form off the central stem? Ours fruit like toms, all over!

4. Will they be happier in a heated greenhouse or an unheated polytunnel - they like it hot and humid, when its only warm I keep the greenhouse door shut. I think if its not warm enough they will flower but not set fruit.

5. Any other tips? I've never deliberately 'stopped' any plants, they normally keep going, pick the fruit and more come along - the difficulty being if the weather is warm enough to 'allow' it.

Small-fruited ones are easier in 'cooler' temps (not too cool!), but we've grown round purple ones, long green ones, long purple ones, round green ones, round purple/white ones, small purple/white ones, all-sorts really. Trying some 'egg-shaped' Thai ones this year. There's only two of us so several smaller fruit is often preferable to one big fruit.

We tend to 'prune' our aubs like we do our toms, to allow air to circulate. Watch out for whitefly! Oh and start the plants off fairly early if you can.


Here's some thumbnails piccies from previous warmer summers

- ichiban

- rosa bianca

- thai long green (very prolific and tasty)

- black beauty (late in the season)

[magz.mccarthy]

wow those aubergines look fantastic!

i planted mine in early january and they've been growing very slowly ever since. now they are around 3 inches tall with a lot of big leaves - not at all leggy - and i'm starting to think about hardening them off. into an unheated greenhouse (with a lot of leaks).

[smallblueplanet]

...now they are around 3 inches tall with a lot of big leaves - not at all leggy - and i'm starting to think about hardening them off. into an unheated greenhouse (with a lot of leaks).

I wouldn't if it were me. They really are heat-lovers, more so than chillies - how many have you got? Keep potting them on if you need, but on occassion we've bought aub plants from garden centres and they're often about 12" tall in 10cm pots.

[Rhona]

Ours have always had to put up with being outside, but they definately don't prefer it! They grow (here) to around a foot, maybe a foot and a half. Not particularly bushy, and most we've had is two fruits per plant. Quite satisfying to grow though.

SBP - very impressed with yours!

[smallblueplanet]

Thanks Rhona. Not only are they kept as warm and sunny as possible they're also growing direct into the greenhouse border.

[savva0122]

Thanks for the tips - I failed with two plug plants last year in the greenhouse but I kept the door open most of the time.

I think I will try again, but perhaps put them in the conservatory where it'll be warmer and more humid in the summer.

[Alison]

I've really struggled with set, have no problems with nice healthy plants and loads of pretty flowers but, even after fiddling with them with a paint brush, I still struggled to get a single fruit. This year I'm going to try one in the conservatory as well as in the unheated greenhouse to see if it fairs any better.

[Alice]

I've never had much success with them at but I keep trying.
Last year I got 3 miserable little fruits from 4 plants.
The plants grow well enough and flower prolifically but don't set fruit.
Spraying the flowers is said to help.
I think the fruits come quite late and maybe we just run out of year too soon.
Hope it works for you.