Aubergines

[Jono]

Hi all,

I'm gearing up to sow some aubergine seeds indoors over the next week or so. Will go for outdoor ones as I don't have a greenhouse.

I've never been able to get these to grow properly. We do have good growing climate around here, but last year the plants died pretty quickly.

Has anyone had any success with the outdoor varieties, and if so, any chance of extracting a few tips from you??

Thanks,

Jono.

[Alison]

There is no way I could get them to fruit outside around here but you may be better off where you're based. They do need pretty consistantly high temps to set fruit so although it's relatively easy to get decent plants and even flowers it's the fruits which can be the problem. Before I got the polytunnel the only way I could manage fruits was in my conservatory. There may be other people on here more local to you though who can give much better advice.

[Patchninja]

Without a greenhouse, I would have thought it is still way too early to sow aubergines. Have you got somewhere suitable to grow them on? You can wait til March - start them off in March in a heated propagator to get them off to a relly good start, then give them lots of water and fertiliser once they get growing and flowering. If you start now, you may well end up with struggling, weaklings. That may explain why yours weren't very happy before Really, they don't like the cold.

[Kristen]

I agree, too early (possibly even for an unheated greenhouse) and unlikely to get a crop from them outdoors.

Here's a picture of my Aubergines sown on 15-Feb. Nurtured in the house initially, and then in a grow-house (which I put a light in to give them some warmth at night) inside my unheated conservatory. This is the size they were by 07-May, and it would not be warm enough (here) for them to go out until 01-Jun

[Mrs Dobby]

We've grown them succesfully for the past 3 years, the first 2 years in an unheated greenhouse, and last year in a scratch built hothouse on the allotment, the lower height of the hothouse kept the temperatures higher than in a normal greenhouse, so it worked well.

Mind you, the crops were only about 3 or 4 aubergines per plant, so no great cropping, but its nice to have a few.

Outdoors round here, as Alison says, not a chance!

[Patchninja]

This article might be interesting for you.

Aubergine / RHS Gardening

[Jelliebabe]

I have a plastic "blow away" and had a goodish crop. I bought the plant though from B&Q - a grafted variety. I am hoping to grow a few from seed this year though - but will be definately using one of my "blow away" collection that I seem to have accumulated!

Good luck

[Teyman2425s]

I've never had any luck growing Aubergines from seed whether outside or in the greenhouse. Last year I bought a plant from B&Q and low and behold 4 very tasty fruits. I'm not sure why I should be more successful with theirs than mine but I shall be buying them again this year.

[chris]

Strange, I think jacob marley here suggests that he doesn't get fruit if he sows any later than Feb? I've put a few in just to see

[Jono]

Hmmm, thanks all. Perhaps I'll leave it for a few weeks before sowing. I've been sneaking stuff in the boiler room at work to germinate, and got my chillis off to a good start.

I thought about buying plants last year, maybe I'll give that a go instead. There were plenty of places around here selling them.

I did get one little one to grow outside, but it came very late in summer and didn't grow very big.

Useful link Patchninja, thanks.

[Bren In Pots]

Last year mine were sown my on Feb 2 I had 2 plants in the greenhouse and a couple outside on the patio didn't get any fruits only pretty purple flowers. So this time I've sown them at the beginning of this month see it makes a difference.

[jacob]

My thoughts from the early sowing thread:

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...7-post118.html

I reckon they're difficult outside even in a suntrap in Essex!