How are everyones aubergines doing?

[bario1]

I find them all painfully slow, and prone to dropping dead for no apparent reason, just when you're congratulating yourself on producing such handsome plants. Tbh, if I don't get a crop this year, I won't bother again!

[skeggijon]

They can bit a bit kamikazi like - suddenly deciding to crash and burn

[muddled]

I've never managed to get one yet!

In fact, I don't really even like them much, only eating them thinly sliced and chargrilled with (far too much) salt and black pepper. I hate coming across slimey aub concealed in dishes. But a dear, dear friend from Bolsover swears I'll love home grown ones which are never, ever slimey.
Honest.

If I don't get any this year I won't grow them again either.....until next February when they look so good in the catalogues

[unclefudgly]

Mine were pretty much wiped out by mites last year, so am now prepared for them and on the look out. Trying Thai round green because they are really expensive to buy and violetta, a small Italian variety that I' m hoping might be a good substitute for the thai ones

[BertieFox]

Growing two new varieties (to me), an F1 hybrid called Shakira which had very slow and poor germination, but is doing ok now, and an open pollinated type called 'Monster of New York', which germinated like mustard and cress!

I have just started planting them out in the garden at a square foot spacing and around 6 inches high. They look a little yellowish but I hope they will perk up soon. I put others in the polytunnel where they look happier already.

Even here, Pays de la Loire, 2014 wasn't especially good for them though I grew them mostly in a polycarbonate greenhouse where I suspect light levels weren't high enough. Whatever the reason, I got huge leafy plants with almost no fruit set, after the first few.

[sparrow100]

I've never had a problem with aubergines, other than only having a fairly measly harvest.

This year I have a greenhouse and am expecting great things. Am growing rosa bianca and baby ophelia, but they aren't liking the cold weather at all.

[Scarlet]

I've given up on aubergines. The time & space in the GH (for me) is best used for other things. I've had several goes and a couple of fruit per plant is just not worth the effort or the seed cost. I ve even tried starting in January.

[cristalfiona]

My black beauty never germinated, so I'm only growing listada de gandia. They germinated back in March, got to about 2" tall with 2 sets of true leaves and have basically done nothing since.

I'm going to be having a bit of a potting on afternoon on Sunday, so I'll try putting them into slightly bigger pots with fresh compost and see if that prompts any new growth. Of course some sunshine would help too! It's tipped it down here for days now.

[bario1]

I'm only growing listada de gandia.

Look like beautiful fruits Fiona, hope you get good results!

[Lumpy]

They were so brave but in the end my stupidity caused them to wilt and die!
Don't much like aubergine anyway, just as well as they really hate me for committing genocide by over watering.

[cristalfiona]

Look like beautiful fruits Fiona, hope you get good results!

I know, I saw them and just had to have them! I'm just waiting for them to take off and give me a bountiful harvest (eternal optimist here...)

[Chippy Minton]

Not wishing to be smug (but failing dismally ) but mine are going great guns. Probably about 18" high now and first aubergine formed

Photos attached (hopefully)

However the history of this sorry tale can be found here (I hope my link copying skills are up to this)

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ml#post1327342

Suffice to say whilst they generally try to die mine clung on to life through thick and thin last year and so were mollycoddled through the winter.

The answer to my question is: yes you can overwinter aubergines

Need a lie down now after copy a link and embedding first photos

[Vickilou]

Wow chippy Minton, I'm impressed! These plants are my nemesis, every year I say never again. Spring comes.... Oh look what I found in the seed box

[BertieFox]

I understand the problems in raising the plants in a cool climate, but are some of the comments about the very poor harvest later in the summer because people don't pick them young enough?

Aubergines are far better harvested when very young and still shiny black, not left to form large fruit which then go dull, and bitter. Unless you have ideal conditions and large developed plants you will never emulate the huge aubergines we get in the supermarkets, but you can get quite a lot of small ones which are delicious sliced and fried with tomatoes and peppers.

Our aubergines, in the greenhouse, produce an average of ten or more fruits per plant, mainly in September and October. But we have to keep picking them fairly small to keep the plant producing.

[jacob]

I think Bertie's answered his own question -- September is already less than ideal round these parts. October is winter.

The trick is to bring them on as quickly as possible. Particularly as I find they set one fruit, then sulk for a bit before producing more.

My number one aubergine tip is to pot them on quickly, they don't like being constrained. But I'm going to have to try overwintering having seen ChippyMinton's photos. I always mean to experiment with sowing chilis, peppers and now aubergines in the mid-summer specifically for overwintering.