Aubergines question

[veggiewomble]

I sowed some aubergine seeds a month ago - a bit late perhaps but that was what it said on the packet! They've all sprouted into seedlings, and most of them have now got 4 leaves, but they are looking a bit leggy and spindly. I don't have a greenhouse as I live in a flat in central London, but I do have an east-facing balcony that gets some sunlight in the morning. I have a small coldframe and I've put them outside but I wonder if its still too cold for these small plants to survive outdoors? Should I put them under cloches and plant them out, or wait until they get a bit bigger? They're still in their plastic root trainer trays.

veggiewomble

[Paulottie]

My guess would be to plant out under cloches.

[WiZeR]

mine have only just gone in the poly tunnel

[Cutecumber]

My aubergines have been in a greenhouse since the beginning of April - they went out when they were about the size that yours are now. Considering your location I really don't see why you shouldn't plant them out - this week we are having particularly mild nights and the temperatures are not changing much between day and night - it's not hot, but under a cloche they should be fine.

Go for it.

[veggiewomble]

Thanks everyone. I've planted them out in a trough under a polytunnel cloche. The polytunnel feels way too big for the tiny plants. Right now they are just over an inch high and slowly developing more leaves. I wonder if this means I won't get any aubergines this year??? This is my first time growing them.

veggiewomble

[Cutecumber]

Don't worry.

They'll put on a real spurt over the next month as the weather warms up. I don't see why you shouldn't get a crop.

You've done all you can - keep them watered, fed and warm and they'll do you proud.

[Flummery]

I usually grow them on in a 3" pot till they are about 3/4 inches high. Mine are now in 5" pots and about 5" high. I shall let them get well rooted into these before putting them into 10" pots as their final position. I prefer to let plants get a good root before potting on. Your plants should put on more growth in the warmer weather but you might be better next year to grow on gradually. Putting dinky plants into big containers can cause the compost to sour up - you are watering it but nothing is using the water and nutrients. Don't know if I've explained that very well. However, don't worry about them. Keep an eye on the watering.

[Cutecumber]

It's our fault, Flummery - if you look above you will see that we advised Veggiwomble to put them out because they were getting leggy.

I am not sure how leggy they really were as they are now described just over an inch high

[Flummery]

Hmm! Just over 1" is hardly even ankly!

[Cutecumber]

Quite!

[veggiewomble]

Sorry, I should've been clearer. When I said 'leggy', I meant that the seedlings were getting quite tall with only very small leaves, and they were spindly, i.e the stalks seemed very weak and I worried they weren't getting enough sunlight indoors. I don't have good light through any of my windows, so I put them outdoors in the hope that they'd toughen up.

They haven't grown that much although their leaves have been getting a lot bigger, so there's still hope.

What do you think? Just keep them in the trough and hope for the best?

[Cutecumber]

Ah yes, but "tall" for an aubergine is a couple of feet - I thought you were being smothered by them in your flat

Often, when we raise plants indoors, they grow taller than they should, but usually, they thicken up successfully when hardened off. It's not ideal, but a lot of us do it and we get crops.

I think if I had know that your aubs were so small, I might have advised you to pot them on rather than planting them - sorry, that's not much help now, I know.

I still think they'll be ok - we're going to have a wet and windy spell this week, so keep them covered. If they're small, they're not going to need much, if any, water.

[Kimbo]

Is it too late to start off some aubergines?

[smallblueplanet]

Kimbo - I think its way too late, but you could try buying some plants, even our local garden centre sold some.

[Kimbo]

Kimbo - I think its way too late, but you could try buying some plants, even our local garden centre sold some.

Well at least that has made my mind up for tomorrow off to wyevale it is then - they have some large plants on offer according to their website.