Black Beauty aubergine

[Cutecumber]

This variety is new to me, and I have three plants with one fruit on each.

The fruit are VERY strange in shape and not very dark in colour, which is not exactly what I expected. There don't seem to be any more fruits setting, either.

I am very unsure about when to harvest.

Can anyone with experience of this variety describe their previous crop or post a pic of any fruits this year?

Thanks

[valmarg]

We gave up on Black Beauty some time ago. We had strong healthy plants, but no fruits. Quite honestly they were a waste of space in the greenhouse!!

valmarg

[Sue]

Now you tell me... And I thought it was the weather, lots of flowers, no fruits (bar one), wish I'd stuck with the ones I tried last year from Real Seeds.
Sue

[wellie]

Sue,

I can normally grow Aubergines of any variety fairly successfully. This year, all their flowers have dropped off, and no fruits are forming, and I'd be lucky even to have a dream about an Aubergine fruit....
So, count yourself lucky! Don't be put off. I have Early Long Purple, Moneymaker (?), Baby Rosanna and the stripey purple one (?) growing in the Grown Up Girls' Greenhouse.

They are all showing signs of 'picking up speed' only in the last few days.
I'm deadly disappointed, but what can you do?
I'm having to pay top dollar for Aubergines in the shops too, which just breaks my heart (boo hoo.....!)

[Cutecumber]

Ah, that's interesting.

I have not had any problems in previous years, but I have always grown Moneymaker...

I guess I shall revert back to that variety next year!

[Sue]

Wellie
Bad news for you but reassuring as I look at my aubergine crop (not).
All my dreams of huge vats of allotment ratatouille gone - phut.
I shall miss the aubergines but it's the tomatoes that will be the real tragedy, that means I will have to buy tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and tomato sauce and they won't be a patch on the real thing.
And another gloomy note, basil not good either, won't have very much to make pesto with this year.
Looks like my meals from now on will be based on potatoes, more potatoes, runner beans, celery, onions and garlic!
Sue

[Cutecumber]

Sue, did you - like me - get blight on your tomatoes but not your potatoes?

I tend to harvest my potatoes quite early, so I guess they just missed it.

Back to the aubergines...

I have one fruit on each of three plants, and it appears they are still growing, so I'll just wait and see, I think. They certainly don't look like any images of Black Beauty aubergine I have seen before, though!

[Alison]

You are lucky to have any fruit at all based on the contents of my greenhouse! Three very healthy plants, now flowering profusely but not setting. Was out yesterday with a paintbrush again and am keeping my fingers crossed but at this rate they'll either be nothing all season or tiny pin head fruits as the first frosts come!

On a brigher note, now have toms ripening in the garden - Red Alert, never grown them before but will be doing a taste test with tonights tea. Oh yes and the courgettes have kick started, about 10 forming on just one plant!!!!!

[wellie]

Aubergines definitely 'picking up speed again' with this sunnier weather, so I reckon we may make at least one Aubergine between us by the end of the season?!
Good luck all....

[Sue]

Hi Cutecumber
I've still got two lots of maincrops in pots, Desiree and Verity. I thought I had blight as the foliage has all died and gone brown, but it's dry not wet and soggy, I did dig one pot up and the potatoes looked fine.
Would it be OK to leave them like this.
The tomatoes, and again, if it was blight wouldn't they be all dead and slimy by now? Some of them seemed to have given up the ghost, others have got these green tomatoes with the chocolate brown blobs on and others seem fine, So although most of the plants have varying numbers of blobby tomatoes, most of them also have some unmarked ones which are at last turning, every so slightly, red.
Also worrying about if it is blight they shouldn't be in the compost, I have fed all the blobby ones to the inmates of my slug prison. Also gave them the potato fruits....
Confused or what
Sue

[Cutecumber]

Leave any potatoes in situ once you have removed the tops, until you need to use them - even if blight got the leaves the tubers should be OK.

As far as the tomatoes fgo, your "blobby ones" could have blossom end rot, rather than blight, perhaps.

None of my blight-affected toms are collapsing in a black slimey mess, but that's because it has been dry since the fungus appeared. It doesn't always cause massive damage instantly - it depends on the weather. Not all the tomatoes in my garden have blight, either.

Yet...

[Sue]

Cutecumber
God, it's confusing but don't think it's blossom end rot, saw enough of that last year to be a mini expert on the subject.
Sue

[Anita Plot]

Sue - I would be interested to hear about your slug prison. I certainly have plenty awaiting trial and bound to be found guilty.

[smallblueplanet]

We've grown Black Beauty in previous seasons - just normal dark purple medium to large size aubs.

- black beauty

This year we've only had two rosa bianca's and two smallish apple green's aubs. Both plants have set better than the ichiban and ping tung long although all four plants are a similar size and very healthy.

- rosa b

[Sue]

Anita Plot
My slug prison is an idea I got from Bob Flowerdew's books. You need a large container, I've got a large bin, drill some holes in it round the bottom and stand in on some bricks, inside a dish, plant saucer or anything that can be filled with water to make the prison.
Then put some stones, bricks, tiles in the bottom and fill with weeds etc.
Now you have somewhere to lob your slugs. As long as you keep the moat filled up they can't escape.
I leave them to it, just keep chucking in more slugs and more weeds, goodness only knows how many are in there now!

I can't do the cutting in half thing or the dropping in boiling water or the thing with salt and lob them over the fence and apparently they'll come back...so a prison seemed the best solution for me.
Good luck
Sue