Joined: 20 Jan 2005 Posts: 60 Location: east coast
Posted: Thu May 12, 05 8:57 am Post subject: Aubergines
I have eleven aubergine seedlings and I am trying to decide whether to plant them in the vegetable garden or keep them in pots. I don't have a greenhouse.
Anyone had any success in growing them in the garden?
No, I've only every grown them in pots, or planted in the greenhouse - in the pots you can at least move them around/to shelter. I find them rather temperamental though and I don't know why I keep trying to grow them!
How big are yours? I think I started mine a bit late this year and they have just got their second set of leaves, and are about 3 inches high (maybe a bit more).
Interesting though I left a pot with spare seedlings in the greenhouse since March and they've come through very nearly as well as the ones I'm coddling with indoors/greenhouse.
Good idea, your own mini field trial! Do you know which type you are growing?
Alchemist
Joined: 02 Mar 2005 Posts: 123 Location: Aberdeenshire
Posted: Thu May 12, 05 10:12 am Post subject:
Tried growing a lone aubergine plant outside last year. It's definitely too cold up here, though you may be ok. We had a little plant with flowers, but no fruit, which may suggest we were nearly there, but not quite. If you could cover them in a cloche of some sort, i'd think you'd be sorted.
I've got a dozen in pots too, at about the same stage as Bugs, so i'd be interested to know how you all get on.
PS. You probably already know this, but slugs seem to go for aubergines in a big way.
judith
Joined: 16 Dec 2004 Posts: 22789 Location: Montgomeryshire
Posted: Thu May 12, 05 10:29 am Post subject:
I've only ever grown them in pots on the windowsill. Not exactly an overwhelming harvest, but better than nothing which is what I would get outside. The flowers are pretty enough to give them windowsill space IMO.
Ooh Callas, that's the one I grew the last two years.
Germination was pretty good the first year and I had quite a few nice fruits off it - last year was appalling though, but that was largely the fault of the weather.
This year I'm stuck with Moneymaker F1, not very thrilling, but if I get a crop off it I'll be happy.
callas
Joined: 20 Jan 2005 Posts: 60 Location: east coast
Posted: Fri May 13, 05 8:17 am Post subject:
Bugs - Did you grow them in a greenhouse?
I shall post a picture later on when it should be fruiting we could all post and compare the varieties.
I am beginning to think I shouldn't pin my hopes on homegrown aubergines for my moussaka!!
*Fluffykitten*
Joined: 03 Dec 2004 Posts: 74 Location: Merthyr Tydfil
Posted: Sat May 14, 05 10:18 pm Post subject:
I had two varieties of Aubergine called Lustade stripe and something belle - cant remember that one off hand sorry. Got them from Nickys seeds and i planted them in small pots at the begining of April. Ive never grown very much up until this year but i was both shocked and delighted to see that all my aubergine seeds germinated and are currently looking rather healthy. Theyve got 6-7 leaves and are around 4" tall. Theyre in my little polythene greenhouse with the roll up door open together with my toms and french marigolds and seem to be happy as larry. Dont know if they'll ever produce fruit - to be honest im just glad they're not dead yet!!
Actually the good news with these is the first year when I had a good crop I grew most if not all outdoors in pots and had a decent crop (for aubergines) with several (not more than 5) fruit off each plant. Mine were pretty small but very nice. If you plant them in the ground you may do even better because there'll be less mucking about with watering
By the way, does anyone here still salt aubergines before they use them? I gave a part of my carefully nurtured crop to a friend and asked how they were only to hear "they were a bit salty"....well why's that? Because they soaked them in salt for half an hour first. My beautiful fresh ripe aubergines
I had two varieties of Aubergine called Lustade stripe and something belle
A nationwide aubergine trial it is then ...I'll look up my sowing dates when I get a roundtuit.
wellington womble
Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 15051 Location: East Midlands
Posted: Sun May 15, 05 9:27 am Post subject:
I've got some seeds, but as I haven't planted them yet, I can't see them being in this years downsizer trial! I never salt them though - I know some people say they're watery, but I've never really found it. I just roast them in a hot oven until they go crispy, and then bung them into mousakka.
What else do people do with aubergines? (other than mousakka, I mean)
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