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Growing aubergines

Julia1983Julia1983 Posts: 139
in Fruit & veg
Hi all,
I planted some aubergine seeds in February which have germinated and started to grow, but they are still quite small.. do they take a while to get going? 🤔 it's the first time I've grown them. I'm planning to pop them in the greenhouse probably in June. I've also read they need misting a couple of times a day. has anyone had success growing them? Any tips? 

Posts

  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
    I've had my failures and successes (but I don't grow any this year). They need really long season - an early start (January ideally) and a greenhouse. I used to have problems with fruit setting, always got flowers but not fruit. Misting is said to help but didn't do the difference for me, nor did hand-pollinating with a paintbrush. The only thing that helped was a sonic toothbrush.
    Varieties with smaller fruit are easier than the ones with full-size fruit. At some point, limit the number of fruit developing so it has a chance to ripen. I like to grow thai varieties that are rare here and good for currys. Whatever you grow, I wish you luck.
  • Womble54Womble54 Posts: 348
    Last couple of years I bought plants from the garden centre and grew them outdoors in pots, planted mid May. Think they were moneymaker. Apart from watering and a bamboo cane for support they didn’t need much attention and I got 7 or 8 reasonable aubergine per plant. 
    My one attempt at growing from seed was a complete failure.
    You should be able to get some plugs plants delivered in case yours are still too small.
    Good luck.
  • Singing GardenerSinging Gardener Posts: 1,237
    I've had success for the last few years growing from seed. My plants are still quite small at present but I'm confident I'll get aubergines. I grow Ophelia which is a mini aubergine and Black Beauty which is full sized.
  • herbaceousherbaceous Posts: 2,318
    edited April 2020
    I grow Ophelia and Black Beauty from seed as well and they do need a very long time to grow, I don't expect anything from them until Sept/Oct.  Generally get 5 or 6 per plant but its worth it for that first lasagne  oops! Moussaka, must be time for breakfast!
     
    "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."  Sir Terry Pratchett
  • Julia1983Julia1983 Posts: 139
    I've got Bonica and Pinstripe. Do they taste different from shop bought ones? I love them roasted in garlic oil with other veg and crusty bread, yum. I shall persevere! 
  • herbaceousherbaceous Posts: 2,318
    Don't know about shop v homegrown @Julia1983 as I rarely buy veg but you should definitely persevere even if it's just to find out!
    "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."  Sir Terry Pratchett
  • stevek_bathstevek_bath Posts: 51
    We grew some last year from very small plugs rather than seeds - they were hard work but got there in the end. It took until mid-September for us to get any fruits from them and they were relatively small compared to shop-bought. They did, however, taste beautiful. 
    We have some white ones to try this year but little success getting the seeds to germinate so far. Still staying hopeful...
    Julia1983 said:
    Hi all,
    I planted some aubergine seeds in February which have germinated and started to grow, but they are still quite small.. do they take a while to get going? 🤔 it's the first time I've grown them. I'm planning to pop them in the greenhouse probably in June. I've also read they need misting a couple of times a day. has anyone had success growing them? Any tips?
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