Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: BarefootDancer on July 29, 2009, 13:40
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Hi everyone,
I'm a newbie to veg growing and have just stumbled upon this great site. I live in a first floor flat so don't actually have my own garden, but have managed to "borrow" space in other people's this year! :tongue2:
My question is about growing aubergines outdoors. My colleague gave me some spare young plants that she had started off in her greenhouse and I kept them on my south facing living room windowsill until they were about 30cm or so high.
I then re-potted and transferred to my Nan's garden, where they have been standing outside, up against the wall of the house. This was just before the very hot spell we had.
Two of the three plants have flowers and the tallest has just produced one tiny aubergine - I am ridiculously proud and keep telling everyone! :D However, I'm wondering whether it's likely to mature outside and whether I'll get any more fruits?
My book advises that I pinch out the first fruit of larger fruiting varieties and thin any subsequent fruit to just leave a handful. But I'm loathe to do that as I only have one! Plus the plants were donations and I'm not sure what variety they are.
Any advice? Or anyone else with experience of growing aubergines outside? Everything I read says that they are only really successful under glass, which of course I don't have.
Thanks!
Barefoot xx
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Everyone on our site grows them outside. I've only managed little ones but they get huge ones - loads of feeding I think.
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I have grown some for the first time. they are outside. since I transplated them they have not grown any taller and are a few inches only. all that they have done is produce one or two flowers.
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I started mine inside on the window sill, had the first few fruits then moved them outside to give them a bit more space and I've had more fruits. Mine are both dwarf varieties. I haven't pinched or thinned anything.
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mine were doing very well on the window sill. then I planted out side and they did nothing. :(
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Well, unless you grow in a very warm micro climate, i would think you will have trouble with aubergine outside. :( They grow outside in countries like greece and turkey, which i think means they like heat, not the hotchpotch of weather we call summer in the uk :ohmy:
Last year even the greenhouse was too cold for the couple i grew :(
So fingers crossed for anybody growing aubs......inside or out :)
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Everyone on our site grows them outside. I've only managed little ones but they get huge ones - loads of feeding I think.
Ah, haven't been feeding them, so maybe I should start!
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I started mine inside on the window sill, had the first few fruits then moved them outside to give them a bit more space and I've had more fruits. Mine are both dwarf varieties. I haven't pinched or thinned anything.
Hmm, perhaps I should ask my colleague what variety they are, or else I'll forever be waiting for my dwarf fruits to grow big! :unsure:
Although, I suspect that she inherited them from the previous owner of her house, so might not know either! (The outgoing family had kindly planted up the veg plot and greenhouse with all sorts of goodies! ::) )
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I feed mine tom food :)
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I feed mine tom food :)
Ah, thanks Tam, you've preempted my next question! We've got loads of tom food in the garage, so will give them a good feed and keep my fingers (and toes....) crossed!
Barefoot xx
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I think I'll bring mine inside.
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I think I'll bring mine inside.
Yeah, if the weather continues to be mixed I might do the same. They grew fast during the hot spell and started producing flowers, but now it's a bit cooler, even in the shelter of the house.
They quite liked their start on my sunny south-facing windowsill, although would now probably block out all the light! :blink: