This year I have grown aubergine plants for the first time since I was given a packet of seeds. I have 5 violetta di firenze plants currently fairly heavily infested with aphids and bearing a few fruit (biggest is about the size of a tennis ball and none are smaller than a golf ball. They are all cream coloured. They are in my house.
So my questions are:
Will the fruit come to anything? How can I give them a hand? Is it worth putting in the effort to wash all the leaves and get rid of the aphids? Should I scrap them and try again next year? How do I know when they're ready? Currently in 7" pots - would it help if I potted them on to 9 or 10"? I understand they are perennials so could I overwinter them and would they then produce fruit next season?
Sorry - too many questions! :-[
I've only ever grown aubergines in a greenhouse, so to have even vaguely viable plants at the tail end of November (and in Scotland!) seems verging on witchcraft to me!
As for aphids - they are very prone to them, I'm afraid. In the GH I just buy in biological controls, but it might not be a good idea to do that in the house.
Personally, I'd chose the one that looks most likely to survive & give it all the TLC you can muster; then pick the fruits off the rest & bin the plants but make a batch of ratatouille with the fruit.
(But I'm in unexplored territiry here, you understand!!!)
Personally I would say you are wasting your time and new compost to pot them on.
Put it down to experience and eat what you have!!
At 7" pots I think these are a bit small I find that they need quite a bit of space so I grow them in the greenhouse border.
Next year I suggest you grow them in nothing less than a florists bucket.
I think next year might be my last year at growing them and thats only becauseI have some seed left. I think I will give up the space for sweet peppers a crop I find are more productive.
Me too, TG - only grow them for the Pickle which the family, on their visits, treat as a take-away!!
Thanks for the advice! I must admit that aubergines are not my most favourite vegetable but I don't like giving in! I am pleased with the way they have grown and fully intended to pot them on several months ago. Then life took over..
I think I will cut back the 3 smaller ones and try overwintering them: I'll eat the fruit and prune the plants back. The two bigger ones I'm going to try potting up (experimentally). I'll try to get rid of the aphids first, then put them somewhere warm and humid and treat them with TLC.
Anyway thanks for your advice. It has got me thinking! (never an easy task! ;))
You really need an early start to growing aubergines from seed, February or March in heat. It also helps if you choose an early maturing variety such as Apple Green, ready in about 75 days from transplanting to final pots.
If your plants survive the Winter, then they should ripen next year.