Anyone had any luck getting crops from Aubergines and Peppers grown outdoors- ie not in a polytunnel or cloche?!!? I have too many plants for my greenhouse ?!!
I grew cayenne peppers outside last year. They were very prolific and we are still using them now. This year I am growing hot peppers and sweet peppers outside. Sweet peppers can be grown outside aswell as inside as far as I know. Aubergines though I cannot comment on. I tried these last year but to no avail. We don't eat that many anyway so I'm not bothering with them this year.
Julie
We tried growing peppers outside a couple of times but didnt do any good. You may be ok.
I grow chillies and peppers outside near Heathrow, they grow quite well.
It's all down to how good the summer is.
I've not had great luck with aubergines though.
Here in Nantes, aubergines grow quite well outdoors. They like it warm but also quite a bit of water. Mulch them and I am sure you will get some fruit - whereabouts are you? In southern UK, I would imagine they would do OK, it doesn't get spectacularly hot here in summer.
Can't say much about Aubergines (I have just planted 5 plants out so I'll let you know) but I have had success with chilis and peppers outdoors. However this is in my garden not down the plot and I am in the SE..
Aubergines can give decent crops outdoors. The are delicate early in life, (prone to slugs and cool weather) but once they get more than knee high they seem to be more tolerant of cooler conditions.
Probably best to look for varieties recommended for outdoors tho'. Those bred in Eastern Europe are supposed to do well.
The fruit can sometimes suffer from bird damage.
It is all to do with the weather.
In a baking hot summer then they do grow fine but as these are as rare as rocking horse manure in much of the UK then the plants will need some cover.
Our windy weather can do as much harm as cool temperatures, even if you can not provide a top a wind break of some sort will help a lot.
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,60123.0.html
Gypsy peppers will grow outside, quite reliable in Hull in basic summer XX Jeannine
I got a fairly good crop of peppers grown in large pots outside last year, I'm near Nottingham so I'd guess our conditions are similar.
yes, I also had a good crop from peppers and aubergines but I only grew two aubergine plants. I'm on the coast in Sussex.
I grew them in pots indoors first, and only in July did they go outside. They were protected from wind against the sunniest wall I have. While the peppers were inside (living room, didn't have a greenhouse!) I struggled to keep them moist enough and they got red spider mite so I moved them outdoors, put the pots on feet and the paved ground underneath I covered with plastic compost bags (the black side) I then spinked gravel over this among the pots so that when I watered them the excess would pool around the pots and evaporate. I got some beautiful small long aubergines about 2-3inches from 2 plants I bough a B&Q with no variety on them so I sowed huge numbers of aubergines this year, probabaly optymistically but that what gardening is all about :)
From what I've read and a small amount of experience it all depends on what varieties of Aubergines you are growing - the Thai long ones seem to get the vote on A4A. I think they do like a bit of shelter, mine are outside and I'm going to set up a windbreak for them.
As to peppers YES ;D
This is too late but may be helpful for anyone to grow eggplants outdoors in 2013.
Here in East London I experimented growing few types.The grafted plants called Scorpio F1 which I bought from Suttons fared well inspite of a cold early summer.Another variety called Money Maker F1(which I grew from seeds)was also a satisfactory performer.I think that it should have done more better if I had planted the seeds earlier in the green house and transplanted the seedlings outside in June.
I am interested to try a Japanese variety called Kamo but unfortunately the seeds are not available in UK