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Next year I want to satrt a major trial of aubergines, with a view to trying to breed better producing aubergines for our climate. Does anyone else grow aubergines outdoors? Which cultivars have you had most success with?

Sounds interesting Amphibian!
I tried Ophelia last year outdoors, but didn't get great results. It fruited but didn't ripen. Only got a couple of aubergines from 2 plants that could be described as edible!
This year, based on A4A recommendations (and swaps) I'm growing Long Purple (outdoors). And am ever hopeful!
I'll let you know how I get on - if you like?

Quote from: 1066 on May 12, 2010, 18:51:41
I'll let you know how I get on - if you like?

Yes, please do.

I have had success in the past with Long Green Thai, Bambino and Rosa Bianca. I have yet to try long purple, but it on my list.

Esentially my aim is to find the earliest and most reliable varieties, then cross each to each other, in the hope of producing a new variety which is earlier and more reliable than any of the parents.

It sounds far fetched, but it is a common breeding technique which has payed dividends with other crops, but I don't think much work has been done on cold climate aubergines because commercially there is no demand for such a crop.

Back to my age-old cry - the long, thin ones. Not decrying the fatter minis - just knowing what works in the Cotswolds.

Thai Long Green, Farmers' Long etc - 20 or so per plant.

I have a few aubergine plants  sown from seed growing on a windowsill.  Last year I tried buying a plant and putting it outside but it suffered, so this year I am going for indoor aubergines only.

Quote from: tim on May 12, 2010, 19:19:56
Back to my age-old cry - the long, thin ones. Not decrying the fatter minis - just knowing what works in the Cotswolds.

Thai Long Green, Farmers' Long etc - 20 or so per plant.

Is the picture Farmer's Long?

Long aubergines are likely to form the basis of my project as I have found them reliable in the past too.

Which has been your best overall, Tim?

Yes.

The only ones I've grown outdoors were Macchiaw- now unavailable? See pic.

Farmer's Long & Thai Green in a cold 'house are much of a muchness - 2 pics. No2 was last pick - mid October.

Last pic - Slim Jim was quite productive.

Quote from: tim on May 12, 2010, 20:20:31
Yes.

The only ones I've grown outdoors were Macchiaw- now unavailable? See pic.

Farmer's Long & Thai Green in a cold 'house are much of a muchness - 2 pics. No2 was last pick - mid October.

Last pic - Slim Jim was quite productive.

Superb tim, thank you.

Not outdoors still in the greenhouse, but Applegreen and Caspar (both white) were successful.  Rosa Bianca and several of the purple ones failed.  The red Turkish Aubergine was also successful.

Varieties I have grown outside(OK some protection at first)

Macchiaw,Thai Green,Rosa Bianca,Bonica to name but 4-in fact in a couple of years those outside did better than those under cover-less disease/spider mite etc.

So that's a few "votes" for Thai Green then! I'll have to organise some for next year.

Mine will be outside, and I'm planning on setting up some debris netting to act as a wind break. Won't be until some time in June before they go out though!

Rosa Bianca failing in a greenhouse?

Fairytale is an early one AAAs winner XX Jeannine

I'd also recommend Slim Jim but mainly because the multiple small fruit usually means at least some escape damage from slugs etc.

It is also very ornamental.

In a bad year you may get only 3 or 4 fruit on each plant outdoors but this is good compared to say a Long Black that doesn't even make a single fruit.

Cheers.

Quote from: cleo on May 15, 2010, 15:55:12
Rosa Bianca failing in a greenhouse?

Yes, tried them twice.

They take just that little bit to long to develop in our climate. Mine took about 9 months.

I tried some over the last couple of years from a variety of seeds (purchased abroad). Even in the greehouse it was touch and go that they would be ready before the frost killed them. I got a few tiny ones. Sown in the warmth in January they were ready in late September

Whilst you are welcome to do what ever you want in the hobby of gardening. My view is that it is better to use the space for things which will given proven results.

Cucumber, chilli and peppers grow beautifully and fill the greenhouse.

Butternut squash can produce out doors quite well too.

Quote from: PurpleHeather on May 16, 2010, 22:13:31
Whilst you are welcome to do what ever you want in the hobby of gardening. My view is that it is better to use the space for things which will given proven results.

As a general sentiment I couldn't agree more - moderated by the thought that it's also bonkers to grow what is cheap and good in the shops when you can grow stuff that is excellent homegrown and absolute crap from the shops (like gages).

It's also true that chillies will produce in a marginal year and aubergines won't.

Are you in the frozen North by any chance??

In London and in a good year I find I get comparable crops from both chillis and aubergines, both under glass and out (obviously slightly more under glass).

Enough to turn my courgette and tomato surplus into a ratatouille surplus for freezing... much the best way to preserve them.

'Course I've had very little aubergine since '06 and the bloody volcano is probably threatening this year too - dammit!

Cheers.

Quote from: PurpleHeather on May 16, 2010, 22:13:31
Whilst you are welcome to do what ever you want in the hobby of gardening. My view is that it is better to use the space for things which will given proven results

The truth is, that in the 80s peppers were not viewed as a viable commodity for British Farmers, since they have become more popular huge effort has been put into breeding and selection to produce cultivars for the commercial grower. Last year I grew a pepper which gave me ripe fruit, outdoors, in the UK by June, the same plants were still alive and setting fruit in December, this was unimaginable not that long ago.

No breeding work has been done on trying to produce more reliable aubergines, why? Because they are not a hugely popular product and they are seen as too feeble for our climate.

The problem is we're growing the wrong cultivars, because of our proximity to the Med, we're trying to grow Southern European cultivars, some of which are daylight sensitive and will never produce a crop in the North of the UK.

Our seed suppliers are not helping for example the often sold aubergine Listada de Gandia, is entirely unsuitable for the UK, it is late and daylight sensitive. It would fail to thrive in the North, even in a heated greenhouse.

What we need to do is cast our eyes East, they grow aubergines in Siberia, in short seasons. There are also different species in China, which produce in far more marginal seasons and on top of this there are some genes out there that allow us to get a crop.

For example, that picture above of a failing Rosa Bianca, what if you could eat the aubergines when they're tiny, well the genes exist in aubergines that allow a fruit to be eaten at almost any point of maturation, so you don't need the fruit to sit on the plant maturing, you can eat it good and early.

They are a crop which, at the moment, is a let down. For me that is the very reason to do something about it. Especially as shop bought ones are expensive and poor quality.

I don't envisage a perfect solution will ever be reached, I am sure cloche cover will always be necessary early and late in the season, but I want a variety that will produce in most years without a polytunnel or greenhouse.

Amateur breeders have had huge success with crops like watermelons, in a similar fashion, I have hope. Even if it doesn't work out, it'll be fun trying.

So where do we get Siberian varieties? Real Seeds have Diamond, from the Ukraine, but that's the only remotely similar one I know of, and I don't know how long the Ukrainian summer is.

Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on May 17, 2010, 17:55:48
So where do we get Siberian varieties? Real Seeds have Diamond, from the Ukraine, but that's the only remotely similar one I know of, and I don't know how long the Ukrainian summer is.

I am in contact with a Belorussian seed collector, he is going to send me seed of CIS cultivars including some Siberian ones. I am hoping that some crosses between these various Eastern cultivars will yield results.

The Ukrain's average mean temperatures are slightly cooler than the UK, but some Black Sea areas have a semi-Mediterranean climate, Odessa is 3-5C warmer from June to September than London, with more sunshine hours but less daylight.