Aubergines - ripe?

[Opal]

I am still fairly new at growing vegies and was given 3 aubergine plants a few months ago. I have kept them in the greenhouse and now have a good-size aubergine (purple colour) on one of the plants. Can anyone tell me, when it is ready to harvest?
Also, why have so many of the flowers just fallen off after flowering - did I water them too much?
Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[SueA]

Hi Opal & welcome to the vine. Your aubergine should be ready when it's about the size & colour you would expect for the variety & the skin has a healthy gloss to it. If you leave them on the plant too long they can become bitter so if it looks big enough to use I'd pick it. A lot of people seem to have had problems with flowers just falling off aubergines this year, it could be something to do with the weather or pollination(you may need to hand-pollinate by transferring pollen from one flower to another using a cotton bud/paintbrush) or just natural drop as not all flowers set fruit. It's better to have just a few nice big fruits on each plant than lots of small ones anyway so I wouldn't worry, as long as you've watered them well & kept them warm & humid.

[Opal]

Thank you SueA, I shall pick the aubergine tonight and celebrate my first ever home-grown aubergine!

[smallblueplanet]

I think that there will be some aub flowers just falling off the plants anyway - ours have lots on the ground, but they also have lots of fruit set. I still think that aubs aren't keen on setting when the weather is too cold. We've got ours in the greenhouse and have never hand-pollinated any of them - but the door is mostly open for the bees to do the job! We attract them in with some French marigolds, but I imagine they'd come in without the flowers - but they do also supposedly keep off whitefly (and touch wood we've never had any so who am I to gainsay it! )

[pickledtink]

you can eat them anytime. Even when they're tiny. Like courgettes they're edible right from the start. No ripening required.
Often when the flowers fall off rather than shrivelling on the fruit you'll still find a fruit is set from that flower. It's only if you get a bit of stem that it hasn't set.

[minka1974]

I too am growing aubergines for the first time and have a reasonable number of fruits but the skin is dull rather than shiny ... they still taste fine but obviously don't look as nice ... anyone know why the skin is dull?

[smallblueplanet]

Are they soft too? I always thought they went dull when the fruit was old?

[minka1974]

No not soft... I thought they would be too. They are dull from when they are tiny ... do I have a new 'dull' cultivar!!