How's everyone's aubergines doing 2017?

[Mr Bones]

Update. Ate the first ones this evening, they might have grown a little bigger but I didn't want them to go dull or be full of seeds. How are everyone elses doing.

[bario1]

Mine are slowly dying.

[Mr Bones]

Mine are slowly dying.

Ah no. I wonder if it's just not warm enough for them up there Bario. Mine in the lotty tunnel struggled until night time temps picked up.

[bario1]

Who knows? They were going great guns in May, then they stopped growing, and the lower leaves went a bit floppy, now the lower leaves are yellow and the floppiness is moving upwards through the plants. Same happens every year.

[Small pumpkin]

I spotted my first fruit forming this morning on the money maker.
Early long purple & black beauty are still flowering.
Black beauty seems to be quite a small plant? Is that normal? Never grown them before.

[Mr Bones]

Black beauty seems to be quite a small plant? Is that normal? Never grown them before.

I grew black beauty a few years ago and they didn't make big plants. I put it down to me/weather etc but who knows. The lotty tunnel plants (money maker) are only around the foot high stage but they're producing and consequently the fruit's dangling on the ground.

[Mr Bones]

Who knows? They were going great guns in May, then they stopped growing, and the lower leaves went a bit floppy, now the lower leaves are yellow and the floppiness is moving upwards through the plants. Same happens every year.

Something I've just remembered Bario, can't for the life of me recall where I read it (except it seemed a reliable source at the time) but it recommended using bonemeal under aubergines to improve root structure and said they really benefit from it. From what you say about your plants I wonder if it could be small roots.

[lmayhow]

My black Beauty plants 2 greenhouse and 1 outdoors look like they will produce flowers but it then falls off before a proper flower opens so no fruit or chance to dab with a paint brush yet..... fingers crossed I get something before end of season......

[DWSmith]

Eggplants, aka, aubergines. I have to remember that.

Those are real beauties!

Which came first, the aubergine or the egg ... plant? (I'd better not give up my day job.)

[Lymmguineas]

Can you have too many aubergines on a plant?
I've got one aubergine plant in my allotment.
It's growing outdoors in the ground and I'm in the North of England so I didn't really have much hope for it. I've currently got 16 aubergines on it and quite a few new flowers as well.
Admittedly, the biggest two are only about four inches long but it's doing really well.
Should I be thinning out the fruit? I've heard people say that you should only leave 3 or 4 fruit per plant but I'm reluctant to get rid of any of them.
The variety is "Jackpot" if that helps.

[bario1]

Wow Lymmguineas, I'm impressed - I can't help you with thinning I'm afraid, I've never had that 'problem'.

[Snoop Puss]

Looks like you've hit the jackpot!

On a less silly note, I see these are described as "prolific" and "producing copious amounts of fruit". So if I were you, I'd leave them and pick them when they're ready. The thing with aubergines is I find it's actually a bit difficult to tell when they're ripe. Picking a bit early is better than a bit late (they go a bit leathery), and will probably encourage the plant to produce more flowers.

For anyone struggling to grow aubergines, Jackpot might be a winner.

[Thelma Sanders]

One plant has NO fruit on it

I cut two round beauties today from the other one - they aren't huge, but they're a joy to behold

[Small pumpkin]

The 2 Money maker have fruit coming. 2 Black beauty and 2 early long purple flowering but no sign of setting fruit.

[TrixC]

I'm growing several varieties: Jackpot, Czech early, Farmers Long, Ping Tung and Prosperosa. All are outdoors, either in pots or in the ground on my allotment. First fruits are just setting now for me, Jackpot is furthest ahead although I wouldn't rely exclusively on that variety as the fruits are small. I'm really impressed with Czech early, the plants are really beautiful.