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tynwold

By Tynwold

United Kingdom Gb

last year I grew aubergine from seed, an organic variety and longpod by july I had 2 dozen healthy looking plants and I planted out in the polytunnel, nearly all flowered but there it ended! Not a single flower germinated, do the plants need cross polination? Surely not and is the south lakes summer!! something to do with it? Very little sun last summer and cold. Two years before I grew them from plugs in the greenhouse and had some success, what is wrong please? Grateful for answers.




Answers

 

Did you make sure the flowers were pollinated? You will get less pollinating insects in a polytunnel and may need to do by hand with a child's paintbrush.

22 Apr, 2012

 

You aren't alone, Tynwold. Here, where with our (sometimes) much warmer, drier weather, we still have problems. I planted aubergines for three summers - the first lot from sown seed, the next 2 lots with seedlings bought on the market. In all that time I have got precisely 2 slightly undersized aubergines. Here they also sell what they call "piante innesti" which roughly translates as "grafted plants". They cost a bit, and are about 60cms high, and our friends just buy a couple of those to provide them with dozens of fruits throughout the season. I think they must be a really difficult crop, and need to be started early on in a well-heated greenhouse. I for one shan't be bothering again!

22 Apr, 2012

 

This is not exactly to answer your question but to say a few things from my own experience. I do grow aubergines, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Although I always grow them in the same spot with not much sun or access to insects for the pollination, my success differs from year to year. Last year I had so many aubergines I didn't know what to do with them. In my opinion success and failure rely more on mother nature and less in human effort. I do not know how many people share my view but my father who was a farmer used to say that if it's going to be a bad year for a particular crop it will fail what ever you do. If on the other hand is going to be a good year, success is guaranteed even if you do nothing.

22 Apr, 2012

 

Thanks for the info on Aubergine, much appreciated.

22 Apr, 2012

How do I say thanks?

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