I vowed last year would be my final attempt at growing aubergines, but they really are one of my favourite vegetables and I don’t like being defeated. I gave it another go. With the heatwave, I hoped the warmth would settle into my greenhouse and the aubergines would do phenomenally well. Sadly not. In early August I just have a couple of flowers on one plant, and not much happening at all on the others.
It’s a source of frustration for me that I seem unable to grow aubergines successfully. I feel like I give them all the right ingredients:
- Heat – yes
- Fertile soil – yes
- Plenty of sunshine – yes
- Regular watering – yes
- Liquid feed – yes
- Pollinators – yes – there are always a few buzzy creatures in the greenhouse when I go in!
The only thing potentially lacking is humidity, but I daren’t make the greenhouse humid because of the tomatoes and problems then with blight.
I’m really hoping that with the continued sunshine and generally good summer weather, they are still in with a chance of producing some fruit, so I’m not giving up just yet. Still, I have just one idea, which I may try next year, which is to grow in pots standing on a tray of water in their own little greenhouse – I may try making a kind of coldframe lean-to on the outside of my greenhouse for them.
How are other people doing with their aubergines? If there is a secret to success, I’d love to know it!