Talkback: Growing aubergines

I had a bumper crop last year outside on my allotment.These plants are from seed (Bonica from Dobies).They were covered in the beginning, they were mulched by organic home madecompost and later fed by organic tomato fertilizer.Everybody commented how many I had

I've had 1 small aubergine in my greenhouse from a grafted plant - so far.

This is the first time I've tried to grow them. I've got lots of flowers on plants that havn't grown very tall, all planted within the specified timeframe on the packet and in a greenhouse watered every day - one has been trying to fruit for about 4 weeks now and is about the size of a golf ball but one which started to fruit only last week has overtaken it. Having never grown aubergines before I had no idea how high they were meant to grow and when the aubegines would come. Having watched Gardners World a couple of weeks ago and seen how tall and fruitful they were on there, I realise something has gone a little wrong with mine. Fingers crossed!

Update: I harvested one, tennis-ball sized aubergine from a seed-sown plant. The grafted plants have gone over now. I expect that will be it for outdoor-grown aubergines this year. Happy Talker did you feed the plants? They're quite hungry feeders and benefit from a weekly high-potash feed such as comfrey or standard tomato feed.

Hi I start my aub at the same time as my toms on the dining room window sill I plant out into a field frame which I ventilate for pollination and water and feed as my toms water daily feed once a week i only remove the frames after derby day ( epsom derby) the trouble is if you get a wet sept and no sun they do not grow well I got about 20 aub from six plants picked the last three today I would like to have been able to recover them but they were too tall. My 70 year old italian allotment neighbor grows them in large pots which he places in full sun and moves into his green house if it is too wet! He makes me look like a beginner but he is called Giovanni Baptist I think god is giving him an advantage or maybe it is that he was bought up on a farm in Italy he is the most delightful and generouse neighbor . ps please forgive thr spelling as I am slightly dislexic

In addition do not forget to stake these plants as the size of the fruits and a high wind will tip them over. Do not leave them untill they become dull as they also become bitter. I bought a mixed selection pack of seeds which was interesting . however giorgio locatelli recommends purple and white fruit which he says are best for anti pasti and who am I to argue

my aubergine in the greenhouse just won't grow ! i started the seed off in a pot and then when it was about 4" i put it into the earth bed in the greenhouse - and it's just sitting there, not growing - this has been going on for weeks ! i feed it once a week with tomato fert and it's kept watered. why is it unhappy ???

My aubergines are doing well ouside this year. I agree they are tricky outdoors. The ones on the allotment are fruiting well on small plants - all grown from seed. The plants on my very sunny London terrace are huge but are only just now fruiting. I fed the plants at home with inorganic fertilizer but have not fed the allotment plants. Just muck and compost. Perhaps there's a clue there that I should learn from?