[northfifeduckling]

I have some plants in the tunnel, obviously a mixed seed batch as some grew purple fruit from the beginning. one plants has green fruit which just don't want to turn, some have started rotting on the plant - any tips?

[Fleecewife]

It's a couple of years since I grew aubergines but I think they started out the colour they were going to be, so purple ones were always purple, white ones white and so on.  Once they go nice and shiny they are ready - if they then turn dull they are past their best. Some varieties are very small, egg sized, so you could wait forever for them to get big. Mouldy ones - just cut them off plus any mouldy leaves or stalks.  They do like high temps.

[Anke]

This is the first year I have two small aubergines (in total!) on my 5 (!) plants, I have been trying for years to grow them. I think in Scotland the summers are just abit too short to grow them easily, and often it is quite wet (also inside my tunnel) so rot is a problem. Also if they are not pollinated (if it is too cold for the bees and other beasties to fly), than the flowers rot quite quickly.

But I love to eat them and really don't like to buy any fruit/veg that I could just about grow... so I keep trying.

[Fleecewife]

Hi Anke.  It is very harsh where we are but I have successfully grown aubergines in my unheated greenhouse, which is inside my tunnel.  I sowed a small-fruited variety (sometimes round egg sized ones and sometimes longer but slim ones) and started them off very early in a propagator in the house then moved them up to the greenhouse after the last frosts.  I grew them in 12" pots of rich compost ie potting compost with added FYM, seaweed meal and chopped comfrey.  To help the flowers to set I sprayed them with water as you do tomatoes.  A few flowers rotted but there were loads of fruit.  That was when I discovered I didn't really like them  - every year I grew them - I think mainly because they were ready when I wanted to eat salads not hot meals.  But it does show that it is possible to grow aubergines up here if you are careful with timings and temperature, and choose your variety carefully.  So good luck for next year 

[Anke]

I only have my polytunnel, but I like your idea of a double layer so to speak, maybe one day if my funds allow... I seed all my p/tunnel stuff very early too, but this spring we still had sharp frosts in mid-May, so nothing was planted out until May 25th... I have lots of green tomatoes, not quite such a deluge of courgettes this year, but had a good crop of cucumbers and sweetcorn (2nd batch, 1st lot got too potbound during their extended stay in the house, they never really grew) and only very few peppers this year too)... will try again with aubergines next year definitely, but in buckets so they do not take up space in the beds. Have so far not had to spray my tomatoes, but will do the aubergines next year - good tip. We spray/water with comfrey liquid (comfrey + goat or sheep droppings + water in a barrel for a few weeks), works very well for the toms.

[Fleecewife]

It sounds as if this year has gone very similarly for us both.  My tomatoes simply will not ripen.  For an extra covered area inside your tunnel you could try Geoff Hamiltons trick with hoops made of blue water pipe with short lengths of cane pushed up the ends, and a cover of fleece or polythene - I use this for early crops of carrots, salads etc along the south side of my tunnel, but I think it would work well for aubergines too. I make a tall covered area for my cucumbers (to maintain their favourite microclimate whilst still getting enough air through for the tomatoes) by wrapping fleece around 10' canes placed around the cucumbers, plus a bit over the top.
Sheep manure is excellent for veggies but rarely mentioned in the books - I have made great liquid manure from it by accidentally leaving a barrow of sheep manure standing out in the rain, then forgetting about it for a while.  It's very easy to tip the resulting liquid into a bucket from the barrow - not very good for the barrow though !