Growing boulanger

Consider Solanum melongena, known as the aubergine. The aubergine, also known as the egg plant, the boulanger, the melongene, or the brinjal was first introduced into Britain in 1597, recorded by John Gerard in his great Herbal. Thought to be poisonous, the aubergine (the French word for the plant) is believed to have originated in India. Someone has actually traced the cultivation of the fruit to China around 500 bc.  It appears to have spread from India and China to Persia and Arabia, and so into Europe – I suppose along well-established trade routes – and was widely grown in southern Europe by the sixteenth century where it was not thought to be poisonous. It has been grown in the West Indies for well over a hundred years, is a regular sight in Guyana’s markets, and one of the most popular fruit/vegetables.

Boulanger (the name my wife uses for it) was, and in some areas still is, believed to be an aphrodisiac. In some regions the leaves are used to soften scar tissue and thought to facilitate cell regeneration (there is no evidence to support this).  In India it is recorded that the dried fruit when powdered was used as a tooth cleaner. As it is 98% water you would have to powder a tremendous amount to get the equivalent of a tube of Colgate. It all makes amusing reading in the 21st century.

The range of varieties in Guyana is limited, but worldwide there are a great many different shapes, sizes and colours of this relative of the tomato and potato.  Aubergines are grown from seed, reach a height of about three feet, and have nasty prickles, so be careful.  They can be grown effectively in a pot.  Sow a few seeds in a small (3”) pot and gradually move them into a five inch and finally an eight (8”) inch pot. The purpose of these moves is to give the growing plant fresh compost periodically. The compost must be well drained and open to allow unrestricted root development. Aubergines can also be planted in a border, but in all cases will need to be staked to prevent them falling over when in full fruit, for you have to remember some fruits will get to be several pounds in weight. To make strong bushy plants, the growing tips are pinched at about six inches high whilst they are still in the small-sized pot. When the plants start to produce their blue flowers the fruit set will be helped if the flowers are sprayed lightly with water in the late afternoon after the heat has gone and the pollinating insects start working.

It is normal to try and restrict the number of fruits per plant to about eight or ten, for it will take about ten or twelve weeks for them to mature, and of course they don’t all mature at once.

Going to seed

It is important to take the faded flowers off most plants in the garden throughout the year. It is called dead-heading, and the purpose is twofold. To make our plants look more attractive, and to encourage the production of new flowers. If you leave faded flowers on plants they may use a lot of energy to produce seed, whereas if you remove them they will use the energy to produce more flowers.  Of course many seed heads are very attractive to look at, and are valuable for decorating in the home, but in the majority of cases the plants will benefit from their removal.