How to Grow Your Strawberry Plants
Strawberries
The best loved of all summer fruits, their sweet red berries are
irresistible to almost everyone. Very quick to produce their
fruits, strawberry plants are an excellent crop for the amateur.
They are different from most fruits in that their seeds are produced
on the outside of the fruit - this combined with their bright
red colour has the unfortunate side-effect of making them very
attractive to birds.
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Latin Name
Type
Perennial herbaceous plant with edible fruits
Site and Soil
Well-dug moisture retaining and free-draining soil with
lots of organic matter. Full sun and protected from wind.
Plant to Harvest Time
Six to ten months
How Many?
Average 350 grams (10oz) per plant.
Size
Spread 23cm (9in); height 20cm (8in) | |
Summer fruiting strawberry plants crop over a very short period, not much
more than three weeks. Perpetual strawberries however, produce
three flushes of fruit, cropping throughout the entire summer.
The majority of shop-bought strawberries in the UK have been grown abroad and
transported all the way from the Canary Islands to England -
strawberries do not travel well. The taste of home-grown garden
strawberries is undoubtedly a hundred times better than the
commercial varieties. Have a go at growing your own strawberries
with GardenAction know-how, hints and tips.
Where To Grow
Frost is the first thought when considering where to grow strawberry
plants in your garden. They are very hardy plants during the winter but
are not so hardy when they burst into life in spring. Strawberries produces flowers early in the
Spring and because they are close to the ground, it is important to
position strawberries where they have least risk of frost. The highest
ground is always the best. Frost damage when they start into growth
will occur if the temperature drops below -2°C or -4°C with cloche or
poly-tunnel protection.
Strawberries are ideal fruit for benefiting from the use
of cloches to produce earlier and better fruit.
Click here if you want to buy cloches online from our approved
suppliers. Alternatively,
click here to go
to our in depth article on how to select and use cloches with specific
details on how and when to use cloches on strawberries to produce
earlier and better fruit.
The next considerations are sun and wind - grow them in the sunniest
position in the garden and in the least windy. Too much wind and insects
will be unable to pollinate the plants. One tip, don't plant
strawberries where peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and potatoes have been
grown - these plants could pass on verticillium wilt, a serious
strawberry disease. Neither should strawberries be grown on land which
has recently had grass growing on it - there will undoubtedly be a large
number of wireworms on such land who will enjoy eating your strawberries
long before you get your chance!
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Strawberries grow very well in raised beds. The soil retains the
moisture that they so love but at the same time there is no
waterlogging. Strawberries in particular start to rot in waterlogged
conditions.
Where a raised bed is used, feed the soil with liquid tomato
fertiliser every two weeks. |
Harrods Horticultural have an excellent range of
attractive raised beds. We have negotiated a 10% discount for Garden
Action readers on the two most popular in their range.
Click here
to go to our page on raised beds and the link to claim your discount.
Soil
Preparation
Strawberries do not produce deep roots, but they very much
appreciate their soil being well-dug to a spades depth. Prepare the soil
at least one month before planting. Incorporate as much organic matter
as possible and include two handfuls of bonemeal per square metre
(yard). A few days before planting apply the recommended dose of general
fertiliser such as Growmore. Strawberries are greedy feeders over a
relatively short period of time.
When To Plant
Summer fruiting strawberries (the type seen in most shops) can be
planted in early September or early April. The best results
undoubtedly come from planting in early September, although if your area
suffers heavy winter frosts, it is best to wait until mid April. Perpetual
strawberries should be planted in mid April.
For
both types, wait until the soil is crumbly and not water-logged.
Where poly-tunnels
or cloches are used, strawberries can be raised about 3 weeks earlier
than those without protection.
Click here to buy a poly-tunnel or cloche now from GardenAction's preferred
online supplier.
CLICK HERE FOR NEXT STRAWBERRY PAGE
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