growing strawberries in rubble sacks

daska

My strawberry plants arrived today and I just wondered - could you use a rubble sack for strawberries? This 'I wonder if' has been going round in my head for a few days since I went to B&Q to buy the sacks for my potatos.

I've seen pop-up strawberry planters on sale and I'm thinking that if I cut + shape openings in the rubble bag to plant the strawberries through this would be pretty much the same. Any observations?

How far above the ground should I start cutting?

Lotus-eater

Good idea, although a bit flawed I think. The reason I know is because I tried a similar thing a couple of years ago, although it was with a harder plastic bendy pot.
The problem is with the suppleness of the material, the plants moved around alot.
If you want to give it a go, put the compost in and let it settle, water it well and let it settle again, let it settle some more, push it down a bit. I think you may be getting the idea

Cut your holes, fit the strawberry plant and try not to muck up the roots. Try to work out how to water all the way down the pot/bag without the water going out one of the holes and washing out the plant. Putting a leaky pipe down the middle works to an extent, till the water finds an easy way out, then always runs that way.

The compost will have settled again by this time and you will be wondering where your plants have gone. (Then you see a tiny bit of leaf sticking out of a hole)

Then you realise that you have placed the strawberry planter next to a slug hotel and you want to move it....... Oh biggest problem, you can't. Its not strong enough.

Hope that helps

mcspanna

have you seen this other thread? i wish i'd seen the idea of stacking different size pots before splashing out on a terracotta one!

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1525233

daska

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Good idea, although a bit flawed I think. The reason I know is because I tried a similar thing a couple of years ago, although it was with a harder plastic bendy pot.
The problem is with the suppleness of the material, the plants moved around alot.
If you want to give it a go, put the compost in and let it settle, water it well and let it settle again, let it settle some more, push it down a bit. I think you may be getting the idea

Cut your holes, fit the strawberry plant and try not to muck up the roots. Try to work out how to water all the way down the pot/bag without the water going out one of the holes and washing out the plant. Putting a leaky pipe down the middle works to an extent, till the water finds an easy way out, then always runs that way.

The compost will have settled again by this time and you will be wondering where your plants have gone. (Then you see a tiny bit of leaf sticking out of a hole)

Then you realise that you have placed the strawberry planter next to a slug hotel and you want to move it....... Oh biggest problem, you can't. Its not strong enough.

Hope that helps

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Will go with the tower of pots that I had been planning until this non-brainwave hit me!