Strawberry Plants

tracey357

Hi,

I brought a few strawberry plants from wilko's, three in a plastic bag for £1.99. I have repoted these and have put them on my kitchen window sill, should I put these outside or wait for the warmer weather??

Thanks in advance
Tracey

Wookey

Stawbs are well hardy, leave them outside during the day and come mid to end march leave them outside permanently. If they allready have new growth they may have been stored somewhere warm.

tracey357

Thanks Wookey,

I do have lots of new growth on them, do I bring them in at night or could I cover them over?

Wookey

I would bring them in at night untill the worst of the frost has passed if they have been growing this year.

conradmum

Strawberries need a period of cold in order to fruit, so they do need to go outside while we have some cold weather left. However by growing them indoors you've brought them on too early and made them tender. If you put them outside now they'll get a shock. You need to reacclimatise them to the cold by putting them out during the day and bringing them in at night for a few days, then put them out permanently one night when it isn't bitterly cold.

They'll do best in the open ground rather than pots. If you want a reasonable load of fruit they'll need to be in a minimum of a 6 inch pot by the time they flower, so if they must stay in pots, pot on regularly as the roots fill the pot they're in.

SurferDan

3 for £1.99 - you were robbed.
8 for £1.99 at Aldi

conradmum

SurferDan wrote: »

3 for £1.99 - you were robbed.
8 for £1.99 at Aldi

Depends on the variety and quality of the plants. A lot of these plants you get very cheap never do well. Strawbs might bear v. little fruit for instance (esp. in the first year). Having gardened for years, I never buy plants from Wilkos or Aldi. Not saying you can't ever get a bargain, but nothing I've bought from either of these places has ever done well (if they've grown at all).

daska

Ditto, but the Gardener's World/Fothergills offer (this time last year) gave me plants that were still flowering on Christmas Day!

LJM

mine were free transported from MIL garden under snow in derbyshire down to iow have been repotting them and they are looking good already no worse for wear in their travels.im hoping now they will all come up as i dont have the space to put them in the ground was going to try a few in hanging baskets, does this work does anyone know?

boultdj

Yes LJM strawberries do fairly well in baskets,just need to remember to water daily,i'v done mine that way 4 the last 3 years helps keep the slugs off the fruit.

tracey357

Thanks everyone for your help & advise.

I have been putting the plants outside during the day & bringing them in late evening, they seem to be ok.

thanks