Strawberry Advice Please!

laser007

Hi everyone,

I think I have been too keen in getting my growing stated, having not read the advice about flowering strawberries and actually searching out those with the MOST flowers from Lidl!!!

To make matters worse I cut up the 6 pack into individuals pots so I could get them on a window ledge in my house to encourage MORE flowering- so no chance of taking them back

I guess my reason for posting is two fold 1) to give all the noobs a bit of cheer to know there is someone more of a noob than them, and 2) to ask if i should have any hope at all for straws this year or it it a case of live and learn?

Thanks

teachergirl

buggalugs and laser007. Everyone is right about not buying plants with flowers on, it is much too soon. However as everyone says they are very hardy plants. Definitely get them outside, they wont like being inside and will put on spindly growth. I suspect the flowers will fall off as the plant adjust to life outside. However I wouldn't mind betting with the right conditions they will flower again and then produce strawberries. They definitely prefer being in the ground and will produce lots of baby plants on runners which you can move on. After about three years they stop producing a good crop and you just replace the original plants with your new baby plants. You often have far more than you need which is why people on allotments often give their spares away for free.
Give it a try you have got nothing to loose and a whole lot to gain.
Happy growing:)

zarazara

They'll be fine. Even if you dont get much fruit this year they will produce runners to pot on and so increase your stock and they should fruit well next year.

laser007

Thanks teachergirl and zarazara, fingers crossed for flowers later on!

buggalugs

Thank You so much for your replys, it did make me think I will give them a go, lets see if we can salvage something huh lasergirl :)
Its encouragement like this that makes this board so great

littleme96

misskool wrote: »

Strawberries are really hardy, mine have been outside all winter and are still fine.
So you can put them out, Yes, they will be fine in grobags.

Thanks - will get them outside then! :j

bondy01

That's a good deal that Lidl one. I paid £5.98 for 6 elsanta from B&Q last year. Produced some fruit and I've done a bit of propagation so hoping for more this year. Unfortunately the dog destroyed some of my work so they are now caged in. I live fairly high up in the pennines and have noticed the new green growth. God , they did taste nice.

bondy01

Just to add to my previous post I bought half a dozen from B&Q this afternoon on my way to visit my parents. When I got there they showed my this weeks Aldi offers where they are half the price I paid from Thursday. Doh.....

Furny

BONDY O1- Yep you missed a deal just like me.
I got the Lidl ones on Fri then kicked myself when the voucher appeared in the Daily Mail on Sat for free ones sat/sun at Homebase!!!arghh! but couldn't get there yesterday & then today they where all gone!. My only comfort is my friend last night told me his he bought from Homebase last year never fruited.
P.s Was quite suprised no-one on this brill site got heads up about the strawberry deal in the Mail on Saturday it must of been kept quiet!

Primrose

My strawberry plants survived in a snow covered border when we had Minus 10 temperatures for several days. They are very hardy. They're only supposed to last 3 years and then be replaced but mine, Elsanta and Cambridge Favourite are now on their 4th year so I'm waiting to see whether I still get a decent crop this summer.