advice on growing strawberries

Noozan

teapot2 wrote: »

Another question though - does that mean there will be no runners to peg down for new plants unless I take the flowers off? If that's the case might just do one plant. Soooooo much i don't know about growing strawbs but its exciting learning

Anyone know?

No, you will still get runners; they'll come later on.

Noozan

mariauk wrote: »

I am growing alpine strawberry for the first time and have both flowers and runners. I have taken some of the runners off but want to try and root some as well. Do iI just leave the runner pegged on top of another compost filled pot to root or do you actually bury it leaves and all? Thanks :A

Maria

Just peg the runner into some compost. You don't need to bury it, the base of the leafy bit on the runner just needs contact with the compost to start rooting.

bluedog

I have alpine strawberries galore in my garden which spread rampantly year after year. After reading this tread, I'm embarrassed to say I just rip loads out and put them in the compost bin! In future, I think I'll put some in pots and take them to car boots?! They produce the tiniest of strawberries which the blackbirds mockingly just help themselves to through netting. I'm sure if I put my mind to it, I could make some kind of cage, but can anyone recommend a site which shows an idiots guide to making one please? (perhaps I could then actually have some for myself!)

As for standard strawberry plants, I dug them out of their patch last year, giving them a "temporary" home in 2 old tyres along with all my other pots/planters ( I lined with black plastic bags first.) and they've settled in so well that I've left them there! I've found the comments very interesting as I was always taught that the plants give their best produce in their second year and should be discarded after their third. (My only problem with this is trying to remember how old each plant is :rotfl: ! ) Again, making a small cage to cover them with will be neccesary though.

Strawberry_virgin

Please help. I got 24 x Alpine "Temptation" strawberry plants, each with 3-4 leaves which I am about to plant in a raised bed. I have read number of articles on growing strawberries but still not sure what is the best way. I am intending on using multi purpose compost to mix in with the existing soil, cover the bed (2.00x2.00m) using weed membrane, plant my strawberries and eventually cover the membrane with pine bark (which is good for them apparently) when plants are established. One of the reasons why I chose to grow alpine strawberries is because my planter does not get the full sun (i.e morning and evening only). I am also reading that this variety does not produce many runners but it reproduces through its seeds but you do get yield in the first year. Is anyone growing this specific variety and can you please tell me the best way to look after them and any pointers in getting good crop would be much appreciated.

nodwah

Strawberry_virgin wrote: »

Please help. I got 24 x Alpine "Temptation" strawberry plants, each with 3-4 leaves which I am about to plant in a raised bed. I have read number of articles on growing strawberries but still not sure what is the best way. I am intending on using multi purpose compost to mix in with the existing soil, cover the bed (2.00x2.00m) using weed membrane, plant my strawberries and eventually cover the membrane with pine bark (which is good for them apparently) when plants are established. One of the reasons why I chose to grow alpine strawberries is because my planter does not get the full sun (i.e morning and evening only). I am also reading that this variety does not produce many runners but it reproduces through its seeds but you do get yield in the first year. Is anyone growing this specific variety and can you please tell me the best way to look after them and any pointers in getting good crop would be much appreciated.

Alpine strawbs are my favourite and this variety is a good one. It's often used in hanging baskets. From what you say you'll do fine as they seem to grow in almost any conditions and will grow in a lot of shade- which they prefer to full sun and I get the best fruits in deep rich soil/compost. I have to say I've never found that they produce runners at all - just seed them selves around. I also have no probs with birds, but slugs are a pest - you go to pick a lovely looking big strawb and it's been hollowed out by a slug --yeeeuuugghh. you should get fruit this year and many more next year, but after a few years the plants wil deteriorate when you can just let some seedlings grow on. good luck!

nodwah

bluedog wrote: »

I have alpine strawberries galore in my garden which spread rampantly year after year. After reading this tread, I'm embarrassed to say I just rip loads out and put them in the compost bin! In future, I think I'll put some in pots and take them to car boots?! They produce the tiniest of strawberries which the blackbirds mockingly just help themselves to through netting. I'm sure if I put my mind to it, I could make some kind of cage, but can anyone recommend a site which shows an idiots guide to making one please? (perhaps I could then actually have some for myself!)

As for standard strawberry plants, I dug them out of their patch last year, giving them a "temporary" home in 2 old tyres along with all my other pots/planters ( I lined with black plastic bags first.) and they've settled in so well that I've left them there! I've found the comments very interesting as I was always taught that the plants give their best produce in their second year and should be discarded after their third. (My only problem with this is trying to remember how old each plant is :rotfl: ! ) Again, making a small cage to cover them with will be neccesary though.

Like I say, our birds don't go for them , maybe we have thick birds, but if you have a bad problem there is a yellow variety which the birds def don't go for. Can't remember the name right now, I may have been looking in the bottom of a glass, (well it is Friday night)

Strawberry_virgin

nodwah wrote: »

Alpine strawbs are my favourite and this variety is a good one. It's often used in hanging baskets. From what you say you'll do fine as they seem to grow in almost any conditions and will grow in a lot of shade- which they prefer to full sun and I get the best fruits in deep rich soil/compost. I have to say I've never found that they produce runners at all - just seed them selves around. I also have no probs with birds, but slugs are a pest - you go to pick a lovely looking big strawb and it's been hollowed out by a slug --yeeeuuugghh. you should get fruit this year and many more next year, but after a few years the plants wil deteriorate when you can just let some seedlings grow on. good luck!

Thanks nodwah, I have noticed lots of slugs in my garden and have bought 6 x slugs traps into which you can pour beer and drown them. I have tested this and it works the treat but the only thing is I had to use my last ice cold Budweiser to fill the traps:mad: . I know it’s mad but I got 50 dead slugs in return:D . I think being the raised planter, slugs will be less of a problem and I may even put some copper wire around to stop them climbing into it.

poohbear59

Hi, I have a treble dilemma regarding growing strawberries. First I have been given two ten inch wide chimney pots and a hanging basket and have been told I can grow my strawberries in them but don't have a clue where to start-do I put a plant pot in the chimney pot or just fill it up with crocks then compost? Second, I have seven hens who last year dug up and ate every one of my strawberry plants. All my veg is now in raised beds covered in chicken wire, not pretty but functional, how can I keep hens off chimney pots of strawberries? Any ideas welcome. Third, we get loads of wild rabbits in the garden, will they eat strawberries? That it, I have learnt on here how to keep off slugs and wild birds thanks but mine are a greater problem. Oh and no I won't lock them up or eat them!!

steady__eddie

I have a strawberry barrel and to keep the free range pet rabbit at bay, I had to knock up a cage about 3 ft. by 3 ft. by 4 ft. high with which to cover it. At first I used some black plastic netting to cover it with but this didn't prove too much of a deterent to the rabbit so I had to reinforce the bottom foot all the way round with chicken wire and hide her tin snips.
Could you not make some kind of fruit cages which just slip over your chimney pots ? A bit of hassle I'll admit but if like me you're too miserable to share your strawbs with the wildlife, well worth it.

nodwah

For your chimney pots, i'd fill them a fair way up with crocks or something as they could use up a lot of compost, All my big tubs have bricks in the bottom to use up space and stop them being blown over.

Give the plants maybe 6 or 8 inches depth of compost to grow in IMHO. I'm ready to be corrected!

Not been troubled with bunnies but I bet you'd need fort Knox style security or stick with hanging baskets