What variety of strawberries?

[Deleted User]

runners are popping up all over the place now, almost overnight. Am cutting the table top ones off but will later pin 15 down ie mara, gariguette and alice (from the planters) all for the unfilled window planters and I`ll eventually plant those right along the front edge at an angle. so that they have more chance of flowing downwards when fruiting. Am trying very hard to be accurate re labels but gariguette are easily recognised

Am more than pleased with the table top bags and they are easy to water with bottles and water spikes. All their runners are being cut off as they already have quite a considerable crop of berries. They are being fed KM strawberry food and look very well indeed

Got about 1lb after hands and knees scrabbling on the allotment. We ate three from the stalks but had to cut bits off others, they went into a slow simmer pot with rhubarb and do make a lovely tasty compote

Toomuchdebt

Is it too late to get some strawberry seedlings and plant them?(novice here)

Farway

Toomuchdebt wrote: »

Is it too late to get some strawberry seedlings and plant them?(novice here)

You will not find seedlings. Strawberries are mainly [but not exclusively] propagated by "runners" from the parent plant and this years have only just started, so any plants you find, unless pot grown [and expensive] will be of low or poor value

I suggest you hang on until Autumn when 2012 runners will have rooted & be readily available

Strawberries throw out loads of runners, you may even find some for free

But for 2012, no home grown unless at loadsamoney

Plan now and wait for 2013

Leif

Depends what you mean by loads of money. I bought 4 plants for £5 which I think is good. And they have some runners too, so I'll plant those, and get more plants. I will get some strawberries this year, as a little treat, and a proper crop next year. Worth it? Yes!

Is netting needed due to the birdies?

Farway

Leif wrote: »

Is netting needed due to the birdies?

Yes, they get up way before you do and will have had their strawberry breakfast before your eyes are even open

Leif

Farway wrote: »

Yes, they get up way before you do and will have had their strawberry breakfast before your eyes are even open

Thanks. I was afraid of that!

VfM4meplse

I've just bought six strawberry plants from Aldi for £2.99 - fragoo everbearer dark rose (was attracted by the pretty pink flowers). Does anyone know if they are any good?

Farway

Leif wrote: »

Is netting needed due to the birdies?

An alternative could be fleece, that way your ripening strawbs get a bit of weather protection, plus a bit warmer. And the birds cannot get to them either

cootambear

VfM4meplse wrote: »

I've just bought six strawberry plants from Aldi for £2.99 - fragoo everbearer dark rose (was attracted by the pretty pink flowers). Does anyone know if they are any good?

we really need a dedicated strawberry thread

me and kittie as mods, I`m an amateur, anyone else welcome to join

cootambear

an update

while kitties crops seem to be thriving, here in the rain soaked north mine are suffering from lack of sunshine and that rain induced slug paradise that insues

the small berries that have so far emerged have been struck by slugs

hastening to say, my runners that abounded last year have even rooted themselves in the cracks between the flags, outwitting the dandelions, which I will eat soon in revenge

the only salvation this year was uprooting some strawbs in poor spots and giving them to my 3 neighbours which created much goodwill

meanwhile, unless we have about 4 weeks of pretty much unbroken sunshine, I predict the worst crop in this part of the world in 30 years

still. my blueberries are rampant, though they are wondering when they are allowed to ripen, and are thinking about dropping off the vine, green

bear signing off, as sick as my plants are of the f.....g rain hitting my head