Which strawberries for hanging basket?

LadyDee

Can I please have recommendations on which variety I should be considering?

More importantly perhaps - are there any that I should avoid?


TIA

p.s. Also, when's the best time to be buying the plants?

sobie

you don't need any special varieties, they'll all grow fine in baskets. Just go for one you like the taste off.

cormie

You'll need to keep on top of the watering too, as they'll dry out quite fast in a hanging basket.

DaftyDuck

Well, they'll all grow in hanging baskets, but some may do better. The perpetual varieties will suit hanging baskets better, as you'll get fruit for longer, the higher maintenance will be rewarded, and the fruits tend to be smaller and hang down from the soil.

Ones I grow:
Fragoo Everwhite ever bearer, all-year-round
Fragoo Everred ever bearer, all-year-round
Albion (patio) medium-sized red fruit, outstanding flavour & aroma. Compact, baskets etc (jun-sept)

There's another variety out there, but I have a cold, it's raining, and I'm NOT going out at the mo :mad:
But... I will look later, when the rain has stopped... :A

Other varieties I grow, but not in hanging baskets are Darselect, Elsanta and Sonata, Darselect being the best of that bunch. They are one-shot wonders, so not fruiting through the year...

Edit:
OK, rain didn't stop, curiosity got the better of me... The other variety out there is Calypso, another ever-bearing variety, but it is new to me for this year, so I can't say how good/bad they are.

The Fragoo varieties are a delight in hanging baskets and pots; pretty large flowers (there's a pink and a cream variety, so you can mix them up), scented plants, tasty fruit - what more could you want? The Albion were good, maybe not as pretty. I grew an old wheelbarrow full of the Fragoo (had one spare... ) and it was great being able to wheel huge quantities of fresh fruit to wherever we were sitting in the garden; a Pick Your Own treat at home for the lazy!

LadyDee

DaftyDuck wrote: »

Well, they'll all grow in hanging baskets, but some may do better. The perpetual varieties will suit hanging baskets better, as you'll get fruit for longer, the higher maintenance will be rewarded, and the fruits tend to be smaller and hang down from the soil.

Ones I grow:
Fragoo Everwhite ever bearer, all-year-round
Fragoo Everred ever bearer, all-year-round
Albion (patio) medium-sized red fruit, outstanding flavour & aroma. Compact, baskets etc (jun-sept)

There's another variety out there, but I have a cold, it's raining, and I'm NOT going out at the mo :mad:
But... I will look later, when the rain has stopped... :A

Other varieties I grow, but not in hanging baskets are Darselect, Elsanta and Sonata, Darselect being the best of that bunch. They are one-shot wonders, so not fruiting through the year...

Edit:
OK, rain didn't stop, curiosity got the better of me... The other variety out there is Calypso, another ever-bearing variety, but it is new to me for this year, so I can't say how good/bad they are.

The Fragoo varieties are a delight in hanging baskets and pots; pretty large flowers (there's a pink and a cream variety, so you can mix them up), scented plants, tasty fruit - what more could you want? The Albion were good, maybe not as pretty. I grew an old wheelbarrow full of the Fragoo (had one spare... ) and it was great being able to wheel huge quantities of fresh fruit to wherever we were sitting in the garden; a Pick Your Own treat at home for the lazy!

Oh goodness, what a lot of info - I'll look out for the Fragoo, as I like the sound of those, especially 'everfruiting'. Off to search mail order strawbs now.
Thank you very much.

DaftyDuck

This is MoneySavingExperts... Aldi will be selling Fragoo varieties in a few weeks, 6 plants for 2:99 (Thompson & Morgan otherwise - get a mortgage :eek: )

LadyDee

DaftyDuck wrote: »

This is MoneySavingExperts... Aldi will be selling Fragoo varieties in a few weeks, 6 plants for 2:99 (Thompson & Morgan otherwise - get a mortgage :eek: )

Thank you!!!

I'll wait for Aldi. I did look at some of the online places, and they do seem expensive, but I couldn't find Fragoo anywhere so Mr A will get my business.

Will I get fruit this year?

sobie

What does Fragoo taste like? I've not tried the fruit but we sold the plants last year and the flowers where very pretty.

DaftyDuck

Pretty sweet, mild flavour and good texture. One of the better ones, and crops well. Fruit are small, but you can't hsve everything!

lindseykim13

deffo don't forget to water every day-mine all died quickly in the baskets!

sobie

DaftyDuck wrote: »

Pretty sweet, mild flavour and good texture. One of the better ones, and crops well. Fruit are small, but you can't hsve everything!

Thanks Dafty. Are they more like an Alpine strawberry then? I don't like certain textures, strawberries with lots of seeds are a no-no for me.