Dobies strawberry plants.

Recieved my 4 month fruiting collection a few weeks ago,settled them in ready for the off next year. Should I take a crop from them or should they be de-budded for the following year, 2010,
many thanks, Bob.

I've always let my strawberries fruit in their first year but perhaps I'm just impatient.    

Me too, but I'm too idle to take them off!

I'd like to grow strawberries next year as my little boy loves them.

 What I seem to remember though is they tend to spread eveywhere. Would I be right in thinking the F1 varieties would not spread so would be quite safe to plant without spreading?

Not really, it just means that the plants may not breed true to form if you saved the seeds.

This variety for example, actually mentions the runners.....

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/998/1.html

I'm just sitting here wondering why people would NOT want strawberries to spread!

You could keep snipping off the runners as they appear!

I have some wild strawberries that arrived by magic as four small plants in my lawn in 2006. I moved then to the corner of a bed (13' x 4') and they now cover half of the bed  :shock:  I pulled several out and threw them in the compost last week and will be clearing more out.

I really should over them to others locally instead of just composting.

They are perpetual fruiting and for months my son raided the patch every time he was in the garden, helped by next doors two girls