Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: tezmac on April 06, 2009, 20:08

Title: Strawberrys
Post by: tezmac on April 06, 2009, 20:08

Hi all,
 I have just brought 6 strawberry plants from Aldi i don't have a lot of room and was just wandering the best way to to grow them, in tubs or in a small patch in the garden. Also whats the best way to feed them. I an prety new to gardening your  help please
  Tez

Title: Re: Strawberrys
Post by: JulesJ on April 06, 2009, 21:50

I've given up growing strawbs in the ground as the slugs get them before we do. Mine are now in a multi-pocket planter and a hanging basket.

Title: Re: Strawberrys
Post by: Trillium on April 06, 2009, 22:24

Pots seem to work well for most folk with bad slug problems. But don't feed the plants until AFTER harvest. To feed them before harvest causes the berries to go watery and flavourless. With strawberries you're really feeding the plant, not the fruit, for the new shoots it will produce for next year as well as future berry set. If you like your berries tasty, use a manure tea rather than chemical fertilizer.

Title: Re: Strawberrys
Post by: Stripey_cat on April 06, 2009, 22:31

Mine get one feed now as they come into growth, then nothing until after they've cropped.  The remontant sorts are a bit trickier, but I compromise with small trickle-feeds whenever I remember (probably three or four times in the summer).

Title: Re: Strawberrys
Post by: sclarke624 on April 07, 2009, 01:04

I fed mine about febuary with chicken Poo.  I feed when in flower with tomorite type stuff.

Title: Re: Strawberrys
Post by: wyandotty on April 07, 2009, 08:33

I have grown strawberries for the last two years in grow bags on top of my log store and they have been excellent.  Slugs and snails can't get them and I just threw a bit of netting over to stop the birds pinching them.

There are only two problems, one is you must give them lots of water and the other is that the log store is just outside my back door and every time I went past I pinched a strawberry!  Other than that they were great.

Title: Re: Strawberrys
Post by: Roll Roll on April 07, 2009, 10:10

I'm growing mine in window boxes this year.  The farther in law is putting his in hanging baskets. Slug and mouse free, and the birds tend not to bother that close to the house.

Title: Re: Strawberrys
Post by: Elcie on April 07, 2009, 11:43

Quote from: Roll Roll on April 07, 2009, 10:10

I'm growing mine in window boxes this year.  The farther in law is putting his in hanging baskets. Slug and mouse free, and the birds tend not to bother that close to the house.

Oh that's a good idea I hadn't though of that.  I have some small hanging baskets I bought from Poundland and some free +P&P (thanks to the thread in Frugal Living) strawberries on their way.  My dog and the cat next door also put off birds. Perfect!

Title: Re: Strawberrys
Post by: poppies on April 07, 2009, 15:08

careful where you put the pots my neighbour had some up her garden and i was alway's seeing the local cats spraying on them - unless you see them  you would'nt know