[MickyB]

My first year of being a plot holder has so far gone better than my expectations, there have been one or two set backs such as discovering club root but on the whole I am more than pleased with what I have grown and I am especially pleased with how it tastes - shop brought stuff just isn't a patch on what comes off the plot  .

One of the things that I was keen to try to grow in my first year was strawberries but not knowing the best way to proceed I decided to experiment a little. I purchased four different types of Strawberries in packs containing six plant and after a little research I decided to put two of the packs in to separate raised beds and use straw beneath the fruits, a net was placed over the raised bed when the fruits started to ripen, the other two packs went directly into the soil, for these I heaped up the soil to form a row, flattened off the tops of the heap a little, covered this with a permeable ground membrane and cut slits at 18" spacing and planted the strawberries through the membrane, I pegged the ground membrane down with a net tunnel and left the netting open, pushing the netting down one side of the hoops until just before the fruits started to go red at which time I stretched the netting over the hoops to cover the Strawberries and keep the birds off.

What I found was that by far the best results came from the plants in the ground, these plants had more fruit, bigger fruit and did not suffer any problems whatsoever with pests, the membrane also worked very well in keeping the weeds suppressed. My thoughts as to why the better results came from the plants in the ground.......the roots of the plants in the ground had nothing to constriction them and it was easier to keep them well watered - the raised beds tended to dry out quite quickly.

It would be great to hear the thoughts from the more experienced growers on these findings.

I have also propagated one runner off each plant with the intention of creating three more rows of strawberries, planted using the more successful ground membrane technique this leads me onto my questions (finally I hear you say  )........ the site where I am going to put the new rows of strawberries is currently planted with main crop potato's and runner beans, so I am going to have to wait for this crop to finish before I can plant out the strawberries, what is the latest time that I can plant out the strawberries? If it is too late in the season to plant out the strawberries what is the best way to keep the plants for planting out next year? Are there any special requirements needed to over winter the strawberries in the ground?


 

[Nobbie]

In my experience strawberries are as tough as old boots and will sit happily in pots until the beans are out as long as you keep them watered. The soil will still be warm at this time and the plants will have time to put down some roots and will establish themselves over winter just fine.

I had some in 3" pots upto Feb this year before I got round to putting them in planters and they are giving a lovely crop now, not huge, but great quality.

[surbie100]

I've still got about 30 strawberry plants in pots - they will do fine there till space is clear as Nobbie says. Mine are all in raised beds, but the ones without straw/membrane are cropping better for me than the ones that are. Who knows why?!   

[Beetroot queen]

I move and pot on strawberries all the time, they are as tough as my MIL

If one doesnt make it the next 500 will.

Mine have no weed fabric or straw and have produced 40 odd pound so far

[MickyB]

Thanks for the tips - no need to worry then!

"they are as tough as my MIL" 

Funny -  but I had to google MIL - I didn't know that it was an acronym for Mother-In-Law 

[dmg]

I had in excess of 200 runners last year and I just put about 30 to a seed tray with a little compost covering and kept moist, They are going great this year.