[rhysdad]

My two young boys are desperate for strawberries for this year but i am led to believe that in the first year you remove the flowers to give the roots systems a season to establish. T&M have bare root plants and runners (presumably off a first year plant). What do i need to buy in order to get some fruit this year without affecting my precious strawberry plants and to keep two toddlers happy?!!   

[galen]

Sounds like me last year ! Here's a thread I started on the exact same subject, I must say the plants look very good this year and some are already forming flowers

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=32581.msg390399#msg390399

 

[Trikidiki]

Have a look in the garden centres. You can sometimes pick up older plants they have potted on from last year, may be a bit pricey though.

Alternatively buy some late fruiting year old plants and you should get a couple of strawberries off them.

I take fruit of first year plants and they don't seem to suffer. Haven't done a proper trial to see if it really is detrimental to crop in the first year.

[WebSiteEvo]

Any strawberries I have grown have done just fine with out removing the flowers in the first year, but all mine are grown from runners and not seed grown! so maybe that makes a difference. If they have nice soil and kept well watered I can see any problem letting them fruit... Also if you remove the flowers surely they will just put more energy in producing more!

[operabunny]

I got my strawbs cheap from Focus last year, picked fruit from them in summer and potted up their runners in autumn. Original plants and runners have overwintered happily and the earlies are already setting their first fruits of the season   
Clearly nobody told the plants I wasn't supposed to pick them in the first year

[Runwell-Steve]

I bought some bare root plants off fleebay a couple of weeks ago, 6 quid for 10 plants including postage so I was happy.  They are romping along since planting and I will certainly be getting all the strawbs I can from them this year.

[rhysdad]

Thanks for the replies so far. I have a £5 voucher for Thompson and Morgan (the worlds slowest delivery for plants)    and it says all plants are despatched by the end of May. Surely there won't be enough time to get any fruit from those will there? 

[Missy1970]

Hi Rhysdad

I hope so I'm waiting on mine from T&M I received a confirmation of order Email on the 12th April they say delivery by the end of May no doubt this will be on the 27th May as I go away for 4 days!

Missy