(...or should I say..."First Time Anything Grower!? haha )
Hey all,
I've posted a couple of times in The Hen House trying to learn hat it would be like to keep chickens and I decided that before i take a big leap like that it would be nice to grow some fruit and veg as they go hand in hand and, if allowed by my parents... turn the unused back garden into a nice area for growing things and raising chickens.
I decided that i would start out with a couple of decent sized pots that my mum already had and just a single plant to grow and then build from there to see how it goes. With this being the starting point i don't have much to maintain and by building slowly i though i'll always have something to do (planting newly bought things) rather than doing everything in a day and not having much to do after.
Basically I bought 7 small strawberry plants and planted them in some soil with some fertilizer. My mum said that the garden centre wouldn't sell them if they couldn't grow and i've read that early September can be a good time to plant strawberrys but i wanted to be sure. So...my questions are will my strawberries grow when planted at this time of year? What can i expect from them in terms of growth rate/activity (such as i've read that they will die down before they grow again next year?)? And finally, could anyone please point me in the direction of some good tips on how to look after them. I've read i should build a net for them to protect them from birds and also a frost cover for the winter. Is there much else i should consider?
Thanks a lot, any help is gratefully appreciated.
Sam.