[rowlandwells]

i was looking at  PYO set up for strawberries growing in a field not a poly tunnel the plants where set up on benches in grow bags with a drip feed and water feed system and there where was an endless supply of good size strawberries to pick and the place was rammed with would be pickers i only went to look not to buy

we grow our strawberries down the allotments at present i there own bed so i thought that idea of a frame mite be worth trying next season making my own frame for around 3 grow bags so that would be built at our home garden not the allotments so i could water and feed the strawberries still keeping the strawberries down the allotments encase this project doesn't  work out the only thing was i didn't like ask what variety they where growing we always grow Cambridge so i mite see if i can get some runners of those for my project

is that a good project for next season 

[mumofstig]

I just ask myself, with the cost of the growbags/compost every year, and twice weekly liquid feeding - is it really worth it?
Depends how much you like strawberries I suppose 

[Kleftiwallah]

Good morning to you,
I was thinking along the same lines (growing strawberries like the PYO's do, but the trays would be expensive.  I remember seeing on yet another Alaskan documentary, the lady with the airfield grew plants in sewer pipes (light brown) with holes bored in the top.

I think this may work.   Cheers,  Tony. 

[rowlandwells]

well Tony  i think we both on the same track and yes cost does play the most important part of any new project i was fortunate to get hold of some second hand timber for building a wooden frame as for something to hold the grow bags on the frame I'm not going over the top with buying

so i was thinking pipes a farmer friend of ours got hold of some large second hand round plastic pipes  about a foot round but not sewer pipes he cut these in half and uses them for sheep feeding troughs i believe he got them on line at the rite price they would be just the job for what we want to hold the grow bags on the frame perhaps it mite be worth looking at a builders re-claim yard or the council re-cycle centre?

its like everything you just need to keep looking anything like that would do but i wouldn't recommend a second hand sewer pipe for obvious reasons any large plastic pipe would do the job cut in half drill a few holes in it to hold the grow bags and bingo your cracked it that's what I'm going for Tony

[Offwego]

I’m trying out two new ideas for next year
Firstly a 4” drainpipe about 6ft long with holes cored out of the topside every 6”

Secondly I’m building an upright stand over this weekend 4 ft high 3 ft wide to fit on my polytunnel path and suspending three rows of three pots
Top two rows with strawberries in bottom row possibly herbs or more strawberries
Also setting up an irrigation system to water them ( irrigatia) to water them from my water butt

[rowlandwells]

sounds like a good idea offwego using the pipe system i to have been looking at new ways of growing strawberries on a raised bench and if you have read my topic i was thinking about using pipes

but having costed buying the pipes i need  it seems a little costly so i could end up with a bench to carry grow bags without the pipe and i don't know if you seen Gardeners world last Friday night there was a gentleman on there growing strawberries in pots and they really did look good the pots where placed on a shelf's and didn't take up much space either so I'm going to have a look into growing strawberries in pots to which mite be the best option and cost effective don't know?

[Offwego]

Yes I did see Gardeners. world his pots looked good

I built my stand today it took 2 rows of 2 good sized pots and 2 on the floor under it
2plants in each so 12 no new honeoye plants sorted

My wife then set up another irrigation system so these pots are now self watering, it also serves to screen off the water butt at the end of the tunnel so I’m well pleased

[rowlandwells]

sounds like you've got it sorted offwego I'm still undecided what to go with but i have to say the pot system seems to be what we mite go with because the wife's  in favour of the pot system because we have loads of pots going spare i said to myself who's the boss in our garden so it looks like its going to be pots say no more 

[rowlandwells]

 i forgot to ask you what size pots your using  offwego for you strawberries and i guess your using multi-purpose compost for potting up?

[Offwego]

No problem, I used MEDIUM GORILLA TUBS@26L

In true allotment style you use what you acquire 🤣🤣

And yes filled with multi purpose compost, the local farm shop was selling some  called “happy multi purpose compost” it seemed to have a lot of horse muck in it to me but the strawbs won’t mind