[Marijke Jones]

Dear gardeners,

Now the growing season is over it’s time to reflect about the vegetables that turned out amazing but also what didn’t do so well. My strawberries for instance. I hardly had any fruit on it while the strawberry plants supposed to produce large sweet strawberries. I used granules especially for strawberries, they had enough sun. So I am scratching my head. Too wet? Too dry? Wrong soil? The Irish weather or just plain unlucky.
Any advice is welcome and hopefully next season will be better.

[Nobbie]

I didn’t have much luck with strawberries either. I think the weather didn’t help, but it was the third or fourth year on my bed, so wasn’t expecting much anyway. Took runners and have planted up a new bed of Marwina so ready for next year.

[Marijke Jones]

This was my first year on the bed.

[Nobbie]

Maybe they didn’t like the weather and put all their energy into making stronger plants for next year. I’ve never expected a big crop in the first year. I know here it was bone dry in the lead up to normal fruiting time as I remember throwing a few buckets of water over them.

[Debz]

Mine were rubbish too and I wasn't the only one on our site to have issues with strawberries this year.  I think the weather just didn't suit them.  Here's to next year and a different set of conditions to work round.

[Kleftiwallah]

I don't like to crow...but I had a decent crop.  I did follow instructions not to allow floweres to form in the 1st year.

Cheers,  Tony.

[snowdrops]

Did you net them? If so could the pollinating insects get in? Also as said the first year there are fewer fruits particularly if you planted them that same year as opposed to planting them in the autumn before.

[Marijke Jones]

I did put a net over them. I think they simply didn’t like the Irish weather. Hopefully next season will be better.

[snowdrops]

I did put a net over them. I think they simply didn’t like the Irish weather. Hopefully next season will be better.

Yes but could pollinating insects get through the holes?

[Kenilworth]

I had a very poor season with Strawberries as well, plants were 3 years old and had cropped well in the previous year. My theory was that we had that really hot spell early on and this coincided with when they were flowering and the extreme heat meant all the flowers dropped meaning no fruit.