[gardener247]

i asked this question about a month ago but didnt really get what i was looking for.. so whats the minimum spacing for strawberries?? how far apart are yours?

[Goosegirl]

I'd say about 12-18" apart, depending on your space and if they are on the flat or in a raised bed where they can be planted closer together.

[Gardener Girl]

My strawberries are in raised beds and I have them about 4" apart and they do really well, lovely strawberries last year. Yum Yum !

GG

[DD.]

4"? Was it their first year?

You're going to need more space than that, Dr. H, for example states 18" between plants and 24" between rows, but you could get away with the spacing that goosegirl suggests.

[Ivor Backache]

I am actually in the process of sorting my strawberry plants into a new bed. The books tell me to plant 40cm apart and the rows to be 70cm apart. This allows for safe hoeing and space for the runners to take root. At the moment they are small plants and these distances look huge but after three years it will look alright.

Just noticed DD's reply: If you are metric read mine-if you still speak English read his.

[Gardener Girl]

Hi DD,

No it was'nt their first year and they now due to be taken out this year as they are now too old. I think because they are in a deep bed they don't mind being so close together and somehow just got on with producing loads of strawberries.

GG

[Y.E.A.H]

mine are a foot apart at the 

[Fisherman]

They need to be at least 12" or 300mm apart as in their second and third year they become quite large plants which need a good root growing area. Even in containers I try to keep them at least 12" apart otherwise they become pot bound pretty quickly.

I have some growing in the greenhouse at the moment on a heated bed and they are putting good growth. If the weather stays like this much longer each strawberry will cost about £5 each at least!  Oh hummm         

[BostonInbred]

Interesting.

The tendancy of commercial strawberry growers these days is to use strawberry grow bags on tables with the fruit hanging in mid air, makes picking a lot easier and you get less fruit rot.

The LEAST number of plants ive seen in a 1 metre bag is three, and the most is five. Last year i scrounged ten used bags with three plants in each which I unbagged and planted as is, same spacing ie about 12 inches between plants, and they have overwintered well under frames with builders debris netting on.

I notice there sending out runners already, be interesting to see how good the second crop is going to be.

[DD.]

I can't help thinking that the 4" spaced plants were too crammed in & whilst they may have cropped well, you'd have got the same, possibly even better for less plants.


4" spacing only allows 2" growth in any direction.

[Trebor]

I agree with DD on this. Last year I put in my new strawberries at about 4 inch spacing in 2 strips. I had a good crop but not great. This year I have thinned them out and moved the runners so that they are at 12”/ 30cm apart and can now fill 8 strips. Can’t say at this point if I will get a better crop, but they were so entangled with each other that they can’t have been happy. Would also add that there were a huge number of runners on them, so not sure if this was also a sign they were trying to escape!

[Ropster]

i have put mine 12 inches in each direction, grown through weed suppressant so no trouble with weeds or runners. I tend to chop off all of the runners and pot them up, i dont let them root first, most usualy make it

[goodegg]

at 4in apart they must have been well root bound im suprised you got any strawbs at all never mind we live and learn dont we?

[sclarke624]

My strawberries are in raised beds and I have them about 4" apart and they do really well, lovely strawberries last year. Yum Yum !

GG

Mine are only about 5" apart in window boxes and I always have an abundance of fruit, Gardener Girl.  In fact reading one of my recent "grow your own mags" I notice Anne Swithinbank was growing four or five in one of those blue tesco mushroom boxes (the large ones they fill the shelfs with and throw out), which I also do as well as my window boxes.  I've been doing this for 5 years now.

[DD.]

A decent sized strawberry plant will take up a foot or more and be absolutely loaded. I still think you're cramping their style!