Newbie trying strawberries...

[drtmama]

Hello, everyone.

I am a newbie to gardening and want to try growing strawberries this year.

What would be the best way to grow them? I plan to use containers for some herbs and we are building raised beds for veggies/fruit. Would one way be better than the other?

Can they be grown in a hanging basket?

Thanks.

Jackie

[hendi_alex]

I just planted 75 new strawberry plants yesterday. Fifty June bearing plants went into raised beds and 25 everbearing went into five containers. Strawberries are pretty heavy feeders and often suffer in the afternoon sun. Growing them in raised beds is much less work, as the plants only need to be watered every few days in most weather. Even in raised beds, I always place strawberry plants such that they are limited to morning to noon sun in the summer. Of course they get full day sun during the winter and spring before the oak leave emerge to provide shade.

In containers the plants will need more watering, will need some kind of regular fertilizer application, and will need the soil refreshened each year. Keep the number of plants limited by pinching runners and don't overplant the container. I would not put more than eight to ten plants in a large ten in wide by three foot long by ten inch deep container. If you are willing to spring for the price, those large pots with side pouches make an interesting addition to the deck/patio, but limit exposure to hot afternoon direct sunlight.

This is a first year experiment with growing Eversweet everbearing strawberry in containers. I have one of those strawberry planters mentioned above that has six opening up the side. Including one plant in the top, it now has seven plants. Seems a bit much for the size of the pot, but will give it a try. Also planted five plants per pot in large azalea pots, perhaps three to four gallon size. Finally, planted four plants each in two 35 gallon containers that will also be home for container grown egg plants.

I've never planted strawberries in hanging baskets but there is no reason that wouldn't work, though it would seem to me that constant watering in very hot weather would be a chore.

Good luck. Please post on this thread if you come up with any novel ideas about container growing strawberries. I'm really looking foward to this gardening year, with all the experiments/new plants we are trying.

[drtmama]

Thanks for your reply, Alex!

Wow, all those strawberry plants. That's amazing!

I think I will try a few plants in my raised bed and maybe in the strawberry planter I have somewhere in the shed. Never have used it before. I will start small to see how it goes this year.

Good luck with your crop!

Thanks again.

Jackie

[hendi_alex]

I got a surprise on Friday. Got home to find a plant order had arrived. Well, had forgotten about ordering three bundles of strawberry plants, yes strawberry plants! It is a good thing that I constructed and filled so many new raised beds this year as there was still enough room for the 50 June bearning plants that arrived. The order also included 25 'tristar' plants, which are a day neutral, everbearing variety. Like the eversweet, those were placed in containers to go on the deck. Good thing that the deck is pretty big as there are now eight large containers with strawberry plants. There are also Five beds that are four foot square, and then two other large barrels that have four plants each. This year is a taste test and vigor test, as will be deciding which berries grow the most vigorously and which ones develop the most flavor and especially sweetness. More than likely some of the selections will be rejected and would hope to have only two or three small beds of June bearing plants and perhaps six containers with everbearing plants. Will post progress as the experimental results unfold.

[Curly]

Maybe as another strawberry newbie, I can thorw in a question here: Last year I had healthy strong plants, and they did bear fruit, but not much. I pinched the runners on most of them, and planted others, but I just generally thought they should have been bearing more fruit. Is there something I can try to increase the yield this year, or should I try a different variety? (I don't know what variety I have). Thanks.
Alex, that seems like a huge amount of plants (and work..). Impressive!

[hendi_alex]

If yours were June bearing berries that were planted in early spring, the best should be just a sprinkling of fruit the first year. The second year should be much better. Limiting the number of runners is a good idea as more energy gets devoted to energy storage and fruit development in the parent plant. Strawberries are fairly heavy feeders and appreciate a good dose of fertilizer in the early spring. My perference is a top dressing of compost augmented with a slow release chemical fertilizer such as osmocote. Am experimenting this year with organic fertilizers and may switch to those next year. Mixture thus far consists of blood meal, bone meal, pelitized lime, kelp meal, and cotton seed meal.

Make sure that the bed does not get overly crowded and plan on totally renovating the bed in three to four years.

[Curly]

Thanks!
So , do they need to be transplanted to a different location every few years to prevent diseases, or can I leave them in the same place for years and just remove weeds and dig some more organic material into the soil?

[hendi_alex]

I plant mine in a raised bed and will replace all of the soil and replant. I need to research whether or not it is o.k. to replace the plants with runners from the parent plants or whether new stock needs to be purchased. Perhaps someone could chime in on this. I do know that strawberries tend to be disease prone and the pathogens tend to accumulate the longer a bed is in place. Therefore, the need to rotate location or totally replace bedding soil exists.

[hendi_alex]

Here are a couple of shots of my new raised beds with the berries that were planted a couple weeks ago. So far so good!

[img]https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3552/3396719238_03f85776e0.jpg[/img]

Closer shot of one section:

[img]https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3569/3395907647_97e68e4a89.jpg[/img]

[Earl K]

I have read that the first year of strawberries give low numbers,is that correct? also my plant has flowers but center is looking dark,should that be a healthy green color becoming a berry?

[hendi_alex]

Yep, low yields the first year, if the berries were planted in the spring. Just took a look at mine and most look kind of red/pink and green down around the crown. Would be concerned over a dark crown area.