OldThymer
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Growing Strawberries question

I have 25 strawberries on order from Gurneys. However, I think I decided to move my garden (thus reducing the size a bit) to make room for some blueberry bushes. So, the only other place for me to put strawberries would be on the north side of my house. I am wondering if this would be OK to grow strawberries. Everything I am reading says that they like direct sun and, as you know, they will hardly get any if they are on the north side of a house.

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hendi_alex
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I'm not certain on the light issue, but will toss out a couple of things to think about. First, just in case you are not aware, make sure that you have an adequate buffer between the blueberry plants and any veggie area. As you know the blueberry plants want fairly acid soil, and any leaching outward from that acid soil could affect the vegetable plants which want closer to neutral soil.

Concerning the strawberry plants, is why all or nothing? Perhaps for this first year break the planting into thirds. Plant 1/3 in the somewhat shady area and see how they do. Plant 1/3 in the sunny garden spot or other sunny location. Plant 1/3 in a large box planter that can be moved between sun and semi shade as desired. I have eight plants in a few 12 inch by 30 inch plastic planters from Lowes.

If the shade area plants thrive this year, problem solved, consolidate the plants. If they don't do so well, go to plant B, perhaps container gowing some berries or finding an alternate sunny site.

My mother in law used to have a bed of old fashioned strawberries in fairly dense shade and they produced reliably every year. My main strawberry bed is in a raised bed under an oak tree. The plants get nearly full sun during the winter, but only get about 4 hours of direct sunlight per day during the summer. They produce very well.
Last edited by hendi_alex on Mon Mar 30, 2009 10:43 am, edited 1 time in total.

OldThymer
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You know, I didn't really think about splitting them up for some reason. I have tried strawberries in containers before (indoors - I have 2K watts of HPS lights in a room that is 5X6 that I use in the winter, for vegetables) but I didn't have great success with them. What size containers are you using? What do you do about the runners?

I do have a few trees that I could put strawberry plants around; I didn't think about that. Did you just work the soil in a circle (around the tree) and plan them directly in the soil?

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hendi_alex
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I have strawberry plants in several planters, but the one that has been used most often for that purpose is a plastic box planter from Walmart or Lowes. It is about ten inches deep and twelve inches wide by 30 inches long. In the past have kept plants in one for two or three seasons. Usually most runners were pinched off, unless wanting to start a few extra plants. In that case the runners are allowed to cascade over the side of the main pot and the developing offshoot is placed on the top of a filled one gallon pot.

As mentioned earlier, the bed under the oak tree is a raised bed. Oak roots or tree roots in general present a major problem. For that reason the raised bed was placed on a heavy plastic barrier prior to being filled. As is the case with most of my raised beds, it it totally self contained and not in contact with the soil beneath. IMO the depth should be a minimum of seven to ten inches which works very well for strawberry plants.

OldThymer
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Thanks a lot for that information; it was very helpful. I assume, that you just pinch off the runners once the new offshoot is established in the new pot?

Again, thanks a lot for that information. I am well versed in vegetable gardening but I am a complete rookie when it comes to fruit gardening.

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Certain trees, like Norway maples, will not offer a warm reception for strawberries or any other plants, for that matter (an extreme allelopath, is Acer platanoides)

And while alpines can be finicky, they are just the right plant for a strawberry jar...

HG



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