Container strawberry care

[Los]

Hi all, brand new gardener here.
I'm growing strawberries:

[img]https://oi42.tinypic.com/34dqxk3.jpg[/img]

(The pipe at the top is a bit jagged because I don't have a saw, just a power drill, so that's what I had to use to cut it. :p )

It's about a foot tall and the opening at the top is 6" across. I planted them using FoxFarm organic potting soil. I put them out on the patio, where it's sunny, and I water them until water comes out the bottom whenever I notice that the soil looks and feels dry (which is nearly every day). They appear to be growing well so far.

My questions are these:

I read on one website that I should pinch off the flowers, and I read on another that I should just leave them. Which is preferable?

I've also bought Happy Frog tomato & vegetable organic fertilizer, but I was told not to use it yet, if at all. Any tips on when and most importantly HOW to use it would be greatly appreciated.

Am I watering them correctly? Is it normal to have to water container strawberries nearly every day?

Is there anything else I should be doing or should do in the future to better ensure success?

Thanks.

[PunkRotten]

I have a similar pot with strawberries. I pinch my flowers off cause my straws are ever-bearing. So pinching them off now will allow them to grow better roots and leaves, and then I will get a fall harvest. What kind of straws are yours?

If yours are june-bearing then you might have to wait till next year to get some straws.

[Los]

Ah, thanks. Mine are ever-bearing as well. I was told at the nursery I should be able to eat off the plant in about a month and a half. I'm hoping so!

Edit: Also, pinching off the flowers means the whole stem, yes?

[ruggr10]

I don't pinch them off... I can't bear to do it. I still get pretty good fall crops.

[applestar]

This is for later on, but container strawberries don't normally survive the normal zone 6b winter temps here. They did survive this past winter but it was a very warm unusual winter.

I don't bother to protect them and treat them as annuals in the container, but if you want to keep them alive, you may need to give them extra protection depending on where you live.

[Los]

I just searched and I live in zone 5a -20 to -15ºF. I haven't even looked into keeping the strawberries over the winter, although it would of course be great if I could grow them from the same plant year after year.