What do you recommend for this "strawberry" pot?

[ReptileAddiction]

I wonder how a strawberry "jar" would work if you watered each plant individually instead of trying to water them all from the top. Has anybody tried this?

[applestar]

FWIW -- mine sits in the middle of a circular bed. This year, I dug a shallow moat/trench/swale and used the dug soil to bury the bottom of the strawberry jar up to the bottom row opening. I mostly watered with handheld hose-end sprayer on shower setting and walked all around or used overhead sprinkler so that the terracotta jar was thoroughly saturated and until the moat was filled with water.

I tried sowing some seeds on the mound surrounding the jar but most of the seeds ran off into the moat and sometimes grew there. Only thing that grew well on the mound were weeds.

[PunkRotten]

I wonder how a strawberry "jar" would work if you watered each plant individually instead of trying to water them all from the top. Has anybody tried this?

I did both, watering from the top as well as each individual plant. I got some strawberries but yield was small. I know they would grow so much better in the ground. Another thing, it is hard to fertilize each individual plant too. I used even liquid fertilizer and still didn't really help the plants.

[sepeters]

i have one of those and my strawberries fried in the summer so i put a beet (which became huge) in the top and threw some wild flower seeds in the small holes. I have been able to grow chives and green onions in the side pockets too, but have also had problems with consistent watering and often forget to rotate the dern thing

[imafan26]

Strawberries are happier in a basket than in a strawberry pot. The pockets sometimes are inconveniently placed. If the pot is going to have a backside, I would not bother to plant any of those pockets. I keep my 6 pocket strawberry pot on a pedestal so the sun hits all sides. I have a 6 inch pot tucked in the top with strawberries. It is easier to water the pot if I can lift the 6 inch pot out.

It will also allow me to change the top. I have lavender, rosemary, pepper, and green onions that are used as interchangeable tops.
I learned not to put mint in the pot because it will take over the whole pot.

I try to put trailing plants like thyme, oregano, marjoram in the upper pockets. The lower pockets have upright plants like onions and parsley.

Big plants take up too much root volume and terra cotta needs to be watered every day.

I made my own pocket pot by using an UTZ cheese ball container, lined with coco fiber and holes cut in the sides for the pockets. It is lighter and doesn't crack when it falls. It is hard to water so I have the removable top. I even had emitters in the pot connected to the drip system and that worked out pretty good.

The smaller herbs do better with the upright wetter herbs on the bottom and trailing drier herbs on top.

The pot made a better decoration indoors. They hold umbrellas by the door and I had one that I put ostrich feathers and dried pampas grass in.

[sepeters]

Against my better judgement, previous experience and suggestions from all the previous posts on this thread, I am going to try my strawberry pot one more time!

I have dormant roots this time, so if I have to grow them as annuals I can harvest right away, since I am thinking they will not survive the summer.

What should I put in the top of the pot? Definitely not a strawberry! The top gets way too dry for that! I would like to plant something that can tolerate full sun and frequent watering, will possibly provide some shade for the pockets and will play nice with strawberries and spinach. A tall order! I was thinking of oregano, since it was suggested before. Will it be ok with strawberries though?

And any suggestions as to the best materials for even watering? I was thinking about maybe some PVC with holes drilled in all around? Or would the water just all drip to the bottom? Maybe just a frozen water bottle in the top?

[imafan26]

I have a few strawberry pots. They are heavy and crack easily but I have had the best success with them planting shallow rooted plants.

The watering tube does work in the pot. So does running drip tubing or a wick through the pot.

I plant thyme and oregano in the top pockets and green onions, parsley and marjorram in the lower pockets.

Instead of planting the top I leave space for a six inch pot which fits right inside. That way I can change the top plant whether it be strawberries, lavender, basil, pepper, or rosemary.

I am able to lift the top pot up to water the planter from a hose.

I do not plant mint in the pockets because it is so invasive, in the end, there is only mint left in the pot.

Mine needs to be watered everyday.


I sometimes don't bother to plant some of the pockets especially when the pot is going up near a wall.