Talkback: Growing strawberries

scousegarden

Hi Pippa, was given a strawberry plant for mothers day but it just doesn't seem to b doing anything at all. Have got raspberries and blackcurrent but have not grown strawbs before, any tips?

Newcastle

I have tried growing strawberries in a raised bed his year and planting through slits in weed suppressing woven mulch. It seems to help to discourage snails (of which there are a super-abundance this year on my plot) and obviously it helps water retention and controlling the weeds. Not a lot of fruit so far but I live in hope.

BobTheGardener

scousegarden, strawberries ideally need planting in October and will produce the following July and August.  You might still get a few this year, but they won't crop properly until next summer, so don't give up on them - they will get better each year until they are about 3 or 4 years old, then they really need replacing as viruses build up in them.  If it throws out any runners (long thin shoots with little leaves on the end, pin the end down in a pot of compost with a U of bent wire and that will usually grow into a new plant - for free!  Once it has good roots, you can cut the runner from the mother plant.

Koalagirl

My strawberries this year are the best I've ever had. Last year they all rotted before they went red but this year has been perfect. I haven't done anything different, I just think the gardening gods are smiling on strawberry growers this year. Mine are all in large pots and I give them regular doses of a certain famous liquid tomato food.

Jimbolena

Hi my name is James. When in my early twenties, around June 1997 there was no work in Scotland so a bunch of us guys got fed up hanging around, decided to all go to Denmark strawberry picking, hard work but really great fun.

One of the jobs we had to do was,...on the really young plants was to cut of any fruit growth, I never asked the farmer why, I just assumed he wanted more energy to go to the leaves, this seemed to work because the fruit harvest he got was a glut!

He also used loads and loads of straw under the plants, again I didn't ask why and again I assumed it was to keep the fruit off the ground, stopping it from rotting.



Would this said straw deter slugs and snails, I feel it would...I really think it would be very uncomfortable for those guys, any thoughts anyone?



James.

Jimbolena

I think I will have to get new plants from the runners, the plants have been in for a few years now. I didn't realise they built up viruses, thanks for the information. Will go and see how many runners there are.

Tricia Muddyboots

James, a brilliant tip to cut off the earliest fruit shoots to encourage the rest of the plant and abundant later fruiting. Yes, I'm sure straw is to keep the fruits dry and clean and deter slugs.