I have a small urban backyard, so I don't have a lot of space. I also have dogs that have free access to the backyard through a doggy door and who also love strawberries. The first year I grew strawberries in pots, they kept disappearing. I thought that the birds were getting the berries until I smelled strawberry on the breath of my dogs. I should have known because the sneaky little snots are also tomato stealers.
Last year, I grew Ozark, an everbearing strawberry, in two strawberry pots but I never got enough at any one time to do anything other than snack. Only a few of the plants survived the winter, so I have to replace most of the plants. I left out the pots in a sheltered place on the side of my house over winter. I should have protected them better. This winter, I will probably overwinter the pots in my garage. Maybe more plants will make it through the winter.
I decided to try a June bearing strawberry so that I can get more strawberries at once. The plants will produce fruit for about two to three weeks in June. I decided to try Honeoye, which is supposed to produce a lot of sweet fruit. I bought 20 bare roots of Honeoye.
First, I took the roots out of the package and soaked them in water for about an hour.
Then I removed the dead strawberry plants form the pots and replaced them with the Honeoye. When I planted the strawberries, I dug out as much potting mixture from the holes as I could and replaced it with with a mixture of used potting soil and compost.
When I planted the pots last year, I used a blend of compost, coir, and old potting mix from the previous year's containers. I also placed a PVC pipe with holes drilled in it in the center of the pot so that I could get more water to the bottom plants. I was losing too much water through the drainage hole in the pots, so I stuffed a plastic grocery bag in the bottom of the PVC pipe and that slowed down the drainage without blocking it off completely.
When I planted the pots last year, I used a blend of compost, coir, and old potting mix from the previous year's containers. I also placed a PVC pipe with holes drilled in it in the center of the pot so that I could get more water to the bottom plants. I was losing too much water through the drainage hole in the pots, so I stuffed a plastic grocery bag in the bottom of the PVC pipe and that slowed down the drainage without blocking it off completely.
UGH! I have GOT to get my strawberries this week! I've got my pots but nothing to put in them yet!! I have a question: have you always bought just the roots or have you ever bought actual transplants with leaves and flowers. I was in the garden section the other day and saw both kinds and wasn't sure which one I was going to get...any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteI tried the plants in the past. This year, I want to try the roots. They're cheaper.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right when you say that the roots are cheaper. My wife has a small urban garden as well, and she loves her strawberries. Keep up the great work with your articles and please stop by my health blog sometime. The web address is http://healthy-nutrition-facts.blogspot.com/.
ReplyDeleteStrawberries are always worth the effort they take, mine are just starting into growth, quite a long wait for any fruit though!
ReplyDeleteI do hope you get a lot more strawberries this year, they taste so much lovelier than store bought. I need to get my skates on and re-pot some of my strawberries to.
ReplyDelete