During season two, the plants should receive 1 inch of water per week during fruit development and through until fall. Watch plants for signs of pests or disease and be prepared to protect plants from birds and animals. Strawberries begin to peter out after 1 or 2 seasons of production. Stagger plantings or start over with new plants every 2 to 3 years to maintain productive crops.
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The hill and matted strawberry planting row system are the two most common methods, while growing strawberries in "jars" and hanging baskets works well for gardeners with limited space.
My strawberry plants needed more room to run and I found this planter project. Since the first one was made, I've made several more as birthday gifts for my gardening friends.
Several people have posted a tip on ThriftyFun suggesting the use of pudding cups for starting seeds and cuttings. My opinion was that they were too small to allow adequate root formation prior to transplanting.
If you have new strawberry plants and don't have time to plant them in the bed right away, no problem. The new plants will await your convenience if you the the method called "heeling in".
For those of you with strawberry planters, here's a tip on how to water them without having it run out the sides. Drill several holes into a PVC pipe that's a little longer than the height of your planter, then insert it down the middle of the planter.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I'd like to grow strawberries this year, so I bought four different types (one is a June bearer and the other three are ever bearing). I bought four plants of each type, so I have 16 total plants. I can't seem to find any information on how much fruit that will yield. I'd like some advice on whether I have bought too many plants or too small an amount of plants.
Strawberry plants usually take two years before they produce any fruit. They grow well in full sun but I have seen them do well in partial shade.
Go with that number ofplants first. They develop new plants on runners (something like a spider plant) and you will find your numbers of plants growing whether you like it or not! Plant them all out as they grow and when they are bigger, you can cut the cord from the mother plant. But who could possibly have too many strawberries!!! Grow them in full sun, water well and mulch around the plants with straw or other mulch.
I plant mine in a compost frame that has holes in the sides. The mother plants are on top and the babies get popped into the holes to grow on in the sunshine.
If you are starting with 16 plants, it will not take very many years and you will have hundreds of plants, if you let the runners from each plant form a new plant. I have a large strawberry patch in Minnesota. There is nothing better than fresh home grown strawberries. Enjoy
I asked the same question somewhere else, and was told that if you want a lot, start with a lot! I have a strawberry pyramid with 50 plants in it. From what I hear, the plants are good for about 3 years, then they start to decline in production.
I live in Pensacola. When is the best time to plant strawberries?
I am trying to grow strawberries in a barrel. The plants are doing well but the runner are touching the ground. What do I do with them?
Hardiness Zone: 8a
By Glenn Morgan from McGehee, AR
I did plant strawberries on the ground and they crept all over.
Set small pots at the base of the barrel and set the "daughters" in them. They will eventually root and be new plants and then you can plant them where ever you want.
I set out everbearing strawberries last year. How many years can I hope to have berries before they need transplanting?
Hardiness Zone: 7b
By Cookie Price from Pleasant Plains, AR
You are supose to remove the mother plant and let some of the babies take over about every three years. The mother plants will have bigger leaves, and show the runners that are comming from them. They will even continue to multiply if you choose to give them away when you pull them. Here is what happens.
The runners will get many babies. Strawberries are a ground cover. I give away strawberry plants every year becouse they just take over every thing.
The first few years they would not produce for me. So I did some research and found that rabbit droppings are the majic key to producing fruit. Stir them in water and just throw the muddy looking water on. Hourse manaure is a second choice. Good luck with your strawberries.
How to I get the animals to stop eating my strawberries? They are growing on the ground.
Hardiness Zone: 6a
By martha from Parma, OH
What kind of animals? Neighborhood pets, rabbits, birds, or burrowing critters? If the animals are above-ground, fencing your strawberry patch might work. If the animals can reach them from above, then a fence with netting or chicken wire over the top might work.
If they're burrowing animals, though, someone else would have to step in here, because I'm not sure how to stop them.
I hope this info helps, or maybe inspires you to come up with a better solution!
I live in Georgia and this is the first time trying to grow Strawberries here. I have grown them in Florida and they did great, but they are dying quickly and have not produced much fruit. What can I do to save what I have left?
Hardiness Zone: 7b
By louise from Macon, GA
How do I transplant strawberries from my earthbox? Do i need to buy another box? A man once told me not to use the first year runners, if so should I just snip them off?
I have had sucess growing strawberries by covering the part of the runner closest to the new plant shallowly with soil and anchoring it there either with a bent piece of wire or a small brick or rock. After the new plant has taken root, you can then cut the runner from the mother plant. If the mother plant is in a container I would place a pot next to it for the new runner to grow in. I have been told to only use first and second year runners because strawberries are usually infected with viruses by the third year, but any runners will take strength from the mother plant and reduce yields. :)
I got some strawberry plants from a friend and I planted them last year. They didn't produce last year and this year they don't have a flower on them yet, so I doubt if I'll get any strawberries this year neither. What am I doing wrong?
By LB
Can I till up my old strawberry patch and plant new plants? Or do I have to plant in a different spot?
By Gerald D.
Check out these photos.
This is the first year I have been able to grow more than a small handful of strawberries. What a treat to eat them fresh from my own, pesticide-free garden!
I just noticed; some companies offer strawberry plants/seeds with the name 'Earliglo', while others offer 'Earliglow'. I wonder if they're the same strawberry. And, I wonder what the developer of the Earli????, named his original. Well, for now, that's beside the point.
By altering a plastic pot scrubber you can make a very effective collar for your strawberry plants, thus protecting the leaves and berries from too much moisture which can lead to fungus damage. This is a page about homemade strawberry collars.
Choose young plants or rooted runners for the best results when transplanting strawberry plants. This is a page about transplanting strawberries.
Because of the trailing, spreading nature of many strawberry varieties they make good choices for container gardening. This is a page about growing strawberries in containers.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
I have a container garden, and planted my strawberry plants in milk jugs. I couldn't seem to water them enough, the strawberries were too little and dried out.
I want to do strawberries and planted about 50 tiny starter plants. Within a few weeks I found an ant hill and a few weeks later, most plants were dead.
