Grow strawberries for months – not just for Wimbledon!
Autumn or spring is the ideal time to plant new strawberries, create a patch or plant new runners to replace old varieties. Strawberries are easy to grow, as long as they have sun, shelter and fertile, well-drained soil. Don’t plant in areas that have previously grown potatoes, chrysanthemums, or tomatoes to avoid the disease Verticillium wilt. Buy named varieties, or use your own runners. I have a mixture of both. In poor soils grow in raised beds, containers, hanging baskets or grow bags.
Strawberries can be grown under a cloche in early spring, but remove or roll up the sides when flowering to give pollinating insects access. Plants in containers can be grown in an unheated greenhouse for early fruit, but be prepared to hand-pollinate with a small brush. In a heated greenhouse or conservatory, you can bring forward flowering by several weeks, so long as the temperature does not go above 16°C, because this will delay flowering.
Growing strawberries outdoors
Plant 35cm apart, trimming the roots lightly to 10cm if necessary, then spread them out in the hole. Make sure that the base of the crown rests lightly on the surface. Place the next row 75cm away. A fibre mat can be placed around each one, or you can plant through black polythene to deter weeds. Water in. Water frequently at soil level, as water from overhead can rot the crown and fruit. During the growing season, give plants a liquid tomato feed every seven to 14 days. In early spring, apply Growmore at 50g per sqm.
As fruits develop, tuck straw or matting underneath them to prevent them from rotting on the soil. Net if birds are a problem. After cropping has finished, remove old leaves and the straw mulch, fibre mat, or black polythene. Strawberry plants should crop well for three years before being replaced. The plants’ runners should provide you with ample replacements.
Potted guide: strawberries
- PLANTING TIME: March/April or October.
- HARVESTING TIME: June-September.
- PLANTING DISTANCE: 35-40cm apart.
- ASPECT AND SOIL: Full sun, moisture-retentive, sheltered, fertile soil. Avoid windy sites. Feed with granular fertiliser in late winter/early spring and mulch; feed with tomato fertiliser every 7-14 days in the growing season.
- HARDINESS: Hardy.
- DIFFICULTY: Easy.
- PRUNING: Cut back old leaves after fruiting; tidy up plants in late winter. Remove unwanted runners.
- RECOMMENDED VARIETIES: Early: Honeoye, Frutium Belleure. Mid-season: Cambridge Favourite, Alice, Elsanta, Hapil, Pegasus. Late season: Symphony, Florence. Perpetual: Mara de Bois, Aromel, Parfum Line, Parfum Royal, Parfum Fraisonette, Parfum Fraisibelle, Parfum Eternal Love.
Everbearer or perpetual varieties
Summer-fruiting varieties are the most popular, with short but heavy cropping periods over two or three weeks. There are early, mid, and late fruiting cultivars. However, perpetual, or everbearer strawberries, produce small flushes of fruit from early summer to early autumn. I have Parfum Eternal Love (Ewigi Liebi)*. The crops are not so heavy, with plants less likely to produce runners, but are useful for extending the season.
The plants are supposed to fruit from early June to late summer, but I have some that regularly carry berries into December! They combine the best characteristics of the garden and wild varieties in this Vescana hybrid. Fruit is medium to large, heart-shaped at first, later irregular and intensely dark red. Taste-wise, it is sweet, with a hint of acidity and a smell of wild strawberries.
*I trialled this variety from Swiss fruit specialists www.lubera.co.uk. PLEASE NOTE: Lubera no longer sells plants to the UK after Brexit. It is working on a solution to deliver directly to customers’ homes in the future.
Read more about pink-flowered strawberry Just Add Cream.
