Growing Strawberries

Strawberries can be grown quite easily and are extremely suitable for organic methods, especially raised bed systems. They are unfortunately, only a short-lived plant, and the whole bed will need replacing every three years.

Recommended varieties: - Pantagruella, Hapil, Aromel and Cambridge Favourite.

Soil Conditions and Siting

Strawberries grow best in a well-drained but moisture retentive soil. The site should be sheltered and sunny but with a good flow of air. This airflow will reduce the risk of Mildew.

Planting

Strawberries are very prone to viral diseases. Only buy from reputable dealers that can certify that the stock is free of disease. They can be purchased as bare rooted plants or container grown. Plant out in late summer, if planted later than this, they will miss out on fruiting the following year. Prior to planting dress the soil with 2 handfuls of Bonemeal per square yard/metre. Space the plants 2ft (60cm) apart with 18" (45cm) between the rows. When planting it is important to set the crown of the plant at the correct height. Too low in the soil and it will rot, too high and it will have a tendency to lift itself out of the ground and suffer from drought. Water thoroughly after planting.

Maintenance

Feeding

Strawberries need little or no feeding once they have been planted. Too much Nitrogen in the soil will encourage too much leaf growth and little fruit. If this is tending to happen, pick the available fruit and then apply a dressing of Rock Potash at the rate of 1 handful per each yard/metre run of plants.

Mulching

The fruits will drop towards the ground by their own weight. Where they can be plashed by mud or damaged by slugs. To prevent this, mulch the plants with straw when the fruits begin to form. Tuck the straw in, underneath each plant. A word of caution though. Do not be too eager to mulch. The straw can have the effect of insulating the flowers from the rising heat in the soil and so encourage damage to the flowers from frost. Planting through black polythene is the modern method. This provides a weed suppression, mulch and prevents dirt splashes.

Propagation

Healthy strawberry plants will produce new plantlets (known as runners). These can be used for forcing in the greenhouse to provide an early crop the following year. Choose 1 healthy runner from each plant and cut out any other runners. Strawberries can produce a number of plants along each runner but for propagation use only the first plant along the runner, this is usually the strongest and healthiest. Peg this down into a 3" (7cm) pot of compost and keep well watered. Within a couple of weeks it will have rooted and you will be able to cut it from the parent plant. Some people do use these for extending their fruiting stock but this can lead to the loss of the entire crop if they are not 100% disease free. It is always better to buy in fresh certified plants.

Harvesting

Pick the fruits when they are ripe, keeping the central plug or core attached to the fruit. Pick over the plants, as new fruits will ripen on a daily basis. Fresh Strawberries do not store well but may be made into jam or frozen. Once all the fruit has been picked, cut all the leaves off to a height of 1" (2.5cm) above the ground. If you grow a lot of strawberries, you can use a rotary lawnmower or strimmer to do this. Remove all leaves and straw, if this has been used as a mulch.

Protection

Strawberry flowers can be damaged by frost. If there is a danger of frost cover the plants with fleece. Netting may be needed as protection against bird damage.

Pests and Diseases

Aphids, Birds, Slugs, Mildew, and virus diseases are common problems. (See the pests and diseases sections for prevention's and cures).