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I have just received 6 strawberry plants (Mount Everest) by mail order. But I have not quite got my allotment ready for them. So:

a) should I "plant" them in containers for now and then transfer them to the allotment later?
b) I seem to be reading conflicting advice as to whether I should soak the roots now - will that help or will that make them liable to rot?

Thanks,

Ben

They should be fine in pots for a while until you get their space ready. But, if they've been field-grown, they'll likely have very long roots, so make sure it's a fairly deep container.
I only soak them if they seem particularly dry when unpacked, and then only for an hour or so. But I'm not a fruit expert so someone else might know better

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Sarah

http://www.hypermobility.org http://wixypixies.blogspot.com/

Equally no fruit expert, but if they were mine I would just chuck em in a bucket full of soil/compost and water it a bit.
I have transferred strawbs from pots to ground and vice versa on several occasions and not had any problems.

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Bob Leponge
Life's disappointments are so much harder to take if you don't know any swear words.

I always soak bare roots in a bucket of water for half an hour or so, then plant up. They won't rot. It's sitting in cold wet compost that causes rotting.

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~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkt82aeOCFo~

~ my allotment photos ~

All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments." -- Janet Kilburn Phillips

I think that the rotting thing comes from when people leave them soaking for a day or two, a couple of hours is quite helpful but not totally essential. I got some bare root ones through the post the other day and have potted them up in small plastic pots for now but they will be planted out when I've prepared the bed they're going in.

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

I got some of my strawbs last year, and popped them in some deep pots until I can plant out in my raised bed (Next week hooray!!) and they seem fine. So long as they have enough room as Sarzwix says

When buying bareroot plants the general advice is to soak them in a bucket of water for an hour or two and then to either plant straight into the ground or a container. I have moved strawberry plants myself and placing them in a container temporarily has never done any harm.

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http://www.firstpasture.co.uk

I have transplanted mine before from garden to pot and they still fruited (but not as heavily). I would pot them up ths year and then use the runers on the plot next year.
And only soak if they seem really dry, maybe while you are filling the tubs.

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janeyo

Please have a look at my blog

http://janefruitandveg.blogspot.com/
updated May 28th 2010

So many seeds so little time

I am looking to buy some on the internet too - just trying to decide what and how many. One question though - whats best: bare root or 'runners' ? Is there much difference, and should I buy one type over the other ? Will either provide a better crop in the first year ? They will be heading into hanging baskets and troughs.

Does anyone know of a nursery that would ship these to the Unites States, Florida in particular?

I'd love to plant them.

thank you,
Erika

Welcome to the vine Erica!

I kinda think there are strict rules on shipping plant material between countries.
Can you not buy strawberry plants in Florida?

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Not perfect, but perfectly acceptable(Snadge)

By the time you've got the hoe from the shed at the end of the garden, you could have hand weeded the area! (Geoff Hamiltom-ish)