Grow Your Own Magazine

Please can anybody help,

I'm really depressed, my strawberries are a disaster!

They are the varieties 'Temptation' and 'Cambrige Favourite' and the fruits (very ripe) are about the size of small cherries

The insides are white and they taste of very little - a bit like alpine strawberries but the wrong shape, the foliage is lush and there are still loads of flowers and embryonic fruit.

They were planted in two raised beds last autumn - have I over fed them (a distinct possibility) or do they need more water. Mostly is there anything I can do to 'rescue' the ones coming through and the ones yet to be?

We were really looking forward to them

Thanks - Jane

I have Cambridge favourite.. There are lots of little green fruit. I was hoping they'd getting bigger before ripening, but one is getting a little pink tinge.. I was all ready to order some yummy cream from Abel and Cole, as well. I am thinking that they haven't had enough sun. Do you know if they will produce a second crop?

Rogesse - the lush foliage may be a sign that they have put their efforts in that direction rather than fruiting.

They do need a good amount of water, but are they actually dry?

How far apart did you plant them and what have you been feeding them?

Cutecumber - no, I don't they're dry now because of all the rain we've had but, hand on heart, they could have got a bit dry before the flowers came

There are six plants per 3m bed, urm, approx 60 - 70cm (2ft?) apart, they don't look over crowded

As to feeding Compost, horse manure on the bottom, top soil (bought), potash - oh and miracle grow. I forgot to mention that they are all producing runners like mad, we have been removing them every two days or so.

I got a horrible feeling they are spoilt little brats!

Jane

I really think you've been too kind to them. Yes they do like semi-shade and plenty of organic material in the soil, but you have to remember that plants produce fruit in order to reproduce themselves. Strawberries are a bit tricky. Too much lush growth and you get tiny fruits, treat them too hard and let them dry out and you get nowt. How old are the plants, and how long have they been in their present site?

plants approx 1yr or less - when planted in autumn, site the same.

I think you are right, I have spoilt my strawberries - it will be stalag 'scrub land for you' next year!

my garden bible which i follow and had good results as a guide recommends using either potash mixed in water as a feed or liquid growmore made up as per directions, and to feed this once every 3 weeks to a month from end of feb until the flowers start show then increase to once a fortnight once flowers have actually become strawberries then once a week, and just water in between, in this type of weather they require water 2-3 times a week if in pots maybe 4 times dependant on size. too little water results in small hard strawberries as well, if you have masses of foliage try snipping of a few leaves so they dont drain the plant too much, i dont use manure for strawberries as this does send the foliage into overdrive reducing fruit, i find just compost is best for most fruit, and second to that is soil with lots of compost dug in ( i have actually done experiments with strawberries in different soils to see which gave most strawberries per soil type so my finding are based on those results) my cambridge favourites, emily, honeoye, eros, elsanta, symphony and some unknown varieties aquired seem to be doing well and are just filling out and getting bigger a few becoming jumbo ones but all are green and not red yet as i live in the midlands so without clotches take a bit longer to ripen but they are getting ready to turn. i grew temptation from seed this year so wont get any berries till next, but mine have started to grow runners and the seeds i got where supposted to be runnerless, but i did plant the seeds late. hope you have better luck next year but you could try some of the above to see if it improves them.

I'm a hard hearted bint I am. I never feed mine, other than a dressing of home-made compost and a handfull of blood, fish and bonemeal in the spring. After that, they get on with it! Wild strawbs are gorgous and no-one feeds them.

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vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated Aug 29th 2008

Once the flowers start on mine they're kept damp and fed tomato food weekly. I get lush growth AND huge fruit. Mine are all in a polytunnel though, about 200 plants I think.

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