stawberries

[hardley12]

In my garden there is a strawberry tree. But the strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo, book beautifully with its leathery leaves sharply serrated and refined form. In late fall of cream white flowers shaped jug hanging in clusters, often accompanied by small red fruits like strawberries, flowers formed the previous year.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I have a whole bed in my plot in which I presently grow strawberries or will be growing them. That bed is affected by onion white rot and I decided to take it out of my general scheme of rotation for a while. I started off with five rows of six plants and am increasing by two rows a year presently but two rows per year will be taken out from year 4 onwards. By the time I have gone over the whole bed and reincorporated the bed to my scheme of rotation (but excluding onions), and then grown strawberries again it should have been clear of onions for almost ten years. Hopefully that should be long enough.

The berry I use is one called maxim which I sourced from Ken MUir. Really big berries, around eight to the pound. I have a lot of friends at strawberry time.

[buzzingtalk]

Yum yum! I have 10 strawberry plants outside grown from runners, and another 3 'mother' plants. I also have some white alpine strawb seeds, so hoping to have about 20 plants for summer, yum yum!

[buzzingtalk]

I only got drips and drabs last year with the 3 mum plants, but very tasty they were!

They are all in individual pots, how big should a strawb pot be?

[Aberdeenplotter]

For a single plant, I would say minimum 2 ltrs but watch you don't let it dry out.

[buzzingtalk]

Is it better to put a few in a bigger pot as the soil will keep moist for longer then? I think this would be easier too and there wouldnt be so many little pots lying about....

[SunnyU]

Slightly off topic question. You know how in the autumn you are supposed to be able to get new plants from your runners that have grown during the summer. I completely missed out doing this last year. Is this something I can do in the spring too or is that just completely the wrong time? Would it be best just to cut the runners off now so the plant can concentrate on producing fruit rather than growing the runners....??

[bramble]

If your plants still have runners on then pot them up and give it a try. Don't cut the runner off from the parent plant untill you see some sign of growth. You have nothing to loose.

[Germinater]

Iv got 50 plants this year have 10 new cammbridge favs but want some 'Mara des Bois to as I love my alpine and this plant is supposed to be the ultamate strwb plant can't wait this year have a amazing amount of flowers on the plants from this hot spring not sure how many il get from 50 plants bt sure the kids will help keep the strawberry suppliy at bay

[buzzingtalk]

yum yum, 50 plants!

I have 22 plants at the minute that will fruit this year, about a quarter have flowers on already and the rest are growing fast. they have survived spider mite, whitefly and greenfly attack so far this year as well as a cat that likes to bed down in my pots!! but they are growing well and I'm expecting to get fruit off all of them - i will have to weigh it i also have 7 alpine seedlings on the go but they are tiny still so they are for next year. i am looking to buy some alpine plants - are there any people would recommend in particular?