There are two major types of strawberry. Summer fruiting strawberries have a short season of about a month, while Perpetual strawberries produce three flushes of fruit throughout the summer months.
You can get an average of about 350 grams of strawberries per plant so a
block of 20 or 30 plants will keep everyone happy. Grow more and you will
be able to produce Strawberry Jam in abundance.
Summer Strawberry plants produce runners which can be planted to produce new
plants, so from a few brought plants, you can eventually fill an entire garden
at no extra cost. See down the page for more about this.
CAMBRIDGE FAVOURITE
A great summer strawberry with lovely red fruits that make a classic strawberry
jam.
AROMEL is a good all rounder. Grows well in almost all soils.
HONEOYE tastes amazing. These are my absolute favourite this year.
Do not choose ELSANTA which is often the variety of strawberry found on the supermarkets shelves. They sell them because they a long-lasting and look good, but they have so little flavour compared to the other varieties out there. you really will be wasting your time and effort if you plant Elsanta.
Strawberries do not produce deep roots so a little light digging is all that is required to get your garden or allotment ready for planting. Incorporate lots of organic matter (compost) into the soil to provide nourishment to your strawberry plants. Plant the young plants out in April or March if you are planting under poly-tunnels or cloches.
It is important to plant strawberry plants to the correct depth. The plants should be put in at the same depth as they grew in their pots. Now water well and wait for the fruit. Once the fruits start to appear, black plastic or straw around the base of the plant can stop you strawberries falling prey to hungry wireworms. Straw is great for keeping the drooping fuits off the damp earth and away from slugs too. Netting is good for the equally greedy birds who love strawberries as much as we do.
They basically look after themselves, although a weak solution of tomato feed will perk them up on ocassion. In spring, mulch well for good drainage.
This is so easy it feels almost sinful. In summer your strawberry plants send out suckers which run along the surface of the ground for a foot or two. The bud at the end will produce new roots and leaves if it gains a foothold in some good soil and will eventually form a new plant. You can help it along by holding the sucker down in the soil of a strategically placed pot using a stone, hairpin or small wooden stake. Wait 6 months and then sever the sucker to leave you with a brand new strawberry plant in its own pot. Each plant will produce around 12 suckers in a good year, so from buying just 3 or 4 plants in the first year you can find yourself with a patch of around 40 or more strawberry plants in year two. If you haven't the space, they make excellent gifts that your friends will really appreciate.
