Perhaps the quickest and easiest fruit you can harvest the first season after planting is the strawberry. Plant a few starts this month and you will be harvesting fresh berries by mid-summer.
Unless you are into growing massive quantities for preserving, try growing strawberries in containers. A few pots of strawberries on a sunny patio or in a garden area will produce plenty of fresh fruit for desserts and snacking. If you have children in your life, get them in on the growing. A six-pack of strawberries, a large container and a bag of potting soil for each child will make a fun and educational summer project. Here are a few tips for growing strawberries in container:
GO BIG: Choosing large, deep containers makes growing strawberries easier when it comes to harvest yield and watering. Containers should be at least 12 inches deep and 18 to 24 inches wide. The compact nature of the strawberry plant makes it a good choice for vertical gardening. Strawberry towers with deep, wide pockets allow one to grow 15 plants or more in a 2-foot-square space. Avoid those popular terra cotta strawberry planters. The pockets are way too small for plants.
SOIL MATTERS: Strawberries like a loose, rich, well-drained soil on the acid side. At home, I make a 50/50% mix using top-quality potting soil combined with acid planting mix. Add in an all-purpose organic fertilizer like 4-4-4 into the soil mix. I also like to add alfalfa pellets. A quarter cup per 12-inch pot is good.
CHOOSE A VARIETY: Strawberries fall into three categories: June-bearing, ever-bearing and day-neutral. At the nursery, you will find several varieties of each.
June-bearing strawberries typically produce one heavy crop of large berries early summer, usually in June for a couple of weeks. ‘Chandler’ is a popular variety that produces extra-large fruit.
Ever-bearing varieties usually produce two to three separate crops from early summer to late summer. ‘Quinault’ is an old-time favorite that produces dependably here on the coast.
Day-neutral strawberries will produce a continuous light crop of berries from late spring through fall, until frost hits. ‘Seascape’ is a good one for coastal gardens.
PLANT CORRECTLY: Strawberry plants can be a bit particular about how they are planted in the soil. Not too deep, not too shallow, but just right. So, here’s how to accomplish this. Fill a container with soil. Plant the strawberry crown at soil level where the leaves meet the roots. The crown has to be at soil level. Soil should not cover leaves and stems. Roots should not be sticking up above soil level as well. Be sure to reserve a bit of potting soil for top dressing later on. A few days after planting, the soil will begin to settle and plant crowns will be a bit above soil level. Add more potting soil to cover exposed roots.
FEED ’EM AND REAP: A dependable 4-4-4 organic fertilizer applied every six weeks should be enough to keep day-neutral and ever-bearing strawberries healthy and productive. June-bearing strawberries should be fertilized late summer and fall. Fertilizers that are high in nitrogen will cause plants to put on a lot of extra-large leaves and few flowers.
ADD WATER: Strawberries will root quickly and fully in a container. They will soak up moisture during warm summer days. Be sure to give potted strawberries a good soaking when the top inch of soil becomes dry. Don’t let them dry out.
Terry Kramer is the retired site manager for the Humboldt Botanical Garden and a trained horticulturist and journalist. She has been writing a garden column for the Times-Standard since 1982. She currently runs a gardening consulting business. Contact her at 707-834-2661 or terrykramer90@gmail.com.
Comments are closed.