container strawberry's

Can anyone offer any advice about growing strawberry's (this will be first time for me!) I have bought a strawberry planter with 12 holes and a pack of 15 Loran plants. Do I start at the bottom with compost then work my way up putting one plant in each hole. I have a small greenhouse, would they do best in there. Do I have to do anything else with them once they flower or is it just a case of making sure they get plenty of sun ? Any advice would be much appreciated :confused:

 

Hello Pinklady I would plant a strawberry plant in each hole , then plenty of water. The greenhouse is not necessary. You could put a cover over them if it is going to freeze.

Ewal.

 

thanks very much, would you put one in the top aswell

 

Yes by all means
Ewal.
I took a photo of the garden from the back door, here it is

 

Wow, you could fit my garden into a corner of that!. It's enough for a beginner though. I'll have a look for a picture

 

nice piccy ewal, i don t suppose the pond is large enuff for a steam yacht?...... a nice project to contemplate over a pint......

 

I have just ordered some trailing strawberry plants online and I was wondering what am I going to do for feeding? My dad back home he always uses horse dung on strawberries but this is not an option for me here (my dad has a horse, I don't). I have tried strawberries a couple of years ago and after three or four little flowers they just died on me. What't the best food for container strawberries?

 

I've read that tomato food is very good

 

We grow ours in pots on an A frame, 4 rows of 9 each side, total 72. My wife says if you feed them, all they produce is leaf, so all she does is re pot them in compost & garden soil. On the frame they sit in aluminium trays, very easy to water.

Ewal.

 

The pond was a swimming pool, but after the children left home I chopped 18inch off the top & turned it into a fish pond.

Ewal.

 

I bought one of those so-called 'Victorian' planters made of plastic with little half cups all over the sides. The instructions said to fill it with layers of potting compost and sand, placing the plants as it filled. The roots to be laid across the compost so the reached the centre where there is a pipe for watering. Well, I did it faithfully and the first year had a great crop. Subsequent years have been successively less despite attention. But what is flourishing is the massive bed of new strawberry plants deposited by the runners! They are producing heaps more fruit than the planter ever did.

The plants in the planter, of course, now need to be replaced but it's such a huge job to empty I just can't face it!

(PS I placed a small bit wide jam pot over the top of the pipe as it would fill up with snails and as those at the bottom couldn't get out for those at the top, they would die and I found strawberries don't much care for snail soup!!)

 

I found this webpage very useful - especially the container planting section which I followed. Using a piece of rigid tubed plastic I put this in the centre. I then filled around it with the compost and plants and then filled the tube with shingle and gravel. Pulled the tube up, and then had a neat central drainage section.

On the top I planted several plants which have all flourished whilst I think I may have damaged some of the plants I put in the side pockets as they were quite large when I purchased them.

The plants seem to have a 3 year cycle and all runners should be cut off in the first year and replanted seperatly

http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/fruit_veg_mini_project_february_2_strawberry.asp

 

Just looked at the website you put a link to. I think mine had started with powdery mildew because since I planted them they've been in the greenhouse. It is really moist in there, well it's one of those tiny 3 tier things and it's full of stuff I've planted up ready to put out when its a bit warmer. I'm glad to say that I was right to pick the leaves off (3 plants with just a couple of leaves each) OOHHH I hope it doesn't spread :rolleyes:

 

I've kept mine outside since I had them as the cold hardening off actually helps the plant apparently.

I know what you mean about those three tier polythene greenhouses though - they are right sweat boxes.

Keep a battery thermometer in mine which records high and low temps and already this year it has reached over 50degree centigrade in there!!