Vertical strawberries?

Hiding in the warm with a stonking cold today, so casting my mind ahead to summer. I'd love to try strawberries but space is a premium in my garden and I definitely can't give over a whole bed to them. Would they cope in something like this, or is it more of a gimick?

 

Yes it would work. A few years ago I saw long thin grow bags designed to hang down drain pipes and have strawberries or flowers inserted down the front.

 

Strawberries need more soil to hold water and nutrients than these pots is what I felt after my exxperience. for the same space I would advise bags with side pouch holes to plant extra plants .

 

With containers I have always found that watering is key, it sounds simple because it is.

If you are going to be able to water every morning, especially in dry spells then there is no problem and the tri lobed pots you posted the photo of will work fine.

If they do dry out this can be a problem as the compost/soil/growing medium can shrink and glaze slightly, making re-wetting difficult. Even if they dont dry out the surface can glaze meaning water runs off rather than soaks in.

Keep and eye on that and if necessary you can "scrabble" up the surface with your fingertips and water will once again soak in.

You could also add water retaining crystals to your growing medium, they do the job very well.

Good luck, looking forward to seeing it dripping with strawberries later in the season !

Steve...

 

Thanks all, good to hear a mix of thoughts. I did consider the hanging bags, but not sure the landlady would be too impressed if I started drilling into the wall, and definitely don't trust the drainpipes here! Will give it a try with a few plants this summer and see where we get...

 

I was suggesting something like this

strawberries planter bag - Google Search:

I bought them cheap few ears ago at other site. the stacking tri cell pots are no use in summer as you need to water it around 5 times a day.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Vertical-Gar...=B00W42J0G2&psc=1&refRID=XYX6DBCA448PYVAQ4J0C

It all depends on size, the above hold ten litres (the same capacity as a 16 inch hanging basket), and when stacked will drain through and water each other, watering 5 times a day seems a little extreme, in last years really hot weather my hanging baskets needed no more than twice a day. A morning and evening would suffice, probably just morning for most summer days especially if using water retaining crystals.

The smaller versions of the above are probably useless though.

Steve...

 

I actually grew some strawberries in those containers last year. The biggest issue was trying to keep the compost moist, especially considering the summer we had. As you say, the compost just glazed over, and it was difficult to know for sure whether or not the water was actually ‘going in’. As a result, the crop was quite poor. I’ll have another go this year, but may well add some grit or something to keep the compost ‘open’.
Cheers... Freddy.

 

Which size Freddy? Do you know how much compost they hold?

Steve...

 

When I bought these, there were two options. I went for the larger of the two. I’ve just measured the inside diameter of the ‘pot’ part, which is 8”. As for the amount of compost it holds, I seem to remember I used up a bag (60 litres?)and a half for both planters, maybe a bit less.

 

Not sure if that helps, but last year I bought some "Hanging Basket Brackets for Concrete Posts":
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00B3SQOF8/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They works well enough, with no drilling and the added advantage of beign able to move them to another post easily.
They did not rust over the winter and are strong enough to hold safely 18" baskets.

It might be a good idea adding some vermiculite to the soil, if drying out is a problem. It traps some humidity when watering, and releases it when the soil dries out.
It does help a bit I think.

 

Sadly no useful fence posts here, the garden is walled on three sides and only one side is smaller than 10ft!

I've ended up going with a few drainpipe pots - the pipes are right by the back door and we're in and out twice a day to see to the hens so hopefully will be able to keep on top of the watering. We'll see how it goes!

 

I never heard of drainpipes pots before.
Actually, looking at pictures, they look very decorative too!
And they keep your plants away from slugs and other pests, which is great.
If I had drainpipes in the garden, I would certainly consider getting a few