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Strawberry pots

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Strawberry pots

Postby Joanbunting » Sat Apr 06, 2013 3:18 pm

On our trip to the Camargue yesterday DD bought me a beautiful terra cotta strawberry pot. Our Potager is too dry and there are too many beasties for the berries to survive so she thought that in our sunny (most of the time) garden pot grown berries would be both attractive and productive.

Have any of you grown straws this way? Any tips/hints/precautions?

It has 6 "holes" and the top is quite large. I bought, on the advice of our wonderful M.Appy in the market today a selection of so called "early" and trailing plants. I await further advice :wave :wave

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Re: Strawberry pots

Postby Suelle » Sat Apr 06, 2013 6:00 pm

I've never had much luck with strawberries grown in this type of pot. The plants on top grow OK, but they shade the plants below. Plus, of the plants below, at least half are on the shady side, so don't grow as well as those exposed to more sun.

Last year we had some spare garden space, so disassembled the strawberry tower into it's three pots, and laid them out in row. The plants were much more fruitful!

Good luck! If you can put the pot on a wheeled base and turn it regularly, it might help.
The blog which does what it says on the tin:

http://mainlybaking.blogspot.co.uk/

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Re: Strawberry pots

Postby Joanbunting » Sat Apr 06, 2013 8:41 pm

I feared this might be so but I do have a wheelie thingie so I'll put the pot on that and try to rotate it.

Thanks for the thoughts!

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Re: Strawberry pots

Postby Joanbunting » Sun Apr 07, 2013 5:07 pm

Right, strawberry pot planted by GCs who are looking forward to eating the resulting crop next time they visit - they have also planted lettuces, more potatoes and sown radishes and rocket. We can but hope!

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Re: Strawberry pots

Postby Happy Violas » Sun Apr 07, 2013 8:18 pm

I used to have 4 strawberry pots and they flowered beautifully, set fruit and the first year I was continually picking them for a month or so. They were on our front driveway and looked very pretty. However, after the first year the squirrels discovered them and from then on we had no more fruit. They brazenly ran across the driveway and front garden and took any fruit that had started to go pink. I tried to net the pots but a bird got caught in the netting and they didn't look nice so last year I put the lot on the compost heap. Squirrels are a real menace around here :thumbsdown :thumbsdown I grow tomatoes on the driveway and luckily :lol: they don't seem to have the same attraction to the rats with good PR.

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Re: Strawberry pots

Postby Joanbunting » Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:26 pm

Should I feed my strawberriy pots? If so on what ? (Sensible answers only) :tongueout :tongueout :tongueout

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Re: Strawberry pots

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu Apr 11, 2013 5:08 pm

Any fruit in containers usually likes liquid tomato feed, which has the advantages of being cheap & cheerful & you probably have some

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Re: Strawberry pots

Postby hungryhousewife » Tue Apr 16, 2013 12:02 am

Joanbunting wrote:Should I feed my strawberriy pots? If so on what ? (Sensible answers only) :tongueout :tongueout :tongueout


Joan! If you have a patch of stinging nettles, chop some down (leaving some for the butterflies) - put the cut stalks, leaves et al in a large bucket/water butt and top up with water. Let it fester for a few days. Put a clothes peg on your nose and water generously on anything that needs feeding. It smells rather like very bad old flower water, but it does a DYNAMITE job!!

HH

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Re: Strawberry pots

Postby Joanbunting » Tue Apr 16, 2013 10:50 am

Thanks for the tip. Next time I meet some nettles I'll collect some. Funnily enough, although nettle soup is very much a thing in France I have hardly ever seen any round here - probably too fragile.

In the meanwhile I bought a box of organic tomato and fruit food this morning so we'll se how that goes.

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Re: Strawberry pots

Postby Joanbunting » Sat May 04, 2013 3:37 pm

Result. I picked my first 5 strawberries this morning and there are masses ripening. I have turned the pot every day but it didn't make much difference for most of the week. We had 7 cms of rain in total

M is out in the potager planting the first lot of tomatoes right now.

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Re: Strawberry pots

Postby hungryhousewife » Sun May 05, 2013 10:57 pm

How exciting for you! I don't think our strawberries have even come into flower yet! We have literally only just started having spring during the last few days. You wouldn't believe that it is May, and yet we are only JUST starting to get leaves on the trees! Literally!!

I have to say though, that the weather this weekend has been lovely and I think everything is going to come at once!

I've been sorting out the flower beds and hubby has been down in the veg garden getting organised! I love this time of year!

HH

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Re: Strawberry pots

Postby Puss-in-boots » Tue May 07, 2013 9:59 pm

Our strawberries are only just starting to flower now and only a few at that. The weeds seem to be doing a better job! :roll:

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Re: Strawberry pots

Postby Joanbunting » Wed May 08, 2013 2:29 pm

We have spent the morning fighting the mauvaise herbes (weeds) in the veg plot and DD's garden. Two of those collapsable garden bags full and we have barley touched them.

Slugs now another problem after all the rain and the rise in temperature.

There are 7 or 8 largish strawberries ripening - they do seem to like the tomato food, so thanks for the advice Sue!

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Re: Strawberry pots

Postby Joanbunting » Wed Jun 26, 2013 2:57 pm

We have had two or three punnets-worth of fruit so far and still going strong. Can't say it is an ecconomical way to produce strawberries but it is fun and they look good.

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