Here are a few quick tips for planting strawberries to help you get them into the ground as soon as possible. If you are new to gardening much depends on the variety. Hopefully there was a card or information from the giver or seller as to the name and type of the variety. “Everbearing” the berry I am familiar with is true to its name. They flower early in the Spring and keep producing fruit right up until freeze up or snow.
Containers …
If you live in a townhouse or strata you may have an extra challenge if you do not have a garden to plant the strawberries you will need containers. Having said that I have successfully kept strawberry plants in small wooden homemade trays about 2 ft x 1 ft and approximately 6 ” deep for several years until they could be planted into a permanent garden. For short periods I have also grown them in larger round plastic pots. This is something I am not familiar with so have included links to various sites on this subject in References.
General Information & Directions:
- If there is a label always follow your specific variety planting directions, eg:
- Always grow in full sun
- Soil should be a light compost rich soil (ie not heavy clay soil)
- Spacing: again follow label directions perhaps 12 to 18″ (a little closer in containers)
- Plant strawberries to the crown & not too deep in the soil
- Plants do not like to sit in wet soil so keep well-drained
- Important to fertilize monthly, and,
- Growing plants in containers usually takes more time & care to water, etc.
- Protect in winter with a mulch such as hay
- When runners set a baby strawberry transplant, save the first new plant for next year & cut off the remainder
Strawberries have always been a gardening favourite and once established take little care. They are quite forgiving and with regular fertilizer (compost), bloom and produce juicy, healthy fruit. Hope this has been of help. See links to previous articles on how to grow strawberries and how good they are for your health.
Have fun and enjoy your gardening ~ Cheers ~ Liz
Links & References :
- Many reasons to grow your own Strawberries
- Strawberries are good for your health
- Oregon State University Oregon State University “Growing Strawberries”
- Growing Strawberries in the home garden : University of Minnesota Extension
- Growing Berries on the Oregon Coast (similar climate to BC) includes section on containers
