Grow your own strawberries
Enjoy the taste of freshly picked strawberries by growing your own, they’re easy to look after and you don’t need much space, you can even plant them in hanging baskets or containers on a patio.
Summer fruiting strawberries produce one large crop of fruit each year between late May and late July depending on variety.
If you select your varieties carefully and have the room, you could be picking fresh strawberries from May until the first frosts.
How to plant strawberries outside
First prepare the site where you plan to grow your strawberries, try not to plant them in an area where you’ve previously grown peppers, tomatoes, chrysanthemums or potatoes as the soil may be contaminated with a disease that strawberries are susceptible to.
Good drainage is vital and a sunny, sheltered spot is preferable. Dig over the soil thoroughly to remove weeds and add some peat free compost and a suitable fertiliser, now you’re ready to start planting.
Create a hole slightly bigger than the root ball. The crown (this is the firm centre of the plant, which is surrounded by leaves) should be just above the soil. Strawberry plants need to be planted at the correct depth to prevent the crown from rotting or the roots from drying out.
Plant the strawberries 35cm apart and in rows 75cm apart.
What variety?
Summer fruiting strawberry varieties to try include Cambridge Favourite, Elsanta, Honeoye and Hapil.
Need more help?
If you need any free advice this month, don’t forget to get in touch with the teams at one of our member garden centres. Find your nearest GCA garden centre here.