Strawberries are a summer favourite, known for their juicy sweetness and vibrant colour. While we typically enjoy them in the warmer months, the key to a bumper strawberry crop starts long before summer—planting in spring or autumn ensures you get the best results. Here's everything you need to know about growing healthy, high-yielding strawberries in your garden.
Planting Strawberries
Strawberries are relatively quick to bear fruit, and they can produce a generous crop with the right care. However, since their best production occurs in the first and second years, replacing older plants regularly is important to maintain high yields.
Ideal Planting Time: Strawberry planting is best in spring and autumn. These seasons give the plants time to establish themselves before the peak growing season.
Plant Spacing: Space plants about 15 cm apart. This allows air circulation and ensures each plant has room to grow and produce fruit.
Planting Depth: Ensure the plant crown is just above the soil level to avoid rotting.
Runners: Strawberry plants send out runners that can be cut off and replanted to create new plants. This is an easy way to propagate and guarantee healthy plants year after year.
Soil Preparation
Strawberries thrive in sunny, warm, well-drained, humus-rich soil that is slightly acidic. To give your plants the best start:
- Add compost or Oderings Fruit & Veggie Mix to enrich the soil before planting.
- Plant strawberries in mounded rows or ridges to improve drainage, prevent root disease, and help keep the roots warmer.
- Apply Tui Strawberry Fertiliser at the start of spring, which is high in potash and promotes strong fruiting. For container-grown strawberries, use a liquid fertiliser like Yates Liquid Potash or Oderings Total Replenish.
Strawberries are also perfect for containers or hanging baskets. For container planting, use Oderings Potting & Basket Mix and add a "sausage" shape of sphagnum moss in the middle of the pot to help with watering and drainage.
Mulching for Healthy Growth
Mulching is an important part of strawberry care. It helps retain moisture, suppresses weeds, and keeps your strawberries clean.
Polythene: While black polythene can help keep the fruit clean and maintain soil temperature, it doesn't allow the soil to breathe, leading to soil deterioration. Being plastic, it also doesn’t let water in easily.
Alternatives: Use newspaper, weed mats, or mulch such as Tui Strawberry Straw. These alternatives allow the soil to breathe while helping retain moisture and regulate temperature.
Bird Control
Birds love strawberries just as much as we do, so protecting your fruit is crucial to ensure you get a harvest. The best way to keep birds away is by using bird netting.
Netting Setup: Do not simply drape the netting over the plants, as birds will still find a way to reach the fruit. The best method is to create a frame to hold the netting above the plants. This will make it harder for birds to reach the berries while allowing you to harvest them.
Top Tasty Tip for Flavour
To get the most flavourful strawberries, follow these two tips:
Fertilise with Potash: Potash is essential for boosting fruit production and making the fruit sweeter and juicier. Try Yates Liquid Potash for faster absorption than traditional powdered potash.
Reduce Watering Before Harvest: Reduce watering about a week before your strawberries are ready to harvest. This will help the berries concentrate their sugars and enhance their flavour.
Aftercare for Next Season
Prune: Once fruiting is finished, remove old leaves and stems to prevent disease and keep the plant healthy.
Replanting from Runners: Peg down healthy runners in small pots of compost to develop roots, then separate them from the parent plant to grow new strawberry plants.
Renewal: Strawberry beds should be renewed every 1–3 years. Older plants are more prone to pests and diseases, so replacing them ensures a consistent, fresh, healthy crop.
Perennial Care: Strawberries are perennials that can continue producing for a few years. However, replacing them every 2–3 years will help avoid the decline in yield due to pests and diseases.
Growing strawberries is rewarding and relatively simple with the right care. You can enjoy delicious, homegrown strawberries each summer by planting in spring or autumn, using good soil and fertiliser, and following proper maintenance. With these tips, you’ll have a productive, thriving strawberry patch that will reward you with sweet, juicy berries for years to come.
