Strawberries are among the most popular, and evocative of summer fruits. To my mind, no kitchen garden or summer desert is complete without them. Strawberries are adaptable and grow in most sunny situations.

Whether they spill out of strawberry towers, tumble from hanging baskets, troughs and containers or share a spot in the flower or vegetable garden, strawberries do not require a lot of space and they are rewarding to grow.

Planting

Plant strawberries in April through to June in warm central and northern regions and August – September in cooler southern regions.

Strawberries are herbaceous perennials that grow from a leafy crown. They send out runners that develop leaves and roots, forming new plants.

For the first season runners should be removed so that the plant’s energies go into producing fruit rather than foliage. In the second season plants can be left to form runners that are removed and re-planted for the next season’s fruiting. Strawberries can be left in the garden for three seasons before planting new plants. Fruiting will not be as abundant as in the first season. New plants should always be planted in fresh soil to avoid the spread of disease.

Strawberries are susceptible to the same diseases as potatoes and tomatoes, therefore, avoid planting strawberries in soil that tomatoes and potatoes have been grown in. Strawberry plants are frost hardy but take care during flowering that flowers are not damaged by frost.

Where to plant

Strawberries are adaptable and grow in most sunny situations. They do not tolerate wet soils.

Plant strawberries in a fertile well drained soil. Traditionally strawberries are planted in raised mounds. Mounding improves the drainage, increases air circulation around plants preventing the spread of disease and gives shallow soils more depth. Black polythene can be used to cover the mound before planting. If soil is well drained mounding is not essential.

How to plant

Plant strawberries 40cm apart in rows 40cm wide. Where possible, planting rows are best positioned in a north to south direction to ensure even ripening of fruit.

Spread the roots over the mound making sure the crown is level with the soil surface. Cover with soil. Firm the soil around the plants. If using polythene, plant into holes marked on the polythene. Try to keep the holes as small as possible to prevent weeds growing. Take care not to bury the crown. Water in well after planting. In early spring remove the flowers until the plant has made plenty of leaf growth.

Mulching

Mulching is very important to suppress weeds, conserve soil moisture and keep the fruit clean. Commercial growers use black polythene or straw for this reason. Home gardeners can use polythene but clean straw, particularly pelletised pea straw is a good substitute. Place straw around the plants to keep ripening fruit clean and healthy .

Feeding

Apply general garden fertiliser at planting time. Feed plants with soluble fertiliser such as Thrive Flower and Fruit in spring to stimulate growth. Fertilise plants again when fruiting has finished if leaving the plants in for another season.

Watering

Plants need to be watered regularly in the growing season and in autumn if it is dry. Reduce watering as berries start to redden. Over-watering at this stage will result in soft flavourless strawberries, increasing the chance of botrytis affecting fruit.

Harvesting

Allow the fruit to become fully coloured before picking. Birds love ripe strawberries so netting will need to be used to keep them at bay. Remove old leaves and stems when fruiting has finished.

Pests and Diseases

Although strawberries are susceptible to a number of pests and diseases, don’t let this deter you, as they can be controlled very easily.

Mites are minute sucking insects found on the underside of leaves in a fine webbing and cause distortion, speckling and silvering of leaves. Spray with Mavrik or Mite Killer.

Aphids are small, green sucking insects that appear on the underside of leaves. Spray with Mavrik or Fungus Fighter.

Slugs and Snails can be a problem with ripening fruit. Mulch with straw. Use Baysol or MacGregors Slug and Snail pellets.

Leaf spot appears as light brown round spots, sometimes with red margins. Spray with Fungus Fighter or Greenguard. Copper Oxychloride or Champ DP can be sprayed at regular intervals as a preventative against leaf spot.

Rust appears as small orange spots on the under side of leaves. Spray with Fungus Fighter.

Botrytis or grey mould causes fruit to rot and become covered in brown-grey spores. Spray with Greenguard.

Plants that are not thriving, with distorted yellow leaves, are likely to be infected with a virus. It is essential to plant virus free healthy plants. Viruses are spread by aphids. Destroy infected plants. Do not re-plant runners from plants that may be infected.

Also remember that birds will try to compete with you for the harvest – so ensure that you cover your plants carefully with netting. I find it best if this is raised up off the plants – this helps to make sure the fruit remains underneath the netting, rather than growing up through the holes. You can devise any number of types of structures, from basic frames to cane pyramid shape, so long as you can still get in to the fruit, and the birds can’t.