Growing bucket loads of strawberries in the veg patch has got to be one of the most enjoyable things in the world! Whether it’s in containers, grow bags or a raised bed, you’ll get a good crop for several years by planting up this summer.
Make sure you plant them in a spot that gets full sun and is sheltered from the wind. Plant them approximately 30cm apart and cover them with netting to protect from birds when fruits start to form.
One thing to bear in mind with strawberries is that once the fruits form you don’t want them to touch the soil as they will quickly rot and you’ll miss out on all those juicy berries! If you are growing them in a grow bag, do so by making holes in the grow bag plastic and planting the strawberries through the holes. This actually really works well with strawberries as you immediately are preventing the fruits from touching the soil. Job done. If planting into the ground, you could either lay down black polythene first, and then, like with the grow bag, cut holes and plant through the holes. Or, if you don’t do this, then as your plants begin to develop use the packing straw from your Rocket Gardens delivery to lay at the base of your plants to keep the emerging fruit off the soil. The only downside of the latter is that the straw can make a good place for slugs to hide and you may lose a few berries to slugs!
You’ll probably find that you don’t get a huge harvest in the first year, but once the plants are well established you’ll get a better crop the following few seasons. You can also propagate the runners after your plants have fruited, giving you extra plants next season and so on.