How to Grow Strawberries in a Pot

You can grow strawberries in a pot as long as they have the right soil and get enough sunlight.  Strawberries have shallow roots, so it is easy to grow them in pots, both indoors and out. You can place your strawberry plants on a balcony, patio, or indoors in front of a sunny window.  Anything grown in pots will need to be watered more frequently.  The right time to plant strawberries is September – NOT in the spring.

Things needed

Strawberry plant from a reputable nursery, 10-12” pot with good drainage for one strawberry plant, potting soil, water hose set to soft sprinkle or a sprinkling can, fertilizer and a trowel.

Step 1:

Choose a potting container with drainage holes for your strawberry plant.  Strawberries can grow and produce fruit in any container that has good soil and gets enough sunlight.

Step 2:

Use all organic potting soil or stretch it by mixing very rich, dark, soil with some miracle grow potting soil – 2/3 potting soil to 1/3 yard soil to keep it light weight so the plant roots can grow, breathe and drain easily.

Step 3:

Place the soil into the pot filling 2/3 full. Water until the water begins to drain out of the bottom of the pot.

Step 4:

Make a hole large enough for the roots of your strawberry plant and place plant in soil.

Fill the pot with more soil, bringing the soil to the plant’s crown. The roots should be completely covered as shown. The stems emerge from the crown, so don’t bury it under the soil.

Make sure to water the soil just enough with a soft sprinkler until it is moist but not too wet so it will not produce mildew from over wetting.  Water the soil rather than the plant.

Water the soil thoroughly to collapse air pockets and reduce soil level. Add more soil if necessary.  One to two inches of water is needed a week.

Step 5:

Fertilize strawberry plants with organic fertilizer about once a month since watering them can wash away nutrients or add a handful of compost to the container once a month.

Most strawberry plants benefit from a time-release fertilizer; you can buy potting soil with the fertilizer already mixed in, or you can buy the fertilizer separately and add it to the soil.

Step 6:

Place the strawberry plant in a sunny window or under grow lights. Turn the pot often so all sides get light.

Tips:

When the ‘new’ strawberry plant starts to have blossoms and strawberries within say two months, it is best to take them off so that you could have a larger crop of strawberries the next year and the plant would be able to concentrate on stronger roots for a stronger plant.

The plant would last for several years to come.  Just be sure to remove all blooms (budding flowers) and runners that are produced in the fall until Christmas so that strong “Mother” plant growth is encouraged.

In order for the strawberry flowers to be generated as strawberry flower buds, the plant needs to continue to be well tended.  If water is not adequate during the period of strawberry flower bud formation, fewer buds will form.

Consequently, the following spring’s harvest will be significantly reduced.  If the strawberry plant is well tended, the strawberry flower buds should form, go dormant during the winter, and then burst forth again in the spring.  And, the more flowers there are, the more fruit you can harvest!

You must provide lots of light for your strawberry planter.  If you don’t have a sunny window or wish to place it outside, you will have to place your container underneath grow lights.  In the case of hanging pots be sure to turn the pot often so the back of the plant gets light also.

MIST your strawberries with water from a spray bottle to increase humidity levels. Strawberries fare better with high humidity, and the increased moisture will also discourage foliage pests.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I am from beautiful Bermuda born and raised. I’m an avid gardener and I intend to sell my organic fruit trees (grown from seed) and tropical plants right from my small yard. I have traveled the world as an opera singer and now I teach here in Bermuda as a voice teacher and coach. I’ve been married for almost 45 years and I have three children and four grandchildren.