If you’re a strawberry lover, few things make you smile more than fresh strawberries. Sure grocery store strawberries are good but when they are grown in a garden or container you control the ripeness at picking and there is the personal satisfaction of knowing you grew them yourself.
But you’ve heard strawberries are difficult to grow. Is that true? Can they be grown in a container? What are the tips and tricks?
1. The Pot. Strawberries absolutely can be grown in a container. Strawberry pots (a specific kind of container for growing strawberries) are available at most gardening and nursery stores. But if you want to use your own container be sure to buy a pot with drainage holes in the bottom or drill them yourself.
2. Watering. Strawberry plants don’t like soggy/wet soil. I know, I know. I see dry soil and I am rushing for a watering can myself. But, simply stick your finger into the soil and if it’s moist an inch under the surface, no watering is needed. Beware though, if you’re planting in containers, you will need to water more often. So, check often until you understand the requirements. Also, water early in the day, before full sun hits your plants especially if you water from above. Strawberry leaves don’t like to be wet in the heat of the sun. So, water early enough so that if the leaves get wet they have time to dry off.
3. Space. Space is always an issue when growing anything in containers. When your strawberries begin to grow in the container, they will spread out and can take about 2 feet of space. Planting them in a hanging pot is a good way to solve this issue.
4. Plant Security. No you don’t have to call ADT, but birds, squirrels and other rodents want your strawberries. How do you protect your strawberries? Add netting around your plant. I’ve heard a plastic owl can scare away squirrels and other animals that want your strawberries. If you’re using netting don’t forget to cover from the top as well to keep the birds at bay.
5. Crowns: You can start strawberries from bare root crowns. Be sure you know where the crown of the strawberry ends and the roots begin. You don’t want to bury the crown. The crown is where your new plant leaves grow from and eventually your strawberries. The illustration provided helped me immensely. Identifying the crown and not burying it will spell either success or complete failure. Don’t bury the crown.
6. Color of Pot: Grow your strawberries in light colored containers. Why? Darker colored pots conduct heat which will heat up your soil and affect the root system of your plant. So use lighter colored pots. Besides who doesn’t love terra cotta?
7. Fertilize: You should fertilize every 3-4 weeks with a liquid fertilizer. The fertilizer should have a high Phosphorus content. Why? Growth. You want your strawberry plant to grow. Don’t forget, you’re growing in a container, so everything your plant needs for growth and fruit production comes from you.
Growing your own strawberries doesn’t have to be scary. While they do require some attention and love from you, never forget, you will reap the benefits when it’s time to pick.
Happy strawberry growing!
Owls are nocturnal. I have squirrels climb all over the fake owl
“illustration provided”? Did I miss something?
Would like to see pictures of what you are referring to.
Thanks
I have had my strawberries in my veggie garden bed for several years, however, I wanted to get them off the ground and use the veggie bed for more veggies. So, this is the first season I moved my 25+ strawberry plants to vertical grow bags. I bought ones that have seven pockets per. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
The concerns I am having now is they are either just getting established (and a little shocky), or they aren’t liking this situation. I am concerned because each bag probably holds 2-3 cups of soil and they are a black felt-type material (after reading Mike’s comment about them liking to keep their roots cool, that triggered my concern).
Also, they don’t stay moist, but how much water do they need when they are in such a confined space? I am torn. I usually water them late in the day, as the sun is starting to set, but I see Mike suggests early morning.
Also the fruit is looking under-developed and dry, so I am going to take Mike’s advice (or someone above in the comments) and pinch off the blooms and fruit for this first year.
If this whole situation is bound to fail, I would like to make a change sooner than later. I figure I can always grow lettuces and other annual veggies in the bags if nothing else.
I appreciate any advice. Oh, and I live in Northern California, so we don’t have really cold winters, but fairly hot summers (sans humidity).
Thank you!
Carol
Carol,
I really have no idea what to suggest for strawberries in bags.
I’ve read several places about putting geese in the strawberry beds and supposedly they keep them weeded, but don’t harm the plants or eat the berries. Has any one tried this, and if so how did it work?
I had three varieties of strawberries growing inside 1/2 of my 10′ x 20′ greenhouse for 13 years, always an abundant harvest, at least 12 bushels every season, until the moles and gophers got into it. last year. Totally decimated them as well as my well established Asparagus in the other 1/2., after they destroyed my outside 25′ x 75′ vegetable garden. I’m too old to restart any of it now,, and being in stage 4 Parkinson’s Disease cannot function well enough anyway. Just wanted to let everyone know, that although I have squirrels and all kinds of birds, they weren’t the culprits I was worried about, as my precautions kept them out for the most part.
I’m so sorry for this awful loss. I hope you have better in the future, and thank you for sharing.
I’m sorry. That’s terrible. Those pesky pests! I hope you are able to at least manage to grow a little something. It’s therapeutic. It sounds like you had a gift for a roaring garden. I’ve always admired that in successful gardeners. Knowing what to do.
For years I was never able to even grow a zucchini. Quit trying to do a garden. A year or so ago I realized why. Rats. Don’t think Mike’s suggestion of mesh would keep them out. Gnaw right through it. They’d come in and clean everything out when things were growing. Reamed out pomegranates and left none untouched. Ate the grapes, orange blossoms, etc. I’m sure the squash blossoms. I was outside one night and saw them in a tree on the branches moving from place to place. Prayed for an owl. God brought one, Things started growing again, the orange tree produced oranges, Pomegranates were untouched. It was great.
Where I grew up there were several commercial berry farms. Acres of strawberries and raspberries. Every one of those places bought sawdust from us to spread between the rows of berries. This was pine and spruce sawdust, very acidic. They put it down several inches deep between rows. The rows were about 3’ apart, and they would train the runners into the center of that 3’ space, and then every 2 years mow down the original plants and make that the center. Something to consider, if you can buy sawdust from a mill that cuts softwood.
I have 200 ft. of strawberries and looking for an economical way of covering them from birds! Any suggestions?
Lee,
I’m guessing that the netting they sell just for that is probably the most effective thing you can do. Anchor one side securely so you can flip the netting over to pick.
In the Gulf Coast area they protect things from seagulls especially around open air restaurant using monofilament fishing line strung back-and-forth across to your garden so it confuses a flying bird or the bird runs into the obstruction there by deters the birds from entering your garden ,
Anything less than netting and the birds (and squirrels and mice) will just walk right in.
Possibly a cheaper way than buying bird netting is buying tulle (wedding veil material). You can often find on ebay for $1/yard and get all kinds of colors!
Do these strawberries need to be brought during the Michigan Winter or can they stay outside.
Greg,
Strawberries are extremely cold hardy, they should be fine outside.
I am from Michigan and some times the winters can be pretty brutal. I would suggest watching the long-term forcast and if it calls for a long period of freezing weather, bring the plants in. The ground can freeze and stay frozen until into April. Just watch the weather pattern and go with your instincts. It never hurts to cut a few of the runners, plant them in small pots and bring them in anyway, just in case.
Carol,
I’ve had a bunch of strawberries in small containers here in the nursery for the past two winters. First winter 15 below, second winter 21 below. They did just fine, bloomed and now they are making fruit. You have to be careful bringing things inside that are really meant to be out in the cold. Waking them from dormancy in the middle of winter is never a good thing. Throws them completely off cycle or worse it can kill them. I work hard to keep all my plants dormant for as long as possible in the spring. That’s how they are the safest. Out in the cold, but dormant.
Carol, I will tell you Michigan has nothing on Alaska for cold winters, and strawberries do just fine left outside here. I cover them with a few inches of leaves NOT to keep them from freezing (would take about 10 feet of leaves for that!) but to keep them stable from freeze/thaw cycles.
As Mike says, do NOT bring them inside, it will screw up their cycle of dormancy.
I tried for 10+ years growing strawberries. Did not have any success until I discovered that they need micronutrients. In my case it is boron. Now I get a very nice harvest every year. Love strawberries and cream plus my wife’s jam.
If you live in a cold zone, my son Grant has been growing them this way for 3 years now.
We live in Chicago where its very cold in winter. He just brings them into our unheated garage for the winter and every year they come right back when he hangs them back up.
I live in Elgin and I never had to bring my strawberries into the garage. My strawberries survive the Chicago winters just fine! And Rlgin is colder than Chicago!
Thanks I always read your email and happy to get new ideas. God bless you.
I find this is a great way to grow several viraties of fruits and veggies. I do black seeded simpson lettuce and it grows great, but you have to remember to water ir.
Thanks for the info. I will try growing it in a hanging basket. Mine are in a plastic container. There are lots of daughters but up to now no strawberries. It’s been 9 months now. What must I do for my strawberry to bear fruits?
Try this website for more strawberry info! http://strawberryplants.org/2010/08/strawberry-plants-producing-runners-but-no-strawberries/
There are lots of reasons different plants don’t set fruit. In my experience strawb’s flower and start fruiting before sending runners. If there were no flowers, which I’m assuming is what happened, it’s because of shock. I’ve rarely if ever had new bare root transplant fruit their first year. If you had flowers and no fruit my money would be on over fertilization, temp, or lack of pollination though you would expect some fruit set with the last, unless you’re growing them indoors.
You are right about strawberries , but let me add this . If you have the plant patch in the ground when the runners start making other plants simply take a small pot put soil in it and plant the babies in it. Let them grow in the pot until they get big enough to start a new patch. Then cut the runners up to the new plant Let the runner plant feed off of the mother plant. Because After about 2-3 years the original plants will get week and stop producing. For better strawberries when you buy a plant and plant it you are suppose pull the first year flowers off and that will make a better plant the next season ?
Growing Strawberries – I have been doing this on and off for decade and would offer the following additional suggestions:
1. Some 40 years ago I saw Strawberries being grown in Guernsey
in grow bags hung verticle = nothing new in this world?
2. In Zone 5 terra cotta will flake up and disintegrate if left outdoors over winter
3. Strawberries particularly like limestone based soils.
4. Propagating runners it is particularly important not to step on the runner or to squeeze it – the resultant plants will likely not bare fruit.
Is there anything on the time of year to plant strawberries, the recommended type/kind of plants and suggestions if you want a bed in the ground as opposed to a pot?
Thanks, I really enjoy your posts and learn a lot every time.
Stan
That is up to you Stan!
Nice article, thanks! Can you provide more detail such as (1) what kind of soil? (2) when to plant–i.e. it’s now June (zone 6), is it too late? (3) what varieties of strawberries are best for planters? (4) will there be harvest first season of planting? if so when? and will there be more than one harvest per season? (6) how to winter them?
Thanks!
Myrtle, please check out this website http://www.strawberryplants.org
Myrtle,
Strawberries are not that complicated. Like most plants, they’ll grow in just about any soil that is somewhat fertile and not soaking wet all the time. You can plant strawberries anytime of the year but most are planted in spring because that’s when the plants are available. They’ll bear fruit the first year, at least a little, but you’d be better of pinching off those flowers to allow the plant one full year to get established before it has to work so hard to make fruit.
I wintered my strawberry plants over in my homemade greenhouse of PVC and plastic sheeting and duct tape. They are in straw bales and I used a frost cover on top during the winter and radiant heat from clay pots to heat the 11 by 18 foot area 1 on each end I am in Missouri and with the roots being protected it was green all winter long!
Been planting strawberries in hanging planters for a while. Try using old gutters and hang plants. Works great for patios.
@Joan;
I live in far northern California and have been growing strawberries in two 6′ gutters for two seasons now. We get freeing weather and some snow and I did not remove the plants from the container. They are mounted one above the other, about 12″ apart on a 5′ tall garden fence. They put out daughter plants which reached the garden soil below and grew there as well. I mulch them with straw and also painted the gutters white before hanging and planting. The upper gutter is hung with a slight slant so the excess water runs into the lower gutter. The lower gutter has drain holes drilled in the bottom every 12″ or so.
such a smart idea!
Love reading all the comments. People are so creative and helpful. Thanks everyone!
Hello, and thank you for your timely blog! I have strawberry plants sitting in a cardboard box waiting for me to plant. Space has been the issue. Your blog reminded me I have a large strawberry pot in the shed! I have a few questions about planting in a strawberry pot. What should be done with runners and daughter plants growing from a container plant? How much space does a mother plant need?AND, most important, I live in zone 5 in the northeast. How do I overwinter my plants since the pot would not make it outside through a New England winter?! Thanks in advance for your help!
Cher,
Like any other plant strawberry plants need to go dormant during the winter so they can rest, then come spring flower and make fruit like crazy. The plants over winter outside just fine, but if you try and protect your pot make sure the plants are in cold area so they go dormant and stay dormant and you can’t let them dry out. Even dormant plants need moisture.
Where can I buy strawberries fro planting?
Melody,
Your local garden stores will have strawberries in the spring. You can call around and might find some now. I’ve got them in my nursery left over, so if a person could buy them right now, dead of summer, they’d do just fine.
you’re great. I’ll try it.
Excellent article on how to grow strawberries in containers. Thanks so much.
This is a wonderful idea, I plan to use right away. I have a couple of questions: How and do you overwinter them in zone 5/6? Did you use Everbearing strawberries instead of the June bearers? I think that’s important for a more continous crop. Also full sun seems to be very important.
Thanks, for your idea.
Mary Lou
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What’s your thoughts on growing strawberry plants in old gutters. I recently read where they hung the old gutters and the strawberries would hang below them making for easy picking. I live in Southern Wisconsin and am concerned they would freeze out in the winter. I imagine they would have to be removed from the hanging in the fall and mulch them? What would you recommend?
I’m not Mike, but that sounds like more trouble than it’s worth, unless it’s in the south where freezing isn’t an issue. That far north, the plants need deeper soil for insulation from the cold. Mulching helps too. So instead of using gutters and then having to plant, use the gutters for things like lettuces, herbs, radishes, etc; things that grow quickly and aren’t perennials.hope that helps.
Very nice. Thank you much.
What type of soil do you use when planting veggies in a pot – “garden” soil or a potting mix?
Amma potting soil, never use garden soil in pots. It is too heavy kinda like growing in cement & may have bad stuff in it.
Thank you so much, I always look forward to your next email.