Strawberries

Hi can anyone help? My strawberries are starting to fruit and again they are tiny little fruits. I feed them miracle gro and Tomato Food but they stay tiny. Have I just picked a tiny type or am I doing something wrong. Same problem last year, to small to pick!!!!!!

 

Hi, Lizz, and welcome to GC.

There is another thread on strawberries going at the moment and I mention there that mine are tiny and have been for years ... they are in a strawberry pot on my kitchen patio and are very tiny, but very sweet ... I just pick them and eat them as I pass!

I'll be interested to hear if someone can say why they are small.

 

It sounds to me, like, you both have alpine strawberries. They are tiny, and if put in a border, they spread like wildfire, and even fruit well in full shade. they are renowned for their sweetness for their size.

 

Sounds like it to me too. I grew some from seed two years ago. I got loads of strwberries and the taste was great but they were mushy in texture and tiny - as small if not smaller than cherries. This year I've tried more established varieties and whereas they're coming up lovely sizes, I've not got a quarter of the amount.

 

Hi compostee. Mine are normal strawberries. The first year they were normal size and fruited throughout the winter even. I've had them several years and each year they've got smaller. I don't mind really ... I like walking past and picking a couple and popping them in my mouth.

 

hi lol. erm, all i can say i i think you may have to replace them. Strawberry plants will continue for years, but the fruit sometimes deteriorates in taste and size.It may well be that yours are only shrinking. who knows they may shrink enough to grow inside out. The first strawberry with the seeds inside If you're happy with them, well continue, but if not, get new stock and pot on the runners every second year and replace every 3rd - 4th year. Don't listen to professional suppliers that say runners are not a good choice. If they're healthy, there's no prob. Just refresh either the site or the compost when you replace.

 

They're lovely and sweet, so I'll keep them another year and think about replacing in the Autumn ... think that's when they sell them here.

 

Grow them from seed, its much more rewarding.

 

Is miracle grow organic ?

 

mmmmmmmmmmmmThanks for replies. Will pick them and eat them this year then replace I think for next year any names I should look out for, for big strawbs next year?

 

I have noticed that the strawberries on sale at the local market seem to be much smaller this year.

 

I have a strawberry tower that holds 32 plants and wondered how much water I should give them. I'm only asking as the leaflet that came with strawberries said it was bad to overwater and shelter the plants if heavy rain is forcast. It didn't say anything about the amount of water they'll need.

 

These have been growing on the windowsill in the spare room.I bought a packet of seed for �£2.99.There were 24 seeds in the packet but only 9 have come true.I`ll have to wait until next yr to see if it`s been worth the effort.

 

Mrs B, strawberries are suceptable to botrytis(greymould) and excess damp & cool exacerbates the problem as you have been advised keep them watered but don't let them be sitting in soaking wet compost.

 

We've discovered two strawberry plants in the garden, we're pretty sure they are wild. I was dissapointed to see that they were tiny as well. I was looking forward to them, still- but the animals seem to keep getting at them before they're fully ripe.

My FIL suggested taking a cutting but there are no runners. Should I expect runners and wait? Or just buy some seeds and plant my own?