Strawberry Bed

Hi

I have finally been allocated an allotment plot and got straight to work over the weekend trying to dig some beds as its all grass at the min. I have go 2 smaller beds finished at the back each about 3 meters long and 1.2 wide and wanted to make one a strawberry bed and just wanted some advice please.

Should I make 2 long mounds and plant a row of strawberries on each mound or just keep it flat and plant 3 rows? All the info I could find says plant them 2 feet apart then fill in gaps with the runners for next year but is there any need to use the runners unless I want to renew the bed? Surely it’s better to just leave them to concentrate on growing and producing fruit rather than other plants.

My plan was to use the other smaller bed for salad crops then after 3 years swop them over with new strawberry plants made from the old ones. Also do I need to add a bag of compost to the soil or can I plant it as it is? I don’t have raised beds so wasn’t sure how to keep the soil levels even if I have to keep adding to it each year.

Sorry for all the questions but I’ve already been told my one old guy on there that I’ll never last as I’m a woman so I at least want to get one bed right and up and running lol

 

I'm not entirely sure but I beleive that strawberry runners are generally sent out ofter the plant has fruited, in which case you can have both. Strawberry plants also need removing after about 3 years on average so you will need to produce more to replace them.
Planting on mounds is good to help water get to the bottom of the roots but I've always had them flat and never had a problem. Throwing a little compost in won't hurt either, especially if the land hasn't had much to improve it for some time.

Allotmenting has traditionally been a male thing, but my site is about 50/50 and I think it's becoming much more of a family thing too. Old guys can be a wealth of information but if he's a miserable sod just leave him be. Good luck! :-)

 

I use three beds consisting of:

1) 3 year old plants that will be pulled out after cropping this year
2) 2 year old plants
3) '1 year old' plants (runners from last autumn).

I always used flat beds and suspect that birds would forage in any top dressing and chuck it down the bottom of the slope. They're enough of a problem doing that even with flat beds that I sometimes put narrow pallet slats around the perimeter as an edge restraint.

All that is before the netting goes on to stop the birds eating most of your crop (slaugs will be after the rest). It's probably a good idea to make your beds fit the mesh you'll be using to cover them, rather than the other way round.

 

Thanks alot for your advice guys much appreciated

 

Aah, a challenge. He's thrown down the gauntlett now.

You can now do better than him (We'll all help you

And then tell him that he won't last as he's old & going to die soon

 

ha ha I'll keep that in ming Ziggy lol

 

No advice from me, but congratulations on your allotment. How exciting.
I keep thinking that I'd really like one, but realistically I don't have time at the moment. Maybe in a few years.

Can't wait to see how you get on.

 

Before you start planting your strawberries, can I just suggest you take a look at this http://www.gardenvegetables.co.uk/category/gardenfruit/grow-fruit/grow-strawberries/

where it says '..... Growing strawberries in a place where grass has been growing is also a big no no. As where there is grass, there is sure to be wire worms and you can be sure they’ll get to your strawberries before you do!'

Just a suggestion

 

The theory regarding mounds is fine - it increases the heat to the roots and improves drainage but in practice for a small garden plot doesn't make a vast difference to the final crop. We are now on our 4th bed in a bit over 25 years and have never used ridges but do mound each root when first planted. The only time we root runners (in pots) for propagation is the year before we plan to move the bed, otherwise we chop them as soon as they develop.
If you've the space, starting new plants in a new bed after 3 years isn't a bad idea as you'll get a slightly bigger crop though I doubt if you'd notice a vast amount of difference if you left it 5 years.
Unless you feel compelled to feed the blackbirds, netting is essential and you can reduce the possibility of slug chomping by planting through collars of weed supressing membrane.

 

Cheers Dave, I've got a load of strawverry plants on order from thompson & morgan free thanks to the good old tesco vouchers so im just gonna go with it and see what happens