Strawberry help please.

I'm a complete beginner so hoping that someone will be able to help me.

I have bought some strawberry plants, they are in tiny pots and sitting in my new plastic greenhouse (I really haven't a clue)!!

I want to plant them into a container so that I can put them on the patio
my questions are -

* can I plant a number of plants into a medium size container (how many could I plant together)

* do they trail and therefore would I need a tall container
or would they be ok in a long window box and again how shoud I space them.

Thanks in anticipation.

 

Plant them about 8" apart anywhere. They look after themselves as long as you keep them watered. They'll send runners out that grow into new plants towards the end of the season, so cut these off or pin them into the earth for new plants next year. The plants will need replacing every 3 years or so, so its worth letting a few runners form new plants.
Oh, net them too or the birds will take every last fruit.

 

and feed with Tomorite, when fruit are formed.

 

Feed them every 10 days or so and water them well, but don't let them get waterlogged. As they're new, 'baby' plants, don't expect to get many (if indeed any) fruit from them this year - they'll produce a few more next year, even better the year after and will fruit (as has already been said) for about 3 years after that.

Once you've pegged down the runners you want, (no more than about 3 from each plant as they're so young), wait until they've properly rooted then sever them from the parent. Don't cut the leaves off the parent plants as these will help protect them through the winter - you can wait until early next spring to do that.

Despite strawberries being 'soft' fruit, the plants are really 'tough as old boots' and won't need any special care over the winter - mine were frozen solid (literally) for almost 3 months, they're fine now and at 3 years old are just at their peak.

 

Thank you all.

I really appreciate your valued advice.

 

Hello Nightingale,

Thanks so much for this thread, I too am a novice and no nothing about anything in the garden and have myself gone out and bought a little strawberry plant (on offer at Frosts,local garden center). Your thread has saved me asking the same questions, good luck chuck in your harvest

One more ?
Will 1 plant be enough or is it advisable to have a few growing together?

 

I'd have a few (I have a 3 year old alpine, which gives tiny fruits, 2 large Elsanta bought from a nursery, and 8 smaller ones I bought as dormant, it was 10 originally but two didn't come round so well), the two big ones have a decent amount of fruit, some of the smaller ones have a few fruit developing, but I'm growing for the long term

 

You don't need to have any more than one plant to get strawberries, so you can have as few (or as many) as you wish or have room for. If you're fond of strawberries however, one plant is never going to be enough since the fruits will ripen probably at different times, so picking a bowlful from one plant on a particular day isn't very likely.

Don't (unless of course you want to) bother to rush out any buy more plants though, if you're prepared to wait, just peg down the runners and in a couple of years' time that one plant will have easily have turned into 20.

 

I have 7 plants.
3 of these plants were from runners last year. I did peg down 8 runners all in, 5 died over the winter :(

Anyway, flowers are showing and the plants look healthy. The only thing I would say is, watch strong winds.
We have had quite a strong wind over the last few days and 2 plants are flattened. I brought them into my garage to save them and it looks like that has done the trick.

Strong winds can rip strawberry plants out your pots/containers.

 

Thanks F'sMum and AF.
I didn't know what to look for in a plant at the garden center just went on what I felt looked healthy green with new leaves starting to come along. If I were going back to get a couple more would it be better to look for ones with flowers on already or just healthy foliage?

 

Looking for plants I stick to the basics.

1. Good foilage.
2. Does it look healthy.
3. Good root system.
4. Does the soil look dry or wet.

 

Exactly.

Harping back to what I said earlier, don't worry too much about any plant you buy having flowers, they're young so won't fruit much this year - some people say you shouldn't let them fruit at all in the first year, but I can't bring myself to do that! A generally healthy plant is better than one covered in flowers.