Advice about strawberries - can I plant these now ?

Hello everyone !
I am an extremely inexperienced gardener as I have never had a garden before - the property I have just moved into however has a very thin strip of land that I can put pots on
I have tried to do a lot of research myself and I think I know what I am doing with the rest of the plants I want to grow ... Except strawberries hence the username
My question is this :
The strawberries I want to purchase are from rhsplants strawberry cambridge favourite (if you type that in its the top two links on google)
They are available as runners and pots
If I purchase runners now and pot them up will they be okay and flower/fruit in season ? I am in the south of England if that helps
My understanding is that these runners are "hibernating" and therefore if I pot them up now they should continue to do so and start actually growing when it gets warm - hence why I thought they would be okay but I am not certain
Or would pots be better and would they survive ?
Overall I could do with some advice please
Thank you !

 

I'd not plant them just yet, you would be better waiting a month or so, ideally they should have been planted last autumn but I realise that was not possible.
A lot really is depending on the weather which is why I would wait a while.

A freeze probably wouldn't kill them but it wouldn't do them any good either.
A nice sheltered spot up against a house wall, for the time being, might be a good compromise.

 

Hi and Welcome to the forum.

You cannot really go wrong with either potted or bare rooted Strawbs, but we would go for the bare rooted are they will likely be as good as the potted ones by mid season.

You can grow them in the ground or in pots or even the fancy strawberry planters, but if the ground is not an option then use single pots, but the biggest you can find as they will not dry out as quickly.

If you want to give them some protection that will help them get going earlier, but remove the protection once the flowers open. If you use protection on say just half then it delays the other half so you extend the fruiting season.

Do pick up one or two plants of other varieties from say your local garden centers just to see how different they taste .

 

Thank you ! I hope they are still in stock in a month !

 

Thank you - really appreciate the advice !

 

Think we would order them now while they show in stock, their sites does say it may be 4 weeks before they are delivered; the last few years most gardening stock has been in low supply.

If it does turn mega cold using some garden fleece or bubble wrap over them will keep them happy enough.

A lot of articles say take off the flowers in the first year as that allows the plant to build up the crown giving a really big crop the following year, yet we always let them fruit in the first year and get a decent crop, the second year still good, though again a lot of it is all down to the soil/compost and care.

 

Yes that was going to be my plan I think was order them in the coming week and assume they will take a bit to arrive which should mean like pete said they can be planted next month-ish to be the best for them - ooh I wasn't aware of the bubble wrap idea ! Thank you that's really helpful to know

 

You can use this fleece over the top of most plant for extra frost protection and for bug protection in spring /summer. eg carrot fly
Bubble wrap fine for around the pots, but only cover the tops of the plants for a few days with it as they cannot readily breath and may cause rot if used for too long.

Also find Barley Straw ( pet shops) good for under the plants when the fruits develop to raise them off the wet soil /slugs if you have them in the ground.

 

Ah brilliant thank you !

 

If you are challenged for growing space, another option:

 

oooh !!! fascinating thank you !

 

I always grow ours in hanging baskets, helps to avoid the dreaded Vine Weevil too .