Any tips for overwintering my potted strawberry plants in polytunnel please?

Hi all

As the title suggests really... Photos below.

I removed runners as they appeared (after having propagated the new plants I wanted from them). I've since been removing shrivelled browned leaves as they turn.

There seem to be larger leaves on the outside, sprawling out, and smaller leaves on the inside, around the crown.

Some of the thoughts going around my head are...

1. Should I remove all of the large leaves now, or am I right to just remove them as they turn brown?

2. Do I need to water them at any point over winter?

3. What about feed?

4. Would some kind of protection against frost be a good idea or is that not necessary in a polytunnel?

Any opinions on these questions or other tips on how to overwinter them would be most appreciated.

Many thanks


Before removing dead leaves:




After removing dead leaves:

 

Well I would remove all dead leaves and water enough to keep the plants happy.
They grow well enough outside so given your poly tunnel should come into flower earlier next year.
Frost wont do them any harm unless it gets really arctic after Christmas, in fact a bit of cold will probably help.

I'd not feed until new growth starts to form next spring.

 

I used to leave runners in small pots outside over winter without any problem. Even if they looked dead, they always came back no matter what the weather was like. I sometimes tuck small plants among, or under, shrubs which was more than enough protection, and meant there was no need to water from autumn onwards.
I agree - no food over winter, just wait until they're actively growing again. That's also when you'd need to repot or change/top up the existing soil mix. They're hungry plants and need plenty of food when actively growing.

Remove dead leaves, but again - it's not vital. The only problem might be if it was too humid as they're in a polytunnel, and you might get some manky foliage with mildew etc, so make sure there's good airflow. That would probably only be a problem if you're in a mild/warm part of the country, and would possibly be more likely in early spring if the temps got high enough and it was also damper.

 

Keep a look out for overwintering pests, especially greenfly .

 

Ours are planted in the soil in the tunnel. They are given a fresh amount of compost but not watered during the winter.