Best practices for strawberry patch

Morning all.

I planted out this strawberry patch about 3 years ago, from memory, but lost pretty much all the fruit to slugs (I assume, as I had it netted).

Last year I dug up the new plants from runners and tried my hand in grow bags which was more successful but is a bit more costly because of the compost.

While pottering around just now and tidying up I noticed how many flowers and fruits were growing on the plants, so as well as the grow bag from last year, I’m hoping to try and get as much fruit from here as possible.

As well as netting the area, what else should I be doing?

Thanks all

 

Just ensure they're well fed and watered

Once the fruits are forming, you can lay off the food, but then it's the slug problem, or birds eating them.
I sometimes picked them before they were ripe, and brought them inside to ripen fully. Easier to keep them from being eaten by wildlife.
It does tend to be easier to protect them in pots though. I gave up with them and I just have a few here and there in borders whch I leave for the birds/slugs etc. I'm not even sure why I grew them anyway as I don't like strawbs that much! Habit probably, as I always grew them for the girls when they were small.

 

Thanks @fairygirl

Is a liquid seaweed feed good enough (as I already have it!) or should I pick something up? Potash, I seem to remember vaguely might be good for fruits?

As for sacrificing them, that’s kind of what I did last year, keep the ones in the container for eating and the ones in the ground for the slugs and birds but there’s so many growing in the ground it seems like a waste!!

And I lurve strawberries!!

 

I always used tomato food, as it's ideal for fruits and flowers, whereas seaweed is better for foliage, which you don't really want for strawbs. One of the granular, slow release foods would also be fine.
The other thing you can do is to lay something on the soil surface once the fruits start to form. The plants can get quite top heavy once the fruits appear, and then you get problems with rotting etc when they touch the soil itself. Slugs again as well! I think straw is the preferred material, but anything that keeps them raised - even a few sticks to prop them up. It's why pots are often easier - they're not touching the ground.
I hope you get a really good harvest, but the problem is - you might get them all at the same time! You'll be well ready for Wimbledon though

 

I think I’ll be away for Wimbledon, so the slugs really will get a treat!! I’ll give a bit of tomato feed a go. Thanks @fairygirl

We’ve got muntjac in our area but none have got into our garden yet (that I’m aware of anyway!) I’m loath to use slug pellets, I might just see how it goes this year.

 

Grey squirrels are another strawberry pest; they seem to like them just on the turn and have no qualms of eating through the net, then sitting 'sweetly' and eating the fruit. They also run off with them, probably to wait until ripe !

 

You need something heavier than slug pellets; and a FAC.