TRANSPLANTING STRAWBERRY SEEDLINGS FULL

They allow berries to hang out in every direction and create a beautiful accessory that is both ornamental and edible. These coir-lined wire baskets are supportive and large enough for 1-2 bushy strawberry plants. My personal favorite way to grow strawberries is in hanging baskets. Certain containers are designed to keep strawberries dangling in the air or off the side of the pot rather than sitting on top of the soil. We all love chocolate-covered strawberries, but we’d prefer our strawberries aren’t covered in soil. Keep Berries Away From Soil For one strawberry bush, the volume of the container must be at least 3 liters. This is why it’s best to pick a container that is a minimum of 6-8” deep, but ideally 10-12” in depth for a flourishing root zone. Deeper roots mean more physical anchoring and a greater resilience to drought or nutrient stress.

Whether they’re growing in containers or in the ground, strawberries tend to grow roots about 6 inches to 1 foot into the soil. Shallow roots mean more likelihood of falling over and out of the pot in the event of high winds, heavy watering, or even heavy fruit sets. Strawberries have fairly shallow root zones, but they don’t want to be so vertically restricted that they can’t dig deep enough to hold the plant upright. You can select from a wide range of window boxes, terracotta pots, grow bags, and other types of planters to grow abundant berries on your patio or balcony. When it comes to their container preferences, strawberries are pretty laid back.

Choose The Right Pot Particular attention should be paid to the choice of pots for strawberries. You can learn more about transplanting strawberries in this guide. This is a super straightforward process that is very similar to planting vegetable seedlings. They are easier to handle and don’t require as much precision as planting bare root crowns. Similar to the garden veggie 6-pack starts you may be used to, these plugs will already have established root balls and lush growing foliage. This is because 1) bare root strawberry crowns often come in larger quantity bundles and 2) they require a bit more planting knowledge.įor the quickest, easiest start to establishing your strawberry planters, choose nursery starts that are ready to transplant. While bare root strawberries give you the most bang for your buck, nursery starts tend to be the best for beginner container gardens. Use Nursery Starts After a strawberry has been purchased or prepared from seedlings, it must be transplanted into another container. June-bearers also need more pruning and tend to get tangled inside of containers. They take one year to mature (start growing fruit), produce lots of runners, and only provide one big flush at a time (great for canning, but not for snacking).

TRANSPLANTING STRAWBERRY SEEDLINGS FULL

They are the highest yielding types that tend to flower and fruit reliably so your containers stay full of juicy berries throughout the season.Īs a rule of thumb, it’s best to avoid traditional June-bearing types in container gardens. If you want to pick ripe berries off of your strawberry containers throughout the season, day-neutral cultivars are also prized for hanging baskets and pots because of their abundant yields that keep on coming all summer long.īoth ever-bearing and day-neutral cultivars will readily produce fruit regardless of the day length. These varieties are compact in size, produce the fewest runners, and yield 2-3 consistent flushes throughout summer and fall. Generally, ever-bearing varieties tend to be the most reliable container producers. This will allow you to get sweet berries all year round. Our favorite compact strawberries for containers include:Įver-Bearing or Day Neutral Cultivars For growing at home, you need to choose ever-bearing or day-neutral cultivars. Depending on your pruning methods, compact strawberry plants can spread up to 6-12” in size and about 8” tall.Ĭompact strawberry varieties may still produce runners (the little suckers that shoot out to grow new plants), but are easier to control. Others are bred to be a bit more tame and compact so that they grow as small bushes.

Some strawberries are natural roamers that want to create big mats of groundcover. Choose Compact Varieties Before growing strawberries on the balcony, you need to decide on its variety, since not everyone will grow well and bear fruit in a pot. If you don’t pick the right type of strawberry, you may end up with a crowded planter or a tangled mess that produces a bunch of runners instead of berries. The perfect container strawberry garden starts with the right cultivar.

Transplanting strawberry seedlings