Strawberries - Organic Growing Guides for Teachers + Students + Schools - One Pot Pledge

1. Strawberries
Attractive low growing bushy plants,
with white flowers and hanging stems of
luscious fruits. Strawberries look good
in pots, planters and hanging baskets.
They will thrive outdoors, in a sunny spot
for ripening the fruits.
Buy young plants to put into your pots.
They can crop for 2 or 3 years.
Home grown strawberries rarely make
it into the kitchen, let alone into a bowl.
They are delicious straight from the plant.
Start with an ‘everbearer’, a variety which
crops from early July to autumn.
Suggested pot size: 4 plants in a hanging basket, 35cm diameter.
3 plants in a 30 x 30cm pot.
Photography © Ray Spence
All strawberry varieties can be grown in pots.
Some ‘everbearers ’ to try: Aromel’ – medium-sized, well-flavoured berries.
‘Calypso’ – crops in June and again in late summer
Remove early flowers for a better autumn crop
‘Everest’ - reliable and steady cropper
‘Flamenco’ - medium to large berries; crops late August/early September
Plant
1. ut a 3cm layer of large gravel or broken up
P
polystyrene into the bottom of a pot.
2. ill pot to within 3cm of the rim with moist
F
compost and firm down gently.
3. ot grown plants - turn the pot upside down
P
and gently tap the plant and soil out. Plant it into
the bigger pot. Bare rooted plants - spread the
roots out as you plant.
4. n both cases do not bury the plants too deep.
I
The ‘crown’, where the leaves emerge, should
be just above soil level.
5. Water well and recheck the depth of planting.
Strawberries
Growing tips
Buy plants either growing in small pots, or
as ‘bare root’ plants (bought by mail order).
Plant in autumn for the best crop next
year. If you plant in spring or summer,
remove all the flowers for the first 6
weeks so the plant has time to grow good
roots. Hard to do, but worth the wait!
Compost to use:
Potting compost, organic and
peat-free. A loam based mix is best.
Watering tips:
Keep compost moist, but don’t over
water. Too much water will spoil
the flavour.
Support: None needed
Grow
Remove any flowers
that may appear over
the next 6 weeks.
Eat
Spring
Feb
Mar
Pick the strawberry fruits
when red. They develop
their real flavour when
really ripe. Enjoy.
Summer
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Protection:
May need to be covered with a net
when the fruits are ripening to stop
the birds eating them.
Feeding:
Use an organic liquid tomato feed
once fruits start to form.
Autumn
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Plant pot grown plants
Plant bare root plants
Harvest
www.gardenorganic.org.uk
The One Pot Pledge® concept was devised by Food Up Front, the urban food growing network. Trade Mark registered to Food Up Front. Garden Organic is a registered charity no.298104