what kind of straw for strawberries

[jerseygirl]

I live in a London suburb and finding straw for putting under strawberries has been frustrating. All I've been able to find is some bags of "short cut" straw at Pet World but don't know if that could turn into a mess if the wind can blow it around. Any views/ideas?
I used permeable ground fabric twisted into fat lengths and put them under the plants last year but the strawbs fell into the hollows and got mouldy.
Thanks, jerseygirl

[rustylady]

You really don't need to put anything under strawberries - I never do.

They are much better with good air circulation - as you have found, lack of this causes mould.

[bearded bloke]

You really don't need to put anything under strawberries - I never do.

Ditto,there was never straw in the fields where we scrumpted them as kids either

[jerseygirl]

Thanks, all, I'll ponder that. But doesn't your fruit lie in the dirt? Crunchy strawbs.. ouch.

[weekendwellies]

I have used the straw that you get for rabbit hutches in the past. Not sure it made any difference to the outcome though, and havent bothered since that first year.

[Alison]

I don't use it either and don't get a problem with mucky strawberries and any that are I just run under the tap and then they're fine again.

[Rigel]

I use the short cut straw for pets and don't find it blows about much at all... I sort of tuck it in and push it down.

Honestly I didn't use it for years and never had problems with the strawbs, but now I have the straw I like to use it, I think it's pretty if nothing else :-D

[boundtothesoil]

I live in a very wet area and suffer badly from slugs, so I use barley straw under my strawberries as it's softer than wheat straw, hence easier to distribute under the plants. Whether it works or not, I don't know, but looks like the fields of strawberries, I used to see in Cambridgeshire as a child.

If you're going to use straw, buy a bale from a farmer or local feed/bedding supplier, it's much, much cheaper than buying small volumes at a pet store. It's also a pretty good weed suppressing mulch for use around shrubs and bushes etc. Once you get out of the suburbs around London, you're quickly into horse-keeping country and should be able to find a source.

[Two_Sheds]

I don't use any kind of straw under my strawberries, never have (in 17 years of growing them)

[Cfarmcity]

Thanks for sharing this information about strawberries.