Strawberries

[MissPea]

Hello! Can anyone tell me if they have maras des bois strawberries and if they are tasty? I read somewhere they fruit June till October and are tasty. I have lots of strawberry plants from one type but they all fruit and end in June so would be good for extending them.
Or any other recommendations?

[muck lover]

I have grown some Mara de bois this year along with garaguette to lengthen the season. They are tasty although the yield hasn’t been high. Still getting the odd fruit now although they are growing in my polytunnel and I think they would be over outside.
So yes I would say grow them if you have plenty of space.

[Sweet savory]

I also have Mara de bois in their second year, 3 in a trough outside. Not over prolific, mostly late June/early July although a few late ones a couple of weeks ago. Very sweet taste though. Mice love them

[burnie]

I grow them in pots and window boxes in my greenhouse, I love them, not a bad crop and yes I am still picking a few each day. I have now stopped pollinating them with a small paintbrush and concentrating on getting runners rooted for new plants, I have lost a couple each winter in the past.

[Vegi potager]

I put a dozen in as bare root outside in a raised bed and this has been their 2nd summer. I really like the taste but they are smaller that most shop brought or the Mallos I also grow.
They are well worth the space, my 12 take up 2/3rds of a square metre bed, they are a lot less vigorous than the mallo which are much larger plants.

This second year was great, started picking in June (lots) the second batch were smaller and more oddly shaped but a bit more water and some fertiliser and the third batch were pretty good although not as many as the first. There are still a few flowers out there now. (surprisingly the Mallo also gave me a second tiny harvest end of August too.) The Mara are very good for conserves and Jams as the tend to hold their shape if you use the smaller ones whole.

Mara don't seem to throw out too many runners though. Has anyone tried growing from seed and can give advice as I want to try this next year?

[Babru]

Following Burnie's example, I have a trough of ever-bearing strawberries in my greenhouse, and am still getting fruit now, which is great. Alba rather than Mara de Bois though. My question is, once they've finished should I put them outside? Do they need to get really cold - though my greenhouse is unheated, so will drop below zero in the coming months.

I'm interested to hear if anyone grown Mara de Bois from seed too.

[burnie]

I lost a couple of plants last winter and I think it was the cold that did them, I keep my Mara's in the cold greenhouse with fleece on top, not tried to get any seed from them though.