Strawberry dilemma

[tootles]

I have just bought some strawberry plants which are trying to fruit. I think the chap in the shop said that I should remove the flowers, but I was juggling bad children at the time! Should I? I am very new to this whole fruit and veg game, but have time, space and determination!!!

[Flummery]

At this time of year I would definitely remove them. The old advice used to be not to let them fruit in the first year but I would only do that for seedlings. You will get a small crop in your first year and then loads in the second and third. Don't let them form runners (little plants on long stalks growing from the centre) in the first year - but in subsequent years you can pot these up and make replacement plants. The strawbs are usually exhausted after 3 years but you can keep them going this way.

[andrewo]

You want them to root well, so I would take off the fruit or remove only the strawberries on half your plants and cover the other half with cloches or fleece. That way you can get some fruit this year and after they have fruited, prune them back hard and they will then develop stronger roots. The idea with taking off all the fruit in the first year is so the crowns establish well.

[jeannine]

If any of the flowers go black in the middle, that means they have been killed by the frost and won't fruit, so just nip them off the way you would deadhead any other flowering plant.