Will I get strawberries this year?

[funstuie]

I got a couple of strawberry plants from the garden centre last year but it was late in the summer when I got them (for about 30p). I planted them out in a planter and left them to it.

They got pretty big but there was no fruit or flowers on them last year. We were supposed to be moving so I didn't bother with them over the winter but they survived the snow and are no pretty healthy looking. One of the plants even had a runner which I pegged into the soil in the planter with a blueberry tree in it and that was doing fine.

This year as we are staying put I put a bit of effort into getting them going. They are now flowering but I am constantly fighting with slugs and aphids on the plants. I got some organic spray to try and tackle the aphids and I put some egg shells down to try ward off the slugs.

Do you think there is any chance I will get any fruit this year?

This year I got a strawberry planter from the GC (it's a terracotta thing with hole down the side to put the plants in), on the advice of the GC staff I filled it with compost from a growbag and planted the plants (also from the GC in a punnet of 6) in it by pushing the plants into the compost through the hole. All the plants are now dead, the only one which is still going (but not looking too clever) is the one in the top of the planter.

I have a couple of more which I got in pots from homebase, I moved these to a big 12" pot and they seem to be OK.

Could I get some more plants and plant them out and get fruit this year?

[WrexTheDragon]

Yes they should fruit, make sure you feed them with tomato fertiliser.

[lainey lou]

This year I got a strawberry planter from the GC (it's a terracotta thing with hole down the side to put the plants in), on the advice of the GC staff I filled it with compost from a growbag and planted the plants (also from the GC in a punnet of 6) in it by pushing the plants into the compost through the hole. All the plants are now dead, the only one which is still going (but not looking too clever) is the one in the top of the planter.

Can you take them back and have a moan? I would.

[funstuie]

Can you take them back and have a moan? I would.

I was thinking of doing that but they have all shrivelled up and so I cleared them out and left the top one going. So I have a strawberry planter with nothing in the little holes.

[funstuie]

Oh and I was out this morning before heading to work and the runner which was going guns in the blueberry pot is now dead. I accidentally broke the link back to the original plant when I was moving the pots so they would get more sun.

So that's another one gone. At the start of May I had 12 strawberry plants on the go, now I am down to 4.

[lainey lou]

Oh and I was out this morning before heading to work and the runner which was going guns in the blueberry pot is now dead. I accidentally broke the link back to the original plant when I was moving the pots so they would get more sun.

So that's another one gone. At the start of May I had 12 strawberry plants on the go, now I am down to 4.

Poor you!
................

[funstuie]

If I get some plants from the GC or through ebay will I get fruit this year?>

[Amanda1]

I planted some about a month ago, perptual rotunda (?) from JParkers - bare rooted, the books I've read say that because of the time of year I planted not to let them fruit this year, to pick off the flower blossoms so that they can grown bigger and stronger to fruit the next year

[FB.]

Almost every strawberry that I have seen will fruit in its first full growing season. Some strawberries seem to wait until they're 2-3 years old before producing runners.
It is best not to fruit young plants too hard in their first year because they ought to be channeling energy into becoming bigger plants that will produce even bigger crops in the following 2-3 years.

It sounds as if your strawberries have dried out and died. I find that pot-grown plants of any kind transplant much better if half the compost on the rootball is gently scratched away, to expose some roots. Those roots will rapidly tunnel their way into the ground when you plant them. Additionally, compost balls tend to shrink and create an air pocket around the roots. Roots won't grow near air, so the plant will not grow new roots. By p[artially breaking up the rootball, you allow some of the roots to break free of the srinking compost.

I also find that plants are best planted with 1 part topsoil to one part compost (if using home-made compost, mix two parts topsoil with one part compost). It seems to retain water better, allowing better rooting. By not being over-nutritious, it causes roots to spread further, looking for more nutrients. A bigger spread of roots gives better drought tolerance.

[quark1]

If you have dead or dying plants do tear them apart before dumping to ensure you don't have diseased specimens.

If they are allowed to just die drip-drip fashion you will have no hope of isolating sound plants and transplanting them to safe and clean surroundings.

If you do find diseased examples, dispose of by burning or via rubbish collection. Do not be tempted to add to any compost bin as you will 'preserve' the problem for the coming years.

Hope you do get some tasty strawbs later this year!

[funstuie]

All the dead/dying plants have gone in the incinerator so should not be a problem there.

[Bramble Lover]

We bought a planter which sounds similar to yours last year and had no joy.

The plants produced at most one or two strawberries per plant whereas the strawberries at the allotment were fantastic!!

Just cropped and cropped and I never fed them with anything either. Just kept well watered,, covered so the birds couldnt nick them and put straw underneath so they dont rot.

Can't wait for this years crop. Got two large beds with hundreds of flowers on them.