Strawberries

[Jax]

I have several places with strawberries. I have always read that they prefer full sun. So I have two beds in full sun, one bed in partial shade and the other in mostly shade as its in a planter under a nectarine tree. The ones under the tree are doing fantastically, the ones n partial shade are doing well and the ones in full sun are teeny weeny and not really doing anything. Any ideas as to why this is? I was wandering if the sun is ripening them to fast?

[Jax]

should just mention the beds arent actually beds they are just areas of lots of pots. The pots are 5.5 litres and there is one strawb in each pot.

[FB.]

The semi-shade helps retain moisture.

As you may have read; I live in a warm, dry part of the UK and combined with a shallow, light soil, we get almost no penetrating rain during the summer. Even the weeds won't grow here.
In my garden, plants are happiest on the North wall, where they manage to get a little sunlight from the East early in the morning, and a little sunlight from the West late in the evening.
I'm gradually surrounding my garden with full-size fruit trees, in the hope that they will create some shade and allow the soil to remain a little cooler and damper in the summer, thus allowing us to grow a better selection of plants.

[Jax]

Thanks fb, I see your in cambridgeshire. Which part are you in? If you dont mind me asking. This was what I was wandering, gonna relocate the rest I think.

[FB.]

I'm not far from Cambridge and Ely.

I'm on the edge of the fens.
Unfortunately we're not on the lovely rich, deep, moist fenland soil.

It seems as if I'm sat on where an ancient coastline may have been (maybe before the fens were drained).
I am surrounded by sand and gravel quarries; the high sand and gravel content of the soil makes it drain and dry very quickly and won't hold nutrients. The topsoil is only an average of 12 inches deep (with lots of stones and a ginger sandy hint), beneath which is compacted gravel "beach pebbles" that is a virtually impenetrable spade-stopper.

Some nearby villages have "beach" or "sea" in the name, which I often wonder whether it gives a clue to them having once been on the water's edge and explains the shallow, sandy, gravelly soil.

Believe me, the soil is so poor that I often think of moving so that I can enjoy a lovely garden.

Attached is a picture of my lawn, taken a few minutes ago.

The camera is looking South-East. To the right is a high wall that blocks part of the sun from the South-West, and the valuable shade created by the wall is why the grass is greener on the right of the picture.
On the left of the picture, you can see that the grass has died, which happens every year about this time.

[Jax]

oooh someone in my part of the country lol. My lawn has gone rather brown but it does sound like your soil is terrible. Im now in the process of moving them into the shade abit. Got one side of the garden that is mostly shady.

[bendipa]

I have several places with strawberries. I have always read that they prefer full sun. So I have two beds in full sun, one bed in partial shade and the other in mostly shade as its in a planter under a nectarine tree. The ones under the tree are doing fantastically, the ones n partial shade are doing well and the ones in full sun are teeny weeny and not really doing anything. Any ideas as to why this is? I was wandering if the sun is ripening them to fast?

Strawbs need as much sun as possible. It sounds like you may not be watering enough the ones growing in full sun. If the plants wilt with fruit growing on them, then the fruits will not develop properly. I've grown strawbs in sun and in shade, and the ones grown in sun do much better and are sweeter in flavour than the ones grown in shade any time. It's also possible that for some reason the flowers may not have been pollinated properly, in which case the fruits will be misshapen.