Strawberry help

[happygirlie]

I have inherited a raised bed, 3ft x 12 ft full of strawberries. The previous owner of the property said the will be fine for another 2 years, but ( sorry complete novice) how do I look after them?

I have ordered a strawberry cage to protect them , but they look tatty now with lots of dead leaves. Do I cut the dead leaves off or cut the plants back etc. and will I need to put straw under the plants and if so when?

Thanks in advance.

[redser]

Hi, yes cut out the dead leaves, but no hurry, within a couple of months will be fine. You could give them a general fertiliser feed or mulch of manure or compost in march. Then when the flowers and fruit form in may/June you can feed them with tomato food. Enjoy, nothing like them

[greenishfing]

when the flowers start to come give them a good weed then spread straw thickly underneath -I buy a bale from a local farm for about £2 - this keeps the berries off the dirt and helps stop weeds.

[Aberdeenplotter]

The previous owner of the property said the will be fine for another 2 years, but ( sorry complete novice) how do I look after them?

Strawberries normally produce a good crop for three seasons and after that the number and quality of the berries tails off dramatically. if yours are good for a couple of years they must be fairly new.

I don't put down straw until the berries start to form. If it's down too early, there is more chance of it getting wet and just providing a hiding place for slugs. its also easier to keep weeds down without the straw.

[happygirlie]

Thank you all for the good advice - I'll let you know how I get on.