What to do with strawberries after they have finished fruiting?

[IndigoElectron]

I know strawberry plants only need to be replaced every three years, so what do I do with them after they have finished fruiting? I assume they become dormant, so I need to store them somewhere until the next year, but how and where? They will be going in hanging baskets and one of those strawberry planters - can they stay in there or do I need to dig them up? What about light, feeding and watering? I don't have a greenhouse but do have a shed, or do they just stay outside? If so, do I need to protect them with fleece? Thanks.

[Dorothy rouse]

After they have finished fruiting, they will become dormant, all you need to do later is trim and tidy up the dead leaves, take off and replant any new runners, for more plants. Leave in ground , no need for fleece. You will need to protect them with netting tho, cos birds, and squirrels like them and slugs of course. Think I gave mine a feed nearer to fruiting time.

[Dorothy rouse]

Whoops sorry, I've just re-read your post, if they are in baskets it may be different, I haven't grown in those. But have grown Alpine strawberries in one of those planters, left them in there till following year, then spilt them up into more pots.

[Ladyslip]

I've had some in polytunnel on a strawberry grow table thingy......the runners I took and left..... have survived pretty well....the main plants on the whole have struggled a little but we'll se e what spring brings....as Dorothy says no need to cover just trim dead leaves and general tidy making use of the runners for new plants I think my prob with the ones in the growbags was neglect.......they need a little water over winter......the outdoor ones are fine...no cover just trimmed and left

[Newishgardener]

I agree with everyone else strawberries are very hardy just trim them back a little an leave them be we took some runners off and put them in pots in the greenhouse and forgot to water them for three months and they seem perfectly fine (although this isn't an advisable approach) straw scattered around them definitely helps to keep the slugs away though :-) I think we only lost about two strawberries that were hanging off the edge of the straw you can just about make them out in the back of the picture :-)


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[rustylady]

Leave them in their containers over winter. Just trim off dead leaves and make sure they don't dry out completely. No frost protection needed.