My Strawberries are bolting!

[Ricardo]

A friend gave me a couple of strawberry plants last year and they did bear fruit (albeit not profusely) but this year they look to have bolted. They are max about 3ft high already!


So... what should I have done that I didn't do? And can they be salvaged or should I just hoik 'em out and start over next year?

[Greenleaves]

I can see a strawberry plant on the extreme right....the rest looks like weeds

[WendyC]

Those are definitely weeds. The term bolting refers to leaf vegetables which prematurely flower and produce seed before the vegetable has full developed, lettuces putting up a flower stalk. You want strawberries to flower and have seeds as this is the fruit. Strawberries only grow to about 6" maximum. Are your original plants hidden in the weeds? (Which I think is Jack-by-the-Hedge)

[roitelet]

Yes defiantly weeds, the strawberries are probably somewhere underneath. Get the weeds out ASAP.

[Greenleaves]

I agree WendyC, would definitely say Jack-by-the-Hedge

[rustylady]

The tall plants in your photo are not strawberry plants.

[Two_Sheds]

A friend gave me a couple of strawberry plants last year

Some friend

That's some achievement though, getting strawberries off a garlic mustard

[Ricardo]

OK everybody, thanks for all the responses. (Although I must profess to some embarrassment about the weeds). I really thought that they were the strawberry flowers but they just kept on growing...
I'll take a close look tomorrow and pull out the weeds to see what's lurking underneath.

[mothhawk]

A strawberry leaf has 3 lobes -


and 5 petals on each flower -


Jack-by-the-hedge, aka garlic mustard has a single lobed leaf and 4 petals on each flower.

[Jeanied]

I think you will find the strawberry plants tucked in underneath the taller weeds - I am sure I can spot 2 plants just visible.

[veggiechicken]

Don't despair Ricardo - Jack by the hedge is edible too - young leaves add a garlicky taste to your salad
More here Garlic Mustard