Planting strawberries - do they have to be in rows?

[Russel Sprout]

Hi all

I've got around 30 strawberry plants which I grew last year. I bought them as plugs around a year ago and have since been growing them in pots. However, I am hoping to plant them all out into a bed today...

I've been reading up about spacing. Most sites recommend around 30 - 45 cm (12 - 18 inches) between plants, and anything from 60 - 120 cm (2 - 4 foot) between rows.

My question is whether the row spacing is essential? I'd prefer not to grow in rows and just have the bed filled with the plants, with the odd "stepping stone" to reach the ones at the back. Are the row spacing recommendations there for ease of cultivation and care, or for the health of the plants? Is it possible to just fill the bed with plants all 30 - 45 cm apart and not worry at all about rows?

Any advice most appreciated. And I hope everyone is enjoying the sun

Ta

Max

[Stan79]

Yes - the spacing around the plant is important... not the orientation.

[roitelet]

The spacing are better for the plants, they can get quite big. Rows will make cultivation and picking easier. Random planting will result in a huge jumble.

[Russel Sprout]

Thanks for the quick replies.

I guess I am still thinking to plant in rows, but with less of a row gap if possible (and if not detrimental to the plants). So if I went for plants 30 cm apart, in rows 40 - 45 cm apart, and the odd stepping stone in place of a plant so that I can reach all areas, would that work? Or would they be too crowded?

Thanks again

[Russel Sprout]

Sorry, reading back it is a bit unclear what I wrote it in the OP, and even the title. What I was really getting at was whether the large row spacings are necessary, or whether it is possible to do - say - 30cm between plants and 40-45cm between rows (rather than 3 to 4 foot between rows as some seem to suggest).

Cheers

[roitelet]

That should be OK.

[Bigmallly]

I think another thing to consider Max is that you have enough room between the plants to bury the runners...........

[flynch]

I plant mine in double rows, spacing maybe 20-25cm between them and only enough room to walk down between double rows. Many plants can be grown closer together than recommend but the yields per plant may be lower, plants can grow into each other and reduced air circulation can increase the risk of disease. As long as your prepared to take the negatives it's up to you if you decide to plant closer together.

[Mr Bones]

We have 60 strawberry plants and replace every second year. 30 are new plants from runners and 30 from the year before. It helps when they're in rows to keep track of which ones are new and which ones will go at the end of the season.

[SaraJH]

Mine are in a raised bed and planted using the SFG spacing, i.e. much more close than traditional spacing.
They are about 18cm apart and each row across the width of my raised bed is offset, something like this:

X_____X____X_____X____
X_____X_____X____X
X_____X____X_____X
X_____X_____X____X


Right, that's not showing correctly but every second vertical row of two is halfway between the previous row.

Edit to add a second explanation! Think of a chess board and I only plant in the black squares!

Etc, down the length of the bed from earlies to mids to lates, hope that makes sense.