Strawberry flowers, but no fruit! Please help

[trudipowderly@hotmail.com]

Hello everyone,
I'm trying growing tomatoes and strawberries in hanging baskets this year for a change. I've had great success with the tomato, it looks fantastic and has masses of fruit, however the stawberry although it looks lovely with loads of flowers, they are not turning into strawberries - what am I doing wrong?
Hoping you can help, from Trudi

[Cloud]

Firstly welcome.Have you noticed if the flowers are dropping off?

[trudipowderly@hotmail.com]

Thank you
No the flowers are healthy, the petals eventually fall off and leave the middle but it doesn't form a strawberry - It's a 'Roman' and new this year if that helps.

[Two_Sheds]

Well, it all sounds right so far.
How long ago did the petals fall off? Roman is an early fruiter, so you should've had some fruit by now ~ if you didn't plant them just last week that is. They need to have been planted last autumn to be giving you a good crop now.

[trudipowderly@hotmail.com]

Thank you Two Sheds
I planted the strawberry about six weeks ago in a hanging basket in miracle grow with moisture granuals! Looks fantastic, blooming in everyway except no blooming strawberries! Only one plant, but it fills the basket.

[Two_Sheds]

Well, you shouldn't be expecting much then, if it's only a 6 week old baby. If I were you, I would pick off any flowers this year, in order to build the plant's strength up for a bumper crop next year.
"At the Gardeners' Question Time garden ...we planted two rows of the same variety...and in spring removed the flower trusses on one row. No fruit that year. The plants allowed to flower produced a small crop of fruit. The following year the "de-blossomed" row had more and much larger fruit than the plants fruiting for the second time" Grow your own strawberries - Telegraph

[trudipowderly@hotmail.com]

Thank you very much
I'll do that right away, how should I store the basket over the winter, I was thinking I'd put a new plant in each year, but obviously not.

[Two_Sheds]

It can stay outside over the winter, but don't let it get dried out or waterlogged.