Growing Strawberries under glass

[burnie]

I grew some planted runners some 30 years ago in a wooden trough in some potting compost and had some nice early fruits, so thought I'd try again. Now I've not got any of my runners from the outside bed potted up, so I will now buy some new stock and would be interested to know if anyone else was growing them and if they have any varieties to recommend. I have two 3 foot window boxes that I intend to put into use with the sole intention of just getting some earlier fruit, flavour will be the prime motivator to eat raw, I have a decent sized bed of outside plants for bulk/cooking later in the summer.

[Potstubsdustbins]

For the last 3 years I have grown several plants in the green house over winter and have had good success with early fruit. Sorry I can't help with a variety suggestion as like you I found a plant I like some years back and have stuck with it but for the life of me I can't remember what it's called.

[roitelet]

I grow strawberries in pots. Leave them outside until about Feb. and then take them into the tunnel, give them a feed and get early fruit. The variety is Surprise de Marché. This year I have first year runners and will probably keep the two years before replacing them.

[Bigmallly]

I have transplanted around 30 Elsanta into 15cm pots and placed in the soft fruit polytunnel. Don't know if I'll get an earlier crop but it can't hurt to try.

[Snadger]

I have some runners in modules in the greenhouse. They are their because I am renovating a plot and I'm not sure where they are going yet. In the short term I may pot them on and grow them indoors but I have heard they need a spell outdoors to innitiate fruiting buds?

[burnie]

Most of the commercial polytunnels near me have their plastic removed in the autumn and then put back in the spring. They are planted in the ground though, so next winter I might just plunge the pots in the ground if I do leave them out, just to prevent the root ball from freezing.

[bario1]

I had a couple of plants in the polytunnel this year and they definitely gave an earlier crop than the same plants outside. I just took year two plants from outside in February and put them in baskets. Although I removed the plants from the tunnel after fruiting, they've suffered from lack of water over the summer, so I'll probably just bin them and pot up new ones next year.

[Potstubsdustbins]

These were mine from earlier this year a good month earlier than the mates outside.

I bunged them in the GH autumn 15 after I had removed the toms and apart from the odd watering left them to it. They are only first year runners so when they have fruited they go outside to replace 3 year old plants.

[burnie]

These were mine from earlier this year a good month earlier than the mates outside.

I bunged them in the GH autumn 15 after I had removed the toms and apart from the odd watering left them to it. They are only first year runners so when they have fruited they go outside to replace 3 year old plants.

They look nice, do you know the variety?

[boatsman]

Are Alpine strawberries any good for eating? I've never had the room to grow strawberries. Here they are marketed in February/March.

[boatsman]

I have never had the room to grow strawberries. Here they are on sale in February and March. Are Alpine strawberries feasible to grow in planters, or do they need a large plant pot or tub?

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

I grew some planted runners some 30 years ago in a wooden trough in some potting compost and had some nice early fruits, so thought I'd try again. Now I've not got any of my runners from the outside bed potted up, so I will now buy some new stock and would be interested to know if anyone else was growing them and if they have any varieties to recommend. I have two 3 foot window boxes that I intend to put into use with the sole intention of just getting some earlier fruit, flavour will be the prime motivator to eat raw, I have a decent sized bed of outside plants for bulk/cooking later in the summer.

Hi Burnie!

First n foremost "Cambridge Favourite" is the "Bee's Knee's" It's what is delved out to the posh frock n top hat Brigade at "Wimbledon" So if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me! They are pretty gorgeous to eat too, soft, sweet n everything a strawberry should be!

So don't go buying any, PM me your address and will gladly forward some "Bare Rooted" stock on!

I have never had the room to grow strawberries. Here they are on sale in February and March. Are Alpine strawberries feasible to grow in planters, or do they need a large plant pot or tub?

Boatsman! Alpine strawberries are so much smaller than the norm, but so much more sweeter, and are better suited to growing in tubs n baskets of any size, and yes, any strawberries grown under cover gives an earlier yield than normal!

[Potstubsdustbins]

As with everything else my strawbs are grown in containers. A 6" x 6" x 20" trough will cope well with 3 plants.

[burnie]

Hi Burnie!

First n foremost "Cambridge Favourite" is the "Bee's Knee's" It's what is delved out to the posh frock n top hat Brigade at "Wimbledon" So if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me! They are pretty gorgeous to eat too, soft, sweet n everything a strawberry should be!

So don't go buying any, PM me your address and will gladly forward some "Bare Rooted" stock on!

I've got some Cambridge Favourite in my out door plot, thanks for the kind offer was thinking of something a bit different, sure I will be able to find some plants outside from this years runners. I have two boxes to use, so CF's in one and something else in the other, I just wondered if there was a variety especially suited to growing under glass.

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Although I never grown them myself, "Mara des Bois" seem to be the raved about French variety that all the top chefs recommend highly, and with them being French, would lead me to think they would lend a hand at growing in warmer climates. (Under glass)

I know Monty grows them at "Longmeadow" and he swears by em!