My strawberry's are not sweet!

[CimaDirapa]

In fact they are a bit like the stuff you get from the shop in mid winter!!?

I have two big planters of Gariguette strawberry's in the Poly tunnel and loads more outside.

In less than 3 month since transferring the two planters to the poly they shot up and there is loads of nice fragrant red fruit. I picked the first round yesterday and away and behold they smell nice, soft as gariguette should be but taste like cucumbers

It is the first time I grow strobs in a polytunnel and the only different to how I treat the outdoor ones is giving them more water (the outdoor plants only get rain), what have I done wrong?

[Two_Sheds]

I find the strawbs are tasteless if

- they've had too much water
- not enough warm sunshine (not just heat, but actual sun on them)

[VirginVegGrower]

Overwatered? I don't know for certain but you can knock the taste out of toms if you water too much. Mine outdoors get nothing from me, just the rainwater.

[Florence Fennel]

There was something in a newspaper or on the television news this week about strawberries being sweeter if their watering is limited. Sorry, can't remember where I saw it.

[redser]

I grew my tunnel strawberries on capillary matting. So they got a constant steady supply of water (but only what they needed) and swelled up huge but weren't watery tasting. Maybe it's a case of too much water all at once for you? The matting is such a revelation to me, great for the plants and less work for you.

[CimaDirapa]

I grew my tunnel strawberries on capillary matting. So they got a constant steady supply of water (but only what they needed) and swelled up huge but weren't watery tasting. Maybe it's a case of too much water all at once for you? The matting is such a revelation to me, great for the plants and less work for you.

Yes, probably I felt that at 35c the strobs will die without watering once a week but boy I was wrong, tough plants strawberries.

I have one sheet of capillary mat somewhere so will give it a go. Thanks for the practical advice everyone. CD

[Florence Fennel]

Thanks for the reminder Redser, even though it was unintentional - I got a watering system from GYO for being MOM. It's still in the box in the shed, so I'll get it out for the plants in the stayput.

[redser]

My pleasure I'm setting up auto watering in the tunnel at the moment. I feel more like a plumbers mate than a gardener! And congrats