By Jane Hayes / Garden Jane
Beyond being delicious, strawberries are full of vitamin C and antioxidants that decrease inflammation in the body. They can be a wonderful food if you are ill too, being easy to digest and packed with nutrients.
We love to grow a few strawberries and put them in many community and children’s gardens. Here are some tips for growing:
- Grow a blend of June bearing and ever-bearing strawberries so you have berries all summer long. You can get 225-500 grams / 1/2-1 lb per planted 30 cm / foot of strawberries with enough water.
- Strawberries need full sun
- They need 2.5 cm of water per week (~2 litres per 30 cm square / ½ gallon per square foot / one medium watering can)
- They prefer sandy loam with good drainage and plenty of compost
- If you have a small patio, balcony or patch of sun, you can grow strawberries in strawberry pots or towers. Replace plants every three years.
- If you have a larger garden, they are best in a dedicated bed as they will spread. Dig planting holes into raised beds (ensure holes are deep enough that roots won’t be bent) and make a cone-shaped pile of compost at the bottom of the hole for the roots to drape over (keep plants in a bucket of water while you transplant them to protect root system). “June bearers” do best in a garden with 45-60 cm between plants, in rows 90-120 cm apart. Mounds, 25-45 cm apart, planted with single plants, are best for “everbearers”.
- Strawberries will send off runners and these can either be clipped so the mother plant can focus on strengthening and bearing fruit, or you can let some propagate so you have more plants. When you have enough plants, you’ll want to cut the runners.
Enjoy!