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Strawberries are one of the most favorite fruit all over the world. They can have a sweet and sour taste, are perfect to be eaten idly or can go well with different desserts and salads too. The strawberry smoothie shakes and juices are also very popular among the people of all the ages as they are refreshing and taste excellent. For those who are very much fond of strawberries, they can grow them at home in pots or in garden easily without any problem. By growing at home, you can enjoy some fresh strawberries right from the garden which are free from different chemicals and also you can have as much as you want. Growing strawberries in pots is a very simple task if you know about the nature of strawberries and the environment in which they grow well.Those that don’t have much space in their gardens but are fond of this fruit can easily grow them in containers, which can either be a strawberry pot or a hanging basket or planter.
Many people don’t know how to grow strawberries in a pot? It is very simple task but seems difficult as most people do not have basic knowledge about this plant. You just need to select the type of container which can be a clay pot, a can and even the rain gutter, add some soil, plant seeds and water on a regular basis, and then enjoy some of the best strawberries right at your home. Here are 10 tips for planting strawberries in pots which will not only help you in growing the best strawberries in your garden but will help you to know how to grow strawberries in containers:
1: The best way to growing strawberries at home is to grow them in a container which has a good drainage. For this reason, the plastic containers with punched holes in the bottom and strawberry pots are highly recommended. Those who have made a rack of rain gutters for the strawberry containers should also have punched holes in the bottom for drainage. Related: growing eggplants in containers.
2: If you are using a small container, for example a container with 10 to 12 inches of diameter and depth of 8 inches, then watering them frequently is highly recommended. But don’t water it so much as your plants don’t need soggy soil; just water it when soil gets dry one inch below the surface. Keep in mind that strawberries have small root balls and so can grow equally well in the small containers.
3: Containers which have light color should be used for growing strawberry plants. This will help in keeping the roots cooler than those dark colored pots which can conduct heat. Dark colored pots may also burn the plants due to conduction of heat. Related: growing blueberries in containers.
4: You can start growing strawberries from bare root crown and seedlings too. But seedlings in a small 3 or 4 inch container establish themselves quicker than bare root crowns.
5: The soil needed for the strawberries should be loamy potting mix that has pH between 5.3 and 6.5.It should also be loose as this will help in holding water which is required by the strawberries for their growth and will drain out the excessive water.
6: When strawberries grow in the container, they will spread out in all the directions and can take about 2 feet of space. If you have planted them in hanging pots, then they will have a good space to spread out.
7: Growing strawberries indoors is also possible; however you should make sure that they daily receive 6 to 8 hours of the sunlight. For this, you can plant your strawberries near a window which may have sunlight for 6 to 8 hours.
8: Birds and other animals such as squirrels and other rodents love strawberries. In order to protect them from these animals, add netting or fence around your plants or install some measures like wind charms or scare crow kind of things which may scare away these birds and animals.
9: After every 3 to 4 weeks, you should provide liquid fertilizer in your strawberry containers which should have high content of phosphorus. This will give them necessary nutrients for growth. The selection of fertilizer should be done according to requirements of plant.
10: Strawberry plants have a short life. One needs to replace the plant after every three years.
We have strawberry plants in our garden that are upwards of 6 years old, and are still producing fruit AND runners; your comment about their 3-year lifespan isn’t necessarily true.