Grow your own strawberries
It's easier than you think to grow these ruby red summer beauties - we talk you through harvesting your own bounty.
Strawberries are the quintessential summer fruit, and the good news is you don't need a lot of room - or experience - to grow them yourself. For more expert advice on growing your own fruit visit GardenersWorld.com. Now find out the best pick-your-own strawberry farms.
What you'll need
- 1 x strawberry pot
- multi-purpose compost
- piece of broken pot
- strawberry plants
Step-by-step
1. Place a piece of broken pot or some polystyrene in the bottom of the pot. Then fill with multi-purpose compost up to the same level as the first holes.
2. Push the plants through the hole, so that the roots are inside the pot. Fill the pot with compost to the next level of holes, pushing firmly around the roots.
3. Continue planting until you reach the top, then water. Cold-stored plants, available from March to July, can look scrawny at first, but quickly put on growth.
Good varieties to try...
- Honeoye - heavy crops of berries early in the season.
- Pegasus - tasty fruits with soft flesh and good disease resistance.
- Rhapsody- follows late in the season, with large berries
Top tips...
- Place the pot in a sunny position and turn occasionally, so that the plants grow evenly.
- Check that the compost feels dry before watering, and then give your pot a good soak.
- After your plants have fruited, cut back the leaves and give them a feed. This will promote growth and new leaves will soon appear.
- Strawberry pots are available from garden centres or Whichford Pottery
- Strawberry plants are available from garden centres of by mail order from Ken Muir
How to use your strawberries
Strawberry & rhubarb crumble
Polka-dot strawberry cake
Strawberry & tarragon panna cotta
Strawberry & rose sorbet
More strawberry recipes
For more inspiration check out our top 20 herb garden ideas for growing your own.
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