June sees the start of our Strawberry festival here at the Bell Plantation.
As well as being one of the nations most favoured fruits, and encapsulating all that is summery, strawberries come along with a bounty of health benefits, are incredibly easy to grow in all sorts of spaces, and have a perennial nature which means they have the potential to spring back up from year to year.
Growing Strawberries At Home
Strawberries are an incredibly easy and versatile fruit to grow at home, and will grow in a variety of spaces big or small. They don’t require any special accessories or equipment, and are fantastic for budding gardeners as they can be grown on patios, balconies, porches, window boxes, hanging baskets (even in an old baked bean tin can).
Growing Strawberries in the Ground
Before planting your strawberries outside, your plants need to be well-established and placed in a well drained but sunny spot. We advise preparing the area of planting with well-rotted manure, firm down well once planted and keep well watered. You can encourage new growth by using a high-potash fertiliser every few weeks.
Growing Strawberries in Containers or Bags
If you have a smaller space to work with, strawberries grow really well in containers, pots, hanging baskets and bags. Start by placing broken plant pots or stone at the bottom; strawberries thrive in well-drained soil. Once they are planted water well. You can encourage new growth by using a high-potash fertiliser every few weeks.
As an example of how easy it is to grow strawberries in a variety of spaces – check out the photo below of an example of an old pallet we’ve used here at the Bell Plantation.Â
