Strawberry
Also called Garden strawberry.
| Light | full sun |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 3 days in the growing season, every 10 in winter |
| Humidity | medium |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Height | Up to 25 cm (10 in) tall |
| Pets | Cats not known, dogs not known |
Pet safety not established for this species.
Edible here means commonly eaten. Nothing on this site is medical or dietary advice.
Strawberries are usually planted rather than sown, from runners in late summer or bare root plants in early spring, and they crop best in their second and third years before declining. That is the rhythm to work with: peg down a few runners each summer into small pots, and replace a third of the bed every year. Keep the fruit off the soil with straw or by growing in a basket, which solves the rot and most of the slug problem at once. Water the ground rather than the plant, feed with a potash rich feed from the first flower, and cut off runners from any plant you want fruit rather than offspring from. Alpine strawberries are the exception and come easily from seed.
Ailments observed
| Brown soft patches on the leaves | Grey mould on the fruit in wet weather, or fruit lying on wet soil. Mulch with straw or grow in a hanging basket so the fruit hangs clear, pick daily, and remove any mouldy fruit at once. |
|---|---|
| It will not flower | A plant more than three years old, or one that has put its energy into runners. Replace plants every three years from their own runners, and cut runners off the plants you want fruit from. |
Filed underPlants that forgive a beginner, Plants for a balcony or a small space
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