How To Grow Strawberries | Growing Strawberries | Killarney Garden Centre

http://www.KillarneyGardenCentre.com . In this video I will show you how to grow strawberries. Growing Strawberries in a containers is a simple and fast way to show you how to grow strawberries. Fruit is easily the easiest food to grow in the garden. Because you only have to plant it once and it will crop for many years. Fruit can be grown in pots also if space is tight or if one is living in rented accommodation and digging the ground is not an option. So let's start with what you can grow in containers. Probably the easiest and most popular crop to grow in containers are strawberries, you can grow them in hanging baskets, window boxes, or for maximum return from a small area, grow them in strawberry pots or strawberry bags. Plant these in the autumn outside and you will be picking fruit next June and July. If you have a glasshouse or polythene tunnel move some of your strawberry containers indoors in February and keep them well watered once they start to leaf up and you will prolong your cropping period as these will give you fruit next may a full 6 -- 8 weeks before the outside crop. Therefore you can have fresh strawberries for up to 5 months of the year. If you do choose to grow strawberries indoors you just need to be aware that on a regular basis once the flowers come on the strawberries you will need to tap the flower stems with a cane to ensure your plants are pollinated as bees do not tend to venture much into glasshouses and tunnels. Best Strawberry Varieties: Some of the most popular Strawberries grown in Ireland now are Elsanta, (main crop) which is a large strawberry, crops heavily and tastes delicious. Cambridge favourite is the no. 1 choice for fruit growers for many years however in recent times it has been surpassed by Elsanta. In any case it is your typical regular sized strawberry which crops heavily as a main crop and has very good flavour. Hapil is another main crop variety and does very well in light soils and dry seasons. It has very large conical fruit. Symphony is a late fruiting variety which fruits late and crops heavily there by extending the growing season. Judibell is later then symphony so this will extend your fruiting season even longer. Alpine strawberries are strawberries which fruit over an extended period but which have small fruit. Tips For Planting Strawberries: As I already mentioned you can plant your strawberries in containers no problem. If you choose to plant in the ground, they should be planted in a sunny sheltered location. Ideally the soil should not have grown potatoes, chrysanthemums, or tomatoes beforehand. Soil will need to be free draining and a PH of 5.5 is ideal. Dig in a good amount of organic compost and add potash fertiliser when planting. Keeping the fruit clean is an essential, sow them on a ridge through black plastic and this will help keep the fruit clean. Plant 18" apart and leave 12" between rows. Watering Strawberries | Feeding Strawberries If you plant your strawberries through the black plastic as suggested it is a great idea to lay flat tubing underneath the plastic. This will ensure even watering during the growing season. One end of the tubing is tied and the other end is connected onto the tap or house. Spaghetti piping can be used on top of the ground and individual spaghettis can be inserted at each plant. If watering otherwise be sure to avoid the fruit and leaves as much as possible as this will help prevent mildew forming on your plants and fruit. Feeding with a liquid tomato food onto the soil can be done up until fruit starts to go red and give your plants a feed of potash once they have finished fruiting. Pruning Strawberries Runners will be produced by your strawberry plants and you can either choose to cut them off as they grow or allow them to create a mat on the ground. The fruit will be more plentiful but smaller if you chose this option. Simply cut the plants back after fruiting to 3" over the ground. If frost is an issue early on in the season cover the flowers with a plant fleece. Protecting Your Strawberries It's important to be aware that you will probably need to cover your strawberries with a fruit net to prevent bird damage to them. Slugs can also be a problem at fruiting time, so spread slug pellets around them at this stage to prevent your crop being eaten. This will also help to control strawberry seed beetle. Aphids can also attack strawberry plants so check them regularly and use a natural bug spray to prevent damage. Vine weevil can be a problem with strawberries also, so treat the ground with supernemo once a year to keep them free of this pest. Online Marketing by: http://www.iBusinessConsultants.ie