Strawberry Plant Maintenance

Back in August I cut back my strawberry plants as I do every year and planted some new plants that I grew from the runners.

I took away the straw that i put down and put some new soil/compost down.  This has seemed to work wonders as I now have a green oasis of strawberry plants and some fruits on some of the plants.

My question to you is do i just leave them as they are or do i cut them back again .

Many thanks

Ken

3.11.11

Well congratulations you seem to be doing the right thing and growing your strawberries quite successfully!

The fact that you have lots of new green growth and fruit is down to the mild autumn we are having.  I too have small fruit on some of the new runners that I have planted up.  I would suggest removing these fruit but leave all the new green growth intact, this will ensure your plants are strong for next year.   You didn’t say where you had your strawberries planted but I would suggest either overwintering them in a cold frame or covering them with fleece. I have used Insulating Fleece to protect my garlic this week and will be doing the same to my strawberries.  After the winter we had last year I think this will be a good idea.

You can also extend the growing season by placing early varieties under cloches or polythene in late March.  We also sell an Eco-Green Aerated Polythene which is excellent for ripening up your strawberries or outdoor tomatoes.

I have taken the opportunity of including some product links to give you an idea of some of the products available on our website. You can also follow my monthly Kitchen Garden Diary if you are interested in reading what’s been happening in Stephanie’s Kitchen Garden.

Good luck with next year’s crop.

Kind Regards

Lynn Burton
Horticultural Adviser