Strawberries are the perfect starter fruit to try growing at home, in fact they were the first edible thing I grew! These plants are super easy and can be grown inside on a windowsill, if you don’t have the garden space. Home grown produce can be intimidating for many as we are so used to buying our food from the store. However, once you try your first bowl of juicy, red, homegrown strawberries you’ll never want to go back!
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Planting your Strawberries
One reason strawberries are a perfect starter fruit is because they don’t need a large amount of space before flowering. In my experience, strawberries can grow in pots as small as 5 inches, which is great for windowsill farming. However, smaller plants will not be able to produce as much fruit as those grown outdoors. Also, if you are growing in a pot it will need to have drainage holes to avoid root rot. To avoid water spilling onto your window sill you will have to use either another pot or a plate. I’ve included some cheap options here to use. These are also useful for stopping you from overwatering as the water shouldn’t excessively flood the plate.
The position of your plants is also important, as strawberries need a large amount of full sun each day. You should aim to avoid areas which do not get a lot of light, such as along high north-facing fences. If you are growing your strawberries inside pots, try to use a south-facing window to get the most light. It can be especially difficult for strawberries to get sunlight in the winter months, making them more vulnerable to dying. To best avoid this, aim to plant your strawberries in spring. This gives them time to develop a strong root system and full leaf beds before winter.
Tips for Growing
Strawberries need lots of water, particularly when the strawberries are first being established. I would recommend lightly watering the plant every day to keep the soil moist. However, you should be mindful of over-watering your plants as soggy soil will encourage root rot. If you are growing your strawberries outside, it may be best to use a sprinkler attachment on your watering can to get an even coverage of water to the plants and may help you better gauge the amount of water your plant needs. The perfect soil will be consistently damp without being so soggy that it squelches when you press against it with your fingers.
Soil Acidity
When choosing soil for your strawberries, you should aim to choose a more acidic soil. If you are using soil from your garden then you can check its pH levels to see if its acidic (you can check this using a pH soil tester kit, although this is not entirely necessary, as I will explain shortly). If the soil is neutral then you can purchase some acidic compost or use some home-made method to slightly increase the acidity of the soil. You can also estimate your soil’s acidity depending on which plants have thrived in it previously. Some flowers like Azaleas thrive in acidic soil, whereas others like honeysuckle and lavender prefer alkaline soil.
There are two main options for increasing soil acidity: tea or coffee grounds and lemon water. Used tea and coffee grounds can be sprinkled onto the soil and lightly mixed in to increase acidity. You can also place these grounds into water to form a tea like mixture before pouring it onto the plant. When using lemon water, you can make a diluted mixture of lemon juice and water (a ratio of around 1:9 parts) to pour onto your plants. I would recommend repeating these methods every so often as soil loses it acidity overtime
Pruning your Plants
In the early months of growing, you should cut off any early signs of flowering. This is because the plant has not yet developed a strong leaf bed and so will expending too much energy into flowering. Allowing a leaf bed to form will result in large, full strawberries so it most certainly is worth it in the end! In my own experience, from growing a seedling, it took around a month for a full leaf bed to develop. Once the plant flowers to will take around a week for the strawberries to grow enough for harvest. However, check on these throughout the week as any defective strawberries must be removed quickly to avoid infection.
Another issue to look out for is runners. These are long stems which protrude far from the original leaf bed and have a small set of leaves on the end. If these hit a bed of soil, they will begin to form roots and grow into a separate plant. Whilst useful in creating a larger strawberry bed, these expend a lot of energy from the original plant and prevent more flowers from growing. Therefore, you should cut these off in the early years to allow your plants to grow and develop a strong root and leaf system in their first summer.
Harvesting the Strawberries
When your strawberries are finally ready to harvest, it is important to know how best to cut the berries from the stem and prepare them for eating. When cutting the plant, it is best to use a small knife and gardening gloves. Hold the strawberry by the stem with your thumb and lightly press the knife against the stem. This should cut the berry cleanly from the rest of the plant, and allow new flowers to form.
Strawberries should be harvested within 3 days of turning red to avoid rotting on the stem. Rotten fruit can slow the plants growth and introduce bacteria to the plants. Furthermore, the smell can attract pests such as flies.
When preparing the strawberries, lightly wash them to remove any outside debris before patting them dry with a paper towel. Then, line a Tupperware box with paper towels and place the berries inside. This should allow them to last for up to a week before spoiling, however it is always good practice to look for signs of mould before eating to be safe.
I hope that this guide gives you all the tips and tricks you need for growing strawberries. Happy Growing!