Strawberry Plants

The strawberry is a true British favourite and one of the biggest sellers in our supermarkets. New and exciting varieties are popping up all over, including ‘summer-long’ fruit which crop for 5 months, different flowering colours and mildew resistant plants. However, strawberries are also one of the most chemically treated crops we consume, with many produced in hydroponic soilless conditions, severely effecting the flavour when compared to homegrown. Grown at home and picked straight from the plant, they are supremely tastier and undoubtedly worth the effort.

A row of plants will kick you off in the right direction as these plants like each other’s company, although they’re also happy in containers and raised beds. They enjoy a slow-release fertiliser, used moderately and with a high potassium level, and a straw mulch, or mulch mats around your plants will deter pests and retain moisture. Strawberries like to have good air circulation and will benefit from having their dead, brown leaves removed from time to time. Strawberries produce runners or baby plantlets that can be removed, potted up and added to your stock – this will keep your adult plants concentrating on fruit production.