How to grow strawberries in pots
Fall is just around the corner. Do you know what is amazing? Picking fresh strawberries during the winter. Even on the coldest of winter days, you can enjoy fresh-picked strawberries for your favorite snacks and desserts without having to pay the phenomenal costs at the grocery store. Here is how to grow strawberries in pots.
All you have to do is grow strawberries in a pot right in your kitchen! And it’s not as hard as you might think. Growing strawberries in a pot is actually very simple and a great way to ensure that your fruit is all organic and doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals or pesticides.
How to grow strawberries in pots
Necessary supplies:
- Strawberry Plants
- Good Potting Mix
- Pots of your choice
Purchase already started strawberry plants from your local garden center or buy them online from a reputable retailer. When purchasing your strawberry plants, make sure that the plant is an ever-bearing strawberry. Ever-bearing means that it will continuously produce fruit throughout most of the year.
Planting:
You can start strawberries from either bare-root crowns or transplants. Transplants will immediately look lush and pretty in containers, but you’ll need to wait for dormant (or unestablished) plants that come with a new strawberry plant leaf/crown called a “bare root” before it begins producing leaves of its own – so be sure not to overcrowd the pot!
The roots are shallow too which is why there’s only three per square foot of soil space recommended. Use your container surface area as an approximation of how many squares feet you have left when planting them if they’re all planted at once on top of each other; otherwise, plan accordingly by spacing them out evenly between pots beforehand instead.
Fill the container with a loose, loamy potting mix that will hold moisture but quickly drain away any excess water.
Fill the pot about 3/4 of the way with moist organic potting mix and place the strawberry plant in the center. Plant the strawberry plants so that their crowns are just above the surface of the soil. Make a small mound in your potting mix, and spread out its roots over this hillside before you cover them up to the neck with more potting soil after watering it well!
Continue filling the pot with soil until it is full. Be sure to use a pot with good drainage in the bottom. A self-draining pot with a water collector at the bottom is a great choice for strawberries.
Press the soil down gently, but don’t compact the soil. The plant needs room to grow and if the soil is too tight, it will make it harder for the roots to take place.
Tip: Strawberries do not like to be planted deep. Just plant them in the new container at the same depth as their crown.
Lightly water the soil. Don’t soak the soil, or you risk drowning your new plant. Just water until the soil is damp and pliable.
The sun is a vital component in the life cycle of plants. Plant experts recommend that containers be placed somewhere where they receive at least 6-8 hours of sunlight each day, preferably with morning or afternoon light exposure as well for best growth and production.
Remember to rotate your container every 3-4 days so that all sides get some time under direct rays from the sun! If you’re growing pot strawberries (or other fruiting produce) make sure rodents can’t eat them by using a netting on top too – just because they grow indoors doesn’t mean pests are not attracted to these tasty treats!
The simple act of placing pots outdoors also lets us take advantage of nature’s natural pest deterrents: birds will find it difficult to fly into nets
Water as needed. Your strawberry plant will likely need to be watered every other day, providing you live in a moderate climate. Drier climates may need to water daily.
The plant will start producing berries after it gets established.
Pick the strawberries as they ripen and place them into freezer bags for long-term storage or make jellies, jams, or preserves.
It is fun to grow different types of fruits and vegetables inside over the winter. It will definitely make the winter a little more enjoyable than just sitting around waiting for spring. So, get a pot and start growing food inside.
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