daisybeans
annapolis md
Posts: 3675
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| Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 1:27 pm Post subject: Growing strawberries in pots? |
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Last year I grew a strawberry plant in a pot... the two berries it produced were eaten by some birds (I hope they enjoyed them) but the mother plant put out a lot of runners that I also potted up. So all being well, I will have a number of strawberry plants to plant out. I've had some long advice filled posts re: making a strawberry bed this year. But I'm not quite up to that for this year.
I saw the pot in the link below and thought about putting the strawberries in it. Before I purchase a similar pot (they are pricey), I wondered what you think?
Is it realistic to think strawbs could grow in a pot? This is a 55 quart pot. I've seen other pots that are smaller.
http://www.amazon.com/Akro-Mils-RZJGARD-PARENT-Stack-A-Pot/dp/images/B002USBLKI/ref=dp_image_text_z_1_0?ie=UTF8&s=garden&img=0&color_name=1
Here is another version from Stark Bros. It's much more economical than the one from Akro.
http://www.starkbros.com/access?action=getproductimage&productId=51007&maxHeight=600&maxWidth=600
Thanks for your input.
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Daisybeans/MaryAnn
"Once the relation between poetry and the soil is well established in the mind, all growing things are endowed with more than material beauty." -Elizabeth Lawrence
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toni
 Administrator
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North Texas, Zone 8a
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| Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 1:50 pm Post subject: |
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Those look like updated versions of the standard terracotta strawberry pot I have seen them growing in several times only larger.
A few years ago I saw a magazine article about growing them in wooden pallets that were propped up on edge.
Park Seeds has Strawberry growing bags too.
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daisybeans
annapolis md
Posts: 3675
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| Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 1:54 pm Post subject: |
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I found this article about one person's experience trying different methods. The pallet idea sounds interesting.
http://www.tucsongardener.com/Year04/strawberryadventures.htm
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Daisybeans/MaryAnn
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EJ
Essex
Posts: 2863
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| Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 2:08 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting ideas. I have seen them grown in hanging baskets and doing very well. I think it is a matter of getting the compost mix right, plenty of food and water during the growing season, and plenty of sunshine. Plus, a bit of bird protection.  The only thing I would really watch for are pests. Although they would be safer from slugs scoffing the fruits, here in Essex, the vine weevils seem to love strawb plants and I have grown them in pots and the weevils lay their eggs and the grubs have a field day on the roots, leaving you with dead plants!
If you want a really cheap way of doing it, what about buying a small bag of compost and rather than slitting the top open, make small slits up the front of the bag, and plant through. Not the most attractive way to do it I grant you, but much cheaper.
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Droopy
Regular Plants Contributor
Western Norway
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| Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 3:34 pm Post subject: |
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I tried the strawberry terracotta pot thing, only ours was glazed.  It did not work well, mainly due to my eminent ability to forget to water. So we're planting strawberries as edging this spring, if there are any plants left that is.
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EJ
Essex
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| Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 7:41 pm Post subject: |
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I have heard they are a swine to water as the water just pours out of the top pockets and never reaches the bottom plants. One trick is to get a think piece of plastic piping, or a slim plastic drink bottle, make lots of holes along it's length, then sink this down the middle of the planter. If you were that way inclined, you could fill this tunnel with gravel or sharp grit, but that is where you water, alowing the water and food to penetrate the compost completely.
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daisybeans
annapolis md
Posts: 3675
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| Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 8:33 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you for the input EJ and Droopy. See, now this is why I ask these questions. That watering issue with the tall planter makes a LOT of sense and I wouldn't have thought about it until too late to fix it, EJ. Droopy, I'm leaning away from terra cotta esp because it's so hard to keep it from drying out. Also thinking of heavy weight re: ceramic pots... I have several and they are hard to move. I can yank the plastic ones around but the ceramic ones, I have to be a little careful.
EJ, when you suggest buying a bag of compost, do you literally mean compost (as opposed to garden soil or planting soil)? These insights are getting my imagination going.
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EJ
Essex
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| Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 11:42 pm Post subject: |
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I mean regular potting compost. Over here we can get the bags of compost in various litre sized bags, and the sacks are thick plastic, pretty strong. If you get one, then kinda thump it down a few times so it all settles, you will have a good sturdy planting bag. Mum and my Uncle have grown spuds in compost sacks. Of course, thinking about it now, you would have to make an opening at the top for watering...and you could always do the bottle/pipe thing in the sack.
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daisybeans
annapolis md
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| Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 2:24 am Post subject: |
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I know just what you're talking about. I'm going to give that a try for sure. Thanks EJ.
Now I'm really starting to itch to get going.
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Daisybeans/MaryAnn
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fish_4_all
Zone 8-9 Washington
Posts: 547
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| Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 11:44 pm Post subject: |
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I have seen a lot of different ways to grow strawberries here but none as effective as the tiered system I saw at my grandparents.
They used 2 feet wide, 18" deep and 3 foot long wooden boxes stacked onto each other in a stairstep method. They had 6 of them simply loaded with strawberries for many years. Every year they would lift them out, trim them down, fill with compost and fertilizer and let them go. They got enough to make about 25 pints of preserves each year when they took care of them.
As for the "pots" for strawberries I have never seen them produce really well. I have seen them dry out in 2 days in them and I have also seem them all killed from being water logged in them.
I think the main thing is to be able to get a really good nutrient rich soil under them every year. I guess I will find out because I plan to build my own boxes this year for them and see how they work.
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daisybeans
annapolis md
Posts: 3675
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| Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 11:49 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Fish4 -- if you are planning to build a tiered system like your gmas, I would really love to see how it looks. It sounds interesting too.
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Daisybeans/MaryAnn
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fish_4_all
Zone 8-9 Washington
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| Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:17 am Post subject: |
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I will post pics if I ever get it done.
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Green_Numb
Posts: 330
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| Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 12:20 pm Post subject: |
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the wife just bought me a hanging basket for strawbs that im gonna try this year. Ive tried a plant or 2 in a regular ground pot and got a few fruit but the slugs got them mostly. This year ill do more in pots but protect them better.
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daisybeans
annapolis md
Posts: 3675
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| Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 2:42 pm Post subject: |
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Hey Green Numb! Good to see you and good luck with your strawberries in pots too.
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Daisybeans/MaryAnn
"Once the relation between poetry and the soil is well established in the mind, all growing things are endowed with more than material beauty." -Elizabeth Lawrence
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Green_Numb
Posts: 330
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| Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 9:05 am Post subject: |
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thanks DaisyB, good to be back
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