Kids like eat strawberries. Adults like to eat strawberries. Plus, you can grow them in a planter if you don’t have a garden. These are all the reasons you need to grow strawberries in a pot this year, but if you need more…
2 MORE Reasons You Should Grow Strawberries in Containers
- You can move the planter to a prime location easily. Need more sunlight? Move them to a sunnier spot! Are you moving? Take your strawberries with you!
- Strawberries can be right at your doorstep. Snag a snack as you walk past or send your kids on a scavenger hunt to see if there are any ripe fruits.
What You Need:
- Bare-root Strawberries
- Shallow Container
- Potting Soil
Time Needed: 10 minutes
Directions
Step 1
For best success, choose strawberries that are good for containers. These include “alpine”, “day-neutral” and “ever-bearing” strawberries, which produce in late spring and early fall, and sometimes during summer. I recommend you avoid “June-bearing” strawberries, unless you want a lot of strawberries over a few weeks in late spring/early summer.
Tamawi’s Picks: I’ve grown ‘Seascape’, ‘Ozark Beauty’, ‘Mignonette’, and an heirloom strawberry that ripens to yellow, named ‘Pineapple’. But there are many other options for you to choose from!
Step 2
Select a wide, but squat container. Strawberry roots are shallow and grow along the surface by runners, rather than growing deep. A window box, hanging basket or bowl-shaped pot is ideal, so long as it has holes in the bottom to drain water.
Step 3
Fill the container with potting soil, leaving an inch of space from the top for ease of watering.
Tamawi’s Tip: You can plant strawberries in early spring, even if there is still threat of frosts or light snow.
Step 4
Separate the strawberry roots in the bundle. Space the strawberry plants so there are three to four plants per square foot. Plant the “crown” halfway down. The crown is the clump where the leaves and root meet.
Step 5
Place your container in a sunny location that receives six or more hours of direct sunlight each day.
Step 6
Water your container of new plants thoroughly, until the water trickles from the holes on the bottom. Your potted strawberries will need water about twice weekly. Consider the weather in your area and provide more frequent watering if the weather is particularly windy or dry.
Step 7
You can overwinter your strawberry planters, if desired. I place mine in a sheltered location on the east side of the house, then replace them every 2-3 years. Be aware that production does decline after a few years, no matter what. If you don’t want to fiddle with overwintering strawberry containers, you can easily replant strawberries each year.
Have you grown strawberries in containers? Share with us your tips and the names of which strawberries you think are the best in the comments below!