Topic: strawberry advice??

[Mrs greenjeans]

Hello,

New to this site and new to allotments (as of about 5 weeks ago!)

Am wondering whether when I plant out my strawberry plants I need to put some kind of mulch down (straw?) to protect fruit (assuming I get some) from mildew/rotting etc? Don't know why but think I read something about that somewhere.

Bought them cheap from g. centre (10 for £2.50? thought that sounded good). Have potted them on and they're now beginning to bloom in 5"+ size pots. have hardened them off...

Any more suggestions gratefully received.  And I really like this site, though am still trying to get the hang of it...

[grotbag]

hi, Welcome to the site ,sounds like your doing ok with straws,make sure you got plenty manure in when u plant em. wouldnt worry bout straw til fruits start growing .

[MrsKP]

please be patient with me ........... where do i buy straw from ?  is it pet bedding straw or specialist gardening straw or what.  not a lot is coming up on google.

 ::) ???

[chrispea27]

Hi you get straw from the pet shop. It is to keep the fruit away from the soil.Also you will need to net the plants when the straws form as the birds love them.
Good luck

[CityChick]

Depends how much you want.... I use the straw I get by the bale from an equestrian place which I use for my chickens.  It works out cheaper than buying it in little bags from the pet shops, but you do get a lot in a bale!  

[MrsKP]

cheers both, i knew WHY, just didn't know WHAT WITH and wasn't sure if there were various grades of straw the cheapest being for bunnies to sleep in, the most expensive for strawberries.  daft eh ?

now i know and can gaily trot into the pet shop without feeling a fool.   ;D

or i may just go up to the equestrian centre at the weekend, as ask about poo too.  the trouble with being a towny, this is all so very new and strange territory i'm in  ;D ;D ;D

[Paulines7]

Hello Mrsgreenjeans, welcome to the site.  There are lots of good tips to find here and everyone is very friendly.   ;D

If you are going to dig in manure before planting, make sure it is well rotted.  You can buy it in any of the DIY places.  I didn't manure my soil before I planted mine  2 years ago yet had an immense crop last year.

If you have a Scats store nearby, you can pick up a very large bail of straw for about £5.   ;D

I have also got several plants in pots this year which I raised in the greenhouse.  They are covered in masses of flowers and beginning to develop fruits.  I will transfer them into my fruit cage in the next week or so, but will keep them in their pots until after they have fruited.

Good luck.   ;D ;D

[weedbusta]

i'm using weed fabric, it seems popular around the plots.

[froglets]

Have also collected jam & sauce jars and fed them over the clusters of forming berries.  Helps keep them away from slugs, off the soil and speed up ripening.

[Melbourne12]

i'm using weed fabric, it seems popular around the plots.

Another vote for weed fabric here.  It keeps the weeds down (obviously!), keeps the fruit off the ground, and is a handy surface for slug pellets.  If you peg it down properly it should last for the productive life of the row of plants.

[vaca]

I've also used weed suppressing fabric and it's working a treat  ;D

Only thing is that in my rush to get the plants in, I forgot to add some fertiliser a couple of days before planting. Would it be a good idea to sprinkle some Growmore or similar product on them right now?

thanks,
Vaca

[weedbusta]

i had to move mine today, (too long a story) and thought what the hell and threw some growmore in. :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\

[ipt8]

All this talk about strawberries has got me thinking about clotted cream. We are visiting mom-in-law in Devon soon so I could be wicked but sadly my body has developed an intolerance of cows milk products ::)

Anyway must get my mind round where that tidal river is in South Devon. It looks very familiar..... :-\