Topic: Strawberries

[Chaz Hunter]

Does anyone know of an alternative to placing straw around the plants, I've tried those thin "strawberry mats" in the past but wasn't too impressed. I was thinking of using old carpet ???

[Mimi]

Chaz, have you thought of using weed resistant, non woven  fabric?  That is what I was planning to use.  Unless anyone has some better idea?

[Wicker]

I've used various things over the years including the membrane stuff which was good but have gone back to straw as I find there is little or no slug/bird damage - perhaps they don't like moving on/thru the straw.  Some people on our site use the packs of small animal bedding which are in pet shops.

[Garden Manager]

About 3/4 years ago i moved my strawberry bed into one of the wooden edged raised beds which i use in my veg plot. This was covered with landscape fabric (plantex) and the strawberries planted through tthe fabric. This not only conserves moisture (less watering) but takes the place of traditional straw (which can hide slugs/snails). I have never looked back, and have had excellent crops using this method :) :) :).

The bed is though now due for renewal and have begun a new bed using the same setup elsewhere in the plot, to take over from the old at the end of the season.

[Mrs Ava]

I don't mulch at all  :o and touch wood, no damage from sluggies or birdies, but the strawbs are in my garden and the kids graze them quicker than any slug could.  I have lots of lino scraps so I might just have a tester and use some of that to see what happens.

[Muddy_Boots]

Well, can't add anything informative here because all soft fruit farmers around here use straw!  But, having at one stage also worked as strawberry picker, seems okay.  also, when grew my own, used straw.  Have an idea it's more to do with keeping an eye on the crop when it is ready, which is always problematic when you have other crops being ready at the same time!   ::)

[Chaz Hunter]

Thanks for all your advice/thoughts, today I went to the pet shop and bought a bale of straw (large) didn't realise how compacted it was so it seems I've got enough to last me till I draw my pension!
Only cost me £3 , much cheaper than buying an Axminster to do the job.
Chaz

[Muddy_Boots]

 ;D Hope you pulled out a bit to chew all the way home!

Don't forget to watch out for the birdies, we all know how they just adore strawberries! :D

[kingkano]

Thanks for this thread.  Last year I couldnt think where I coudl get straw from, and in the end its sooooo obvious!!  I'll get a bag next time I go get some woodshavings for my hamsters  ::)

ken

[Garden Manager]

Yes lets not forget the birds like strawberries too.  So while you are putting your mulches of straw folks, dont forget to net as well. I did mine yesterday (And the other soft fruit as well  ;D)

[Steve__C]

The straw is not to stop the birds or the slugs.
It is to stop the soil borne fungi that causes a grey mould on the ripening fruit.
If anything the slugs prefer the straw, its nice and cosy.
As for the birds, I suspect the red against yellow is more inviting than the red against brown or green.

Personally I choose the mass of fruit and accept I will lose some to the mould. Not a big problem when you have enough plants. I have two beds both 6' x 6' with an 18" stepping stone in the centre (helps when picking). I guess, each plot contains a few hundred plants. Each year, in late summer, I lift one of the beds. In this way I always have a two-year-old bed producing plenty of fruit. I tend to re-lay new runners thereby clearing out the older plants.
In late summer I take about 30 runners and plant up in 5" pots. Place them on a shelf in the greenhouse. Place outside in the cold for a couple of weeks to break their dormancy, I hand pollinate the flowers with a brush in late winter (February). These plants are composted at the end of their fruiting and I start afresh in late summer.
The reward, today I picked and eat my first strawberry of the season, and very nice it was too.

[legless]

just found this thread - answers all my strawberry questions - thanks guys!

[The gardener]

This is how I do mine;

[Chaz Hunter]

I'm impressed!!...can I have the one on the extreme left please?
 ;D

[Garden Manager]

At last someone on the same wavelength as me.  Exactly how I grow mine, Gardener (as i was trying to explain to folks). Tell me is that polythene or a permeable membrane you are using there?

[The gardener]

It is a permeable membrane Richard. Certainly cuts down on the weeding.

[Wicker]

As I said in earlier posting I have used membrane (it was the black pourous kind) and it was fine but found I had to keep checking and making the holes even larger as extra leaves kept growing underneath as plants thickened up!  guess I'm just taking the easy way out and I find the straw useful afterwards.

[Garden Manager]

I've never had that problem Wicker. If you make the holes big enough in the first place that is :)

[Wicker]

Appreciate what you say Richard, think I'm a pretty cautious person, same with pruning I clip a little, clip some more, then more and thinning out seedlings I prick out some, then a few more then a few more and on and on and on ......