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Strawberries
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Topic: Strawberries (Read 3289 times)
Chaz Hunter
Half Acre
Posts: 105
Creator of my own little world...
Strawberries
«
on:
April 24, 2004, 14:04:12 »
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 ???
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Mimi
Hectare
Posts: 1,821
Pretty in Pink
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #1 on:
April 24, 2004, 14:14:17 »
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?
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Take time to stop and smell the flowers.
Wicker
Hectare
Posts: 1,452
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #2 on:
April 24, 2004, 17:59:36 »
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.
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Equality isn't everyone being the same, equality is recognising that being different is normal.
Garden Manager
Hectare
Posts: 3,415
Denman the Great
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #3 on:
April 24, 2004, 21:47:00 »
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.
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Mrs Ava
Hectare
Posts: 11,743
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #4 on:
April 25, 2004, 17:51:45 »
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.
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Muddy_Boots
Hectare
Posts: 787
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #5 on:
April 25, 2004, 17:57:49 »
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! ::)
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Muddy Boots
Chaz Hunter
Half Acre
Posts: 105
Creator of my own little world...
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #6 on:
April 26, 2004, 14:19:14 »
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
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Muddy_Boots
Hectare
Posts: 787
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #7 on:
April 26, 2004, 16:25:56 »
;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
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Muddy Boots
kingkano
Quarter Acre
Posts: 95
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #8 on:
April 26, 2004, 17:51:12 »
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
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Garden Manager
Hectare
Posts: 3,415
Denman the Great
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #9 on:
April 26, 2004, 19:21:45 »
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)
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Steve__C
Not So New ...
Posts: 38
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #10 on:
April 26, 2004, 22:04:56 »
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.
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Regards
Steve
legless
Hectare
Posts: 1,034
Cheltenham, UK
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #11 on:
May 01, 2004, 19:15:02 »
just found this thread - answers all my strawberry questions - thanks guys!
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The gardener
Acre
Posts: 378
In gardening-Effort in generally equals effort out
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #12 on:
May 02, 2004, 17:06:14 »
This is how I do mine;
«
Last Edit: May 02, 2004, 17:11:50 by The gardener
»
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The Gardener
Chaz Hunter
Half Acre
Posts: 105
Creator of my own little world...
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #13 on:
May 02, 2004, 18:52:05 »
I'm impressed!!...can I have the one on the extreme left please?
;D
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Garden Manager
Hectare
Posts: 3,415
Denman the Great
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #14 on:
May 03, 2004, 10:51:56 »
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?
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The gardener
Acre
Posts: 378
In gardening-Effort in generally equals effort out
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #15 on:
May 03, 2004, 16:02:28 »
It is a permeable membrane Richard. Certainly cuts down on the weeding.
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The Gardener
Wicker
Hectare
Posts: 1,452
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #16 on:
May 03, 2004, 18:19:47 »
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.
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Equality isn't everyone being the same, equality is recognising that being different is normal.
Garden Manager
Hectare
Posts: 3,415
Denman the Great
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #17 on:
May 04, 2004, 17:31:09 »
I've never had that problem Wicker. If you make the holes big enough in the first place that is :)
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Wicker
Hectare
Posts: 1,452
Re:Strawberries
«
Reply #18 on:
May 04, 2004, 19:11:25 »
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 ......
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Equality isn't everyone being the same, equality is recognising that being different is normal.
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