Topic: Strawberry Variety Suggestions Please

[mikey]

Morning all ....

am looking for suggestions of Strawberry varieties to start with this year.

My Son Jamie and I, have a new Lottie, which although not Jungle is getting some serious clean up work done on it right now. At last we have space for some larger scale Strawberry growing (have +/- 30 'Cambridge Favourite' in the garden at home) and have been offerred a swap for some 'Hapil'.

Questions:

Runners produced by Cambridge Fav. last Autumn ... we have potted up the strongest, will they fruit this year

What varieties do you recommend, early / mid or late

Is it too late this season to be planting earlies for fruit this year

Some years ago I grew a variety in Scotland which cropped very well, I have racked the memory (but grey cells ain't what they were  ;)) I am sure the name began with 'K', sounded something like Kenko, I know it sounded vaguely Japanese  ...  it is driving me mad  ... any ideas please ???

thanks
Mikey

[manicscousers]

we've been growing marshmello for years, just keep taking the runners off, we let our new runners produce a few fruits last year, I know it's not recommended but we just love strawberries  ;D..
we've just bought 6 honeyeye from aldi, they're an early , they're in buckets so we'll probably let them set some fruit this year, just tosee what they taste like  ;D ;D

[Deb P]

I just love the french strawberry 'Gariguette', long pointy fruits and outstanding flavour. Am also trying 'Maxim' this year, to see how big they will grow!

[triffid]

I have a fairly new variety, 'Chelsea Pensioner' (one of Ken Muir's babies): a really lovely late strawberry; beautiful flavour and colour plus good yields.   :P :)

http://www.kenmuir.co.uk/shopFrame.htm

[aob9]

The best flavours are from the Mid-Summer varieties. Good examples are;

Cambridge Favourite=Good disease resistance,vigorous and crops well for three seasons

Elsanta=Excellent flavour and keeping quality,Susceptible to disease (e.g mildew,red core,verticillium),best grown only for two seasons.

Eros= Similar to Elsanta with better disease resistance.

Honeoye= Slightly earlier than above and tends to over-ripen at the tip. Good flavour though.


As for your C.Favourite runners, if you get them into soil they will continue to thrive and give fruit for a couple of seasons at least. Strawberries need approx. 12"x12" to be at their best.However, if they are in a descent pot you should get a reasonable for crop this year only

[mikey]

Hi Guys,
thanks for your thoughts/suggestions so far ....

correction to my original posting ... the swap we have been offerred is not 'Hapil', it is 'Elsanta' which given aob9's comments on flavour, above, is good news

cheers
Mikey

[weedgrower]

i grow hapil and find them very good indeed. i have approx 80 plants now and have a glut of strawberry'sthroughout the summer

[powerspade]

For taste Royal Sovereign everytime

[KMARKSnr]

chelsea pensioner for me.
A perpetual variety,- Elan,- masses of fruit throughout the season,even picked a strawberry in December this last year,- i kid you not.If memory serves,we got the Elan from B&Q,and the chelsea pensioner from Ken Muire also.

                          Regards,
                                Mark.

[LesH]

    I grow Cambridge Favorite and have done for about ten years as the wife approves of that variete. But take your choice of the following.
            Plant in well manure plot 40cm apart; renew plot every three years
Alice      mid June > mid July      kings seeds/DTBrown
   Excellent flavour, firm, very sweet & juicy
Aromel   late June > autumn      Dobies
   Outstanding flavour, susceptible to mildew and drought
Cambridge Favourite   June      jparkers.co.uk/DTBrown
   Sweet flavour, heavy cropper,
Cambridge Late Pine   mid season      Ken Muir
   Best flavour, medium sized, juicy, very sweet,
Chelsea Pensioner   late season      Ken Muir
   Bumper crops, large bright fruits, sweet flavour
Corona      June > September      Spaldingbulb.co.uk
   Early, large fruit, rich flavour, big as eggs
Domanil   July            ?
   Good flavour, heavy yield, susceptible to virus
Elsanta      mid June > mid July      Ken Muir
   High yields, outstanding flavour, not disease resistance
Florence   late June > end July      kings seeds/DTBrown
   Vigorous plant, outstanding flavour & colour, most trouble free.
Gariguette   early season         Ken Muir
   Fragrance, sugar sweet, juicy,
Gigantella Maxim   medium early      Spaldingbulb.co.uk
   Massive fruit, firm juicy flesh, delectable flavour
Hapil      mid June > mid July      Ken Muir
   Good flavour, high yields
Honeoye   June            kings seeds
   High yield, resistant to botrytis
Judibell   very late         Ken Muir
   Large fruits, good disease resistance, v good flavour,
Korona      June / early season      Ken Muir/DTBrown
   Heavy cropping, large fruit, good flavour, good disease resistance 
Mae      early June > early July   Marshall's seeds/DTBrown
   Outstanding, large, firm, sweet tasting
Marshmello   late June >      Marshall's seeds
   Excellent cropper, drought tole4rant, reliable
Malling Opal   late June > mid October   Dobies
   Large sweet juicy heavy yield.
Maxim      late season         Ken Muir
   Heavy crop, large tasty fruit, resistant to drought,
Pegasus   late June > late July      Dobies/DTBrown
   Juicy, sweet flavour, good resistant to diseases
Perfection   late June > late July      Dobies
   High yields, resistant to Wilt and mildew
Rosie      early season      Marshall's seeds
   Very good flavour,
Royal Sovereign    mid June > mid July   kings seeds/DTBrown
   Not a heavy cropper, excellent flavour
Senga Gigana   medium early         jparkers.co.uk
   Superb flavour, egg size?
Senga Sengna   medium early      Spaldingbulb.co.uk
    Pleasant tangy flavour
Sonata      mid season         Ken Muir
   Bumper crops, v good flavour, stands well in v hot weather
Symphony   similar to elsanta performs well in north   Ken Muir
    Resistant to vine weevil, bright red, glossy. 
Tenira      mid season         Ken Muir
   Finest flavour, prolific cropper, large firm juicy,

[aob9]

I would love to get my hands on some 'Royal Sovereign' but it's not available anywhere in Ireland (as far I can see). It has the 'REAL' Strawberry flavour.

[triffid]

Mikey, if you've ever done pick-your-own strawbs in the UK, chances are very high that the variety was Elsanta. So what's good for commercial growers is likely to be very good in your lottie! :)

[mikey]

thanks for all your comments, especially LesH,

Wow ......

thanks for your time and trouble ... what a list  ... what a choice
much appreciated.

Picked up the 'Elsanta' swaps yesterday and now potted up and resting in cold Greenhouse.

Decision time is upon us ... what 3rd variety to grow this year ?

Planted 20 Cambridge Favourite on Lottie yesterday (what a super day, 16 C at 15:00 hrs in direct Sun)

Happy Easter
Mikey

[sutton girl]

The mice have eaten all my strawberrie plant is it to late to plant any more

[potterfanpete]

We've just got an allotment (well it's not confirmed, but 99% we'll have one by the end of next week - it's very exciting!), and I'm thinking of getting some strawberry plants from Kings - I ordered some seeds from them last Autumn, and they have a wide range of products at budget prices. How many would fit in a 3ft x 6ft area do you think? (strawberry plants that is) Thanks :)

Pete

[Curryandchips]

I reckon 18 planted thus ... spacing 12 inches apart (recommended) ...

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Mine are about 9 inches, which gives more but not necessarily a better crop.

[manicscousers]

The mice have eaten all my strawberrie plant is it to late to plant any more

you might not get some strawberries off them this year but you can stll plant them  :)

[CityChick]

I started with a mixed collection of three varieties:  mae (early), florence (late) and flamenco (perpetual).  All were yummy and get the thumbs up here :D

I also bought some mara de bois from Ken Muir.  Flavour was lovely, but we weren't impressed with the texture (too tough in comparison). Though in fairness I put them in pots in the garden and they got rather dry on several occasions.... so they may have suffered because of this.  Will see if they do better this year...