Topic: Alpine Strawberries

[Mrs Gumboot]

Anyone grow these? My autumn clearup (yes, yes, I know, but better late than never) has revealed rather a lot of rooted runners from my tub of plants. Was given them last year & didn't get much of a crop off them as they were so small. Since the runners have rooted in the middle of the patio I'm not sure whether it's worth the effort of trying to get them out from between the slabs with roots intact, or whether to just treat them like all the other weeds & just drag them out. Can you actually get a decent crop off a few off them or do you need a whole field?

[Morris]

It depends what you call a decent crop. I have quite a lot of them scattered through the flower borders, I started with a few from seed and then they spread themselves enthusiastically. I find them worthwhile because they crop in shade and taste delicious. A few added to regular jam are lovely, and they are great on muesli or in yogurt. They are a fiddle to pick though and most of mine get eaten whilst I am out gardening.

I wouldn't plant them in good soil in sun where you could grow 'proper' strawbs. But the alpine ones will do ground cover in difficult places and a bonus of small quantities of very tasty fruits so why not have both?

[Mrs Gumboot]

Last year I think I got three strawberries, which at the size they are is really not quite worth it!

The whole ground cover in shade thing is an interesting idea though. Have a fairly large scruffy area under some hawthorns which is ear marked for some wild garlic. It might have to share with the strawberries.

Thanks for the idea!

[antipodes]

I bizarrely have a small patch that came up by itself, at the foot of my raspberries! they are now 3 years old but only give a handful of fruit, which I eat when I feel a bit peckish down there! lol, they never get home.
They look pretty though and give good ground cover, careful though they tend to be a bit feral.

[Mrs Gumboot]

They've proved they're feral by setting themselves up all over the patio  ::)

All the best fruit doesn't make it into the kitchen! Might end up letting them run riot under the hawthorns & what fruit I get is a bonus! Have some nice 'proper' strawbs as well so it's not crucial for fruit.

[pumkinlover]

I had enough to make jam a couple of years ago! :)

I took some to the Alpine society meeting as a raffle prize ;)

[dtw]

I'm growing some from seed this year, they are still in the propagator at the moment.
I don't expect I'll get any fruit this year.

[Mrs Gumboot]

Blimey I can't imagine how many you must need to make jam!!

[manicscousers]

I've put mine around the fig pot and under the fruit trees, don't expect to get many but they'll bring the bees in  ;D