Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Squash64 on November 09, 2009, 07:15:18
-
I want to buy some strawberry plants but I'm confused.
There are so many varieties on offer, I just don't know what to choose.
The most important thing for me is flavour. I'd rather have fewer fruit for a short season than loads of tasteless pap all summer.
Can anyone recommend a really tasty variety please?
-
Royal Sovreign yum yum
-
Well one thing with strawberries is that they are good at reproducing new plants.
If you get say 3 plants of each of a few varieties and carefully label them then you can choose the ones you prefer and take runners from them. Granted that wont give you an instant bed of strawberries but then growing your own is a long term project. Taste is personal.
I can not recommend a variety by name because I can not remember what mine are called but I think that the bigger the strawberry the less it tasty it seems to be. The huge ones that come from Spain taste of nothing at all. Also commercial ones are grown for keeping well, the tastiest ones seem to need to be picked and eaten as soon as they are ready.
-
squash, I have some marshmello runners if you'd like some, maybe 6, I think..won't know until wednesday :)
-
DebP and OH both rate Marshmello :)
-
I love Marshmello too. And the little tasty French ones - Gariguette and Mara des Bois.
-
squash, I have some marshmello runners if you'd like some, maybe 6, I think..won't know until wednesday :)
That's really kind of you, thank you so much!
-
Most of ours are Marshmello - we love 'em :P :P :P :P :P
-
Gariguette....long pointy fruits, outstandingly sweet and delicious to my taste buds.
Marshmello..I got a huge crop from my 2 year old plants this year, bigger blunter fruits but also with outstanding flavour.
I am also propagating Angelina and Ciflorette, both are French varieties that are either a cross with Gariguette or alleged to be better.........only had a few fruit off them last year, and couldn't really tell much difference, but hope to see what they can really do next as they are now planted out instead of in pots. ;D
-
I'd agree with PurpleHeather and also ask down the lottie as it can depend on soil type.
(You might also get a few freebies there as well as most people have too many).
-
Avoid Elsante, they are the tasteless Tesco ones grown for their keeping qualities.
-
Honeyoye isn't too bad... good crop, silly name... :-X
-
Florence are good. We're just about to replace our strawberry plants, and will plant Florence again. Agree also about Mara des Bois, although we've found that over several years the "wild strawberry" taste seems to fade.
-
I still can't find one that beats Cambridge Favorite ! Love the Maxin ones and could send you a few runners if you would like to try them, there big but nice taste and not like hard bullets !
-
Any plant that gives lots of strawberries are the best in our house.
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
-
another vote for cambridge favourite ;D
-
I am also propagating Angelina and Ciflorette
Thanks Deb! I'd forgotten the name of the next one I wanted to try - Ciflorette it is!
-
I want to buy some new plants but there are so many to choose from, so I will also be following this thread. I have been given quite a few plants which is very nice, but no one seems to know that varieties they have bought.
I am particularly interested in some of the perpetual cropping ones. Some people seem to have a few strawberries for months and months.
I also like the pink flowered ones, seem to be a nice flavour and they are so pretty to look at, though not a heavy cropper. Does anyone know what variety this is?
-
I still can't find one that beats Cambridge Favorite ! Love the Maxin ones and could send you a few runners if you would like to try them, there big but nice taste and not like hard bullets !
I'd love to try them if you have any spare, thank you so much,
-
Thanks for your recommendations everyone.
So far it's Marshmello in the lead with 6 votes
Gariguette and Cambridge Favourite with 2 each
and
Royal Sovereign,
Mara des Bois
Angelina
Ciflorette
Honeoye
Florence
Maxin
all with 1 vote each.
-
make that 7 votes , marshmallow the best we've ever tasted ...and can be whoppers too,we've had them as big as the palm of my hand...Cant wait till next June
-
Gariguette,Harpil,Cambridge Favourite and Mara des Bois for me ;D/ shades x
-
digeroo - t&m have pink flowered ones called florian f1
I tried the 3 plants of a few types thing but mixed them all up ::)
This year i'm doing a new bed of strawberries named 'Irresitible'. The blurb says 'Best in Class For Flavour - The sweetest strawberry ever or your money back!' :) Has anyone else tried them?
-
I have FLorian at home (v allotment) in a strawberry pot. They have been fine but I actually grow them for my insatiable cocker spaniels who forage in the garden. Maybe why I need an allotment?
-
Do the Mara des Bois need partial shade for full flavour (I read the wild ones normally do) or as hybrids do they do best in full sun?
-
Gariguette are the best i`ve tasted -- didn`t think much of marshmello. Havn`t tried royal sovereign but they are said to be like gariguette but with a lot of disease problems.
Tom
-
Gariguette are the best i`ve tasted -- didn`t think much of marshmello. Havn`t tried royal sovereign but they are said to be like gariguette but with a lot of disease problems.
Tom
Thanks Tom.
I've already ordered some Gariguette ( and Mara des Bois and Cambridge Favourite.) Someone is giving me some Marshmello.
-
I have taken your advice and ordered some more strawbs. Hope you are right?
-
I grow the ones that have done best for me.
Maxim, large and tasty here, but I understand not too good on sandier soils (mine is clay).
Bolero(an everbearer) medium to good taste here. Season long
Symphony - briliant taste but prone to rots if crowded and not treated (which are exactly the conditions here)
Have tried the commercial types like Elsanta, Hapil, Alice - NOT impressed with flavour - look fantastic, taste awful.
-
Oh dear, planted some Elsante late summer 2009 - think I got them because they were said to be reliable, and mid season to extend my picking time, shame if they're going to be rather bland (still good for assorted fruit smoothies tho! Put Honeyoye in at the same time, so more hope for tasty ones there. Have been picking Cambridge for a couple of years - they are delicious, and cropped well too.
-
Honeyoye isn't too bad... good crop, silly name... :-X
Honeyoye from the Iroquois “Hay- e-a-yeah.”
(Don't ask what it means.)