Allotments 4 All

HI Guys,

My lottie neighbour gave me some runners from her strawberries at the weekend and told me to plant them straight away on the lottie, which I did. BUT - I have just read in one of my magazines that you are meant to over winter new runners in a cold frame, so I should have potted them up.
??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
Discuss  :)

I'm reasonably new to this but potted up my runners on advice from others on my allotment. I am moving some established plants to another strawberry bed in the next few weeks.

If they are already rooted, I think they are OK to go straight into a bed.
I grow strawberries, and each bed lasts about 3 years. So to set a new bed up, I plant rooted runners from previous bed about a foot apart, at about this time of year, or during September. You don't want them to dry out, so if it doesn't rain, water.
The next summer, they'll grow, they'll fruit and put out runners. I allow about a third of runners to remain, to fill up the bare spaces. (Stops weeds).
The second year, I don't allow any runners, just fruit.
The third year, I allow a third of runners to remain, and take care that they root nicely. Once rooted well, I cut them from the parent plant, dig them up and start a new bed. I don't dig up the old bed until about April/May, just in case there's a problem with the new one.

My mum used to have little pots of compost dotted about the strawberry bed and would fasten runners into them with hair clips to root then, when they were established cut them from the parent plant and use them to fill in the spaces in the rows (she likes things neat ;D).  I think she used to plant them around late sept, no cold frame.

thanks for the advice guys, think they will prob be OK then, they were not rooted before I planted them, but they do not appear to have died so I hope they have taken. Will leave them to it!  :)

You should leave them attached to the mother plant until they're well rooted, then cut them free. After that just treat them as independent plants.

Following advice in KG magazine I chopped em off and planted them where I wanted them.  They've rooted fine and are fair romping away.  Most had no roots at all before moving (strawb bed is mulched).

Adrian

Jennym or anyone, now do you protect strawberries in beds? (from snails etc)

Do you use coffee beans?

I have put mine in pots hoping they would be safe from slugs (so far they are) and haven't done anything to them yet.

...except the ones in large pots have doubled in size and the exact same type in a smaller pot (that I forgot to add osmocote) haven't grown as fast.  Now I don't know if it's the pot size or the fertilizer!!

Today my mother-in-law bought a potted strawberry from the markets and it looked like it had coffee beans right in the centre.  Had large strawberries on them too.

Thankyou for any advice forthcoming.
Anna :)

PS:  I am looking forward to when I can offer advice in the future. ;D

hmmm, think you shoud be ok, personally i would have potted them up. just to give them a good little start. but they should be ok in the ground.

Oh yes I have potted them all up.  Just wanted to check if they needed some extra TLC. 

And wondered how successful they are in beds for people that have put them in the ground.

Thankyou
Anna :)