can anyone tell me the best time to move strawberries, at the mo i have got some in a raised bed, and want to move them, i dont know how long they have been in the raised bed, as i only took over this allotment about a year ago.I want to put them either in another raised bed that im going to build or straight' into the ground', they produced loads of fruits last year!! many thanks
Dont quote me on this but I think is this time of year that you should be organizing your new beds.
Now is not the time to be moving strawberries. It is too wet, cold and they may not have enough time to get established prior to harvest. It is usually done early autumn. I intend to move my strawberry beds in autumn as this is their fourth year in the same place. End of August beginning of September I will start with making plants from the runners. Once established in their little pots, I will then replant the new runners and do away with the current plants by mid-end of October.
If the plants are large and healthy enough you may get away with moving them late February / March; but you will probably get little fruit this year. Could you work with where they are at present and move the bed from using runners in autumn? Whenever you do decide to move them ensure you dig in plenty of well rotted manure to give them the best start to the season.
I would say give it a go. Strawberry plants are pretty hardy and I've moved them at various times without any problem. Just make sure you give them a good feed (I use seaweed) around March.
While I agree that Autumn is the ideal time to move strawberries, I have never had any problems moving them up to the end of March. They are very tough!