How to Best Use Pots & Planters to Grow Strawberries

Strawberries are most easily grown in special pots or planters. Typically, these pots are shaped like an urn and have holes on the sides which allow the plant to spread out. With these special pots or planters, which can be left above ground or buried in soil, growing strawberries becomes fairly easy to do.

There are several materials that strawberry pots can be made out of. Strawberry plants will grow in each material, but each has pros and cons.

Plastic can be decorative or plain, and is generally inexpensive; sometimes it can be too light and will lead to your plants falling over in the windTerra cotta/clay is usually attractive and will hold heat well, however it loses moisture readily and so needs to be watered more oftenWooden barrels are also good at holding heat and add interest to your garden, however they tend to be heavy and may rot if not made of good woodCeramic pots are attractive and retain water well, but they are generally more expensive

With a different sort of pot and growing style, you have to put your strawberry plants into your pots a certain way. Know that for a strawberry pot, ever-bearing and day-neutral are the best types of strawberry plants to use.

Fill the pot up with soil until the lowest pocket(s) and insert one plant into each pocket; fill around them with soilInsert a 1” tube with holes drilled in its side into the pot, but not directly over the drainage hole; use this later to make sure that all the pockets will get sufficient waterContinue filling in soil and adding plants to pockets until you reach 2” below the rimAdd 3-4 plants to the top of the container and fill in with soil

Strawberries are perennials, so as long as you take good care of them, they should continue to produce fruit year after year. They can fairly easily be grown in either pots or planters. Here are some tips for keeping your strawberry plants alive and healthy in the long run!

Any soil high in organic matter will work well for strawberry plants; consider adding compost, peat, leaf mold, or bone meal to make even better soilStrawberry plants need at least six hours a day of sunlightWater daily or as neededEither add a slow-release fertilizer to the soil or fertilize every few weeks with a water-soluble fertilizerWatch for pests or fungus, which will need to be treated with some application of insecticide or fungicidePick strawberries when they are ripe, and remove any rotting fruit or yellowed leaves

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