STRAWBERRIES

Growing great strawberries
If you have strawberry plants in the garden you will be joining the crowds at Wimbledon and enjoying a big bowlful of them, with cream. They will be a lot sweeter when you realise how much cheaper your bowl is. It isn’t difficult to grow your own and you can even plant them out now. Strawberries thrive in a wide range of soils, from light sand to heavy clay. Ideally though, not too wet. Put them in a place where the soil is well-drained and rich in humus. They prefer to be planted in full sun and out of the wind (like when we are on the beach).

Prepare the soil prior to planting by digging over the soil, removing any perennial weeds by hand and adding manure to the ground. Place the strawberry plants every 35cm (13 in) within the row, with the rows being 75cm (30 in) apart, and plant with the crown at soil level. Water in well and do what you can to keep the slugs away…

Strawberry plants can produce fruit for five or six years. However, after the first two years the yields will be reduced dramatically and a build-up of pests and diseases can occur. Strawberry beds are usually kept for two or three years before they're cleared and planted on new ground.

Growing tips
Regularly hoe between the rows and individual plants. You might also want to place a net over the strawberries to stop birds and squirrels from eating the fruit. Place straw in the rows and under the fruit trusses to suppress weeds and prevent the fruit lying on the ground. Barley straw is the best option, as it's softer and more pliable. If you can't get straw, use polythene sheeting, such as an old bin bag.

Growing in a basket
Growing strawberries in a hanging basket ensures they're kept out of the way of slugs. Plant five to six plants in a basket in spring, and water every day during the growing season. From flowering until harvest, feed the plants every ten days with a product that's high in potassium, such as a tomato feed. The same strawberry plants should continue to produce fruit the following year, but the crops will be better if the plants are renewed.

How to harvest
Pick any fruit as soon as it's ripe to prevent it rotting on the plant. Check the plants every other day during the ripening period. The fruit is ready when it has turned red, although different varieties have different shades. It's best to harvest the fruit in dry weather. Pick gently to avoid bruising and make sure the green stalk (calyx) remains with the fruit.

Aftercare
After harvesting, remove the straw or matting that has been protecting fruit from the ground. Compost straw and debris, or clean and store matting for next year.

Cut off old leaves with hand shears and remove, leaving the crown and new leaves untouched. This allows sunlight into the centre of the plant, ensuring a better crop next year.

Feed and water well.

Leave nets off to allow birds to pick off any pests.

Propagation
It's simple to make more strawberry plants. The plants send out runners over the surface of the soil during the growing season. These can be pegged down, usually in June or July, while attached to the mother plant. Eventually, they will form a separate plant. Allow about five runners to develop from each plant, this will stop the mother plant being too drained of energy. In August, when the runner plants are well established, cut them from the parent and either put into pots or their new place in the garden.

Five to try
· ‘Elvira’ - a heavy cropper producing large, soft fruits from June to early July.
· ‘Hapil’ - high-yielding variety with large, bright red fruits from early to late July.
· ‘Florence’ - grows well in all soils and produces large, dark fruit in late summer.
· ‘Vivarosa’ - one of the few varieties to produce pink (instead of white) flowers.
· ‘Fragaria vesca’- provides good ground cover in cottage gardens.