Strawberries are easy to grow, and even if you're limited on space, you can still grow a bounty in a container garden, or a strawberry tower.
Here's the least expensive one I could find on Amazon.
(If you use my link I may make a few cents.)
🛑✋Don't use a hole saw drill bit, like I did -- you'll have to pry each piece of PVC out of the drill bit with a screwdriver, plus it jerks really hard and you'll probably cut yourself like I almost did repeatedly.
Be sure to throw in some bone meal when you plant your strawberries.
How they grow!
Strawberries love sunshine. I have found that they grow best in morning sun, with shade from the afternoon heat. Strawberries are "heavy feeders", therefore, you'll want to add some fertilizer to the soil when you plant them, and feed them regularly as they grow. Bone meal is a great natural fertilizer to use at planting time, but I would also recommend feeding them at least monthly during the seasons they're actively growing.
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| This is my favorite Bone Meal. It's available here on Amazon, but it's usually cheaper if you can find it at your local Home Depot/Lowe's. |
As strawberry plants grow they send out offshoots with baby plants attached to them. By the following year the mother plant has usually died, leaving behind several smaller plants that have rooted into the soil to begin the next crop. With a little bit of care you can continue to grow and enjoy strawberries for many years.
Soil
Strawberries prefer well-drained, acidic soil. If the soil doesn't drain well it will retain too much moisture, which can cause the plants and fruit to rot. You can improve the soil's acidity by using manure based fertilizers, or adding cotton seed meal or soil acidifier, and ensuring you use a good quality potting soil which will contain a high percentage of organic matter.
Pollination
Pollination is usually done by honeybees which must visit the strawberry flowers (like the one pictured above) about 12 times in order to transform the yellow center of the flower into the fruit that we all know and love. It doesn't hurt to plant a few colorful flowers as companions for your strawberry plants, to draw in the bees.
How to Build Your Own Strawberry Tower
I used the graphic below from Menard's to build the strawberry tower for my workshop and sank the base into a wooden whiskey barrel.
Click to enlarge the graphic.
Click to enlarge the graphic.
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| Click to enlarge the graphic. |
The right tools for the job
I highly suggest using a "Forstner" drill bit instead of a hole saw, since it drills out the entire 2" hole, instead of cutting out a circle.Here's the least expensive one I could find on Amazon.
(If you use my link I may make a few cents.)
🛑✋Don't use a hole saw drill bit, like I did -- you'll have to pry each piece of PVC out of the drill bit with a screwdriver, plus it jerks really hard and you'll probably cut yourself like I almost did repeatedly.
Choosing the right potting soil
As with all container gardens, choosing a good quality potting soil is key! My favorite is a local product called New Earth Top Shelf Potting Soil. If you're in Texas you can pick it up at your neighborhood H-E-B for around $5 per bag. The quality is AMAZING, especially for the price, and it's organic!Be sure to throw in some bone meal when you plant your strawberries.
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