Strawberries, fresh fun for the whole family

Strawberries are easy to grow, the perfect summer dessert and an excellent first crop to start the kids on an exciting and rewarding life of gardening. If you plant in spring and are armed with a few simple tricks you could be harvesting fresh strawberries all summer long.

Strawberries are best grown in full sun or sites shaded from the hot afternoon sun. They prefer deep friable loam soils but are very tolerant so do plant them even if your soil is less than perfect. They like to be kept moist but not wet.

Strawberries grow equally well in pots and hanging baskets and this is the ideal way to grow them if you are short on space or only have a courtyard or balcony garden.  If you opt for this option be sure to invest in a good quality premium potting mix as this will make all the difference to the quality of your crop. You will also have to maintain more frequent and regular watering and fertilizing than you would if strawberries are grown in the ground.

Before planting your strawberries mix in plenty of compost or old composted manure into the soil. Also add a general purpose fertilizer at the rate of about 1 handful per square meter. Plant your strawberries in a mound slightly raised from the existing soil level as this will provide them with extra drainage and space them  about 30cm apart.

Mulch with straw around the base of your plants as this will help stop evaporation of moisture from the soil and keep your strawberries from touching the ground. This will keep them clean and stop your berries from rotting where they touch the soil.

Strawberry plants produce fruit productively for around three years when they should be dug up and replaced with fresh young runners. Fortunately they produce runners each year so train these in the direction you want them to grow. The young runners will root anywhere they touch the soil so use pegs or wires to position them in the place you want them to grow. Alternatively young virus free strawberry plants can be purchased to replace old plants.

Strawberries grow great in the veggie garden, under fruit trees in an orchid, or in your ornamental garden as they are a great ground cover. Be sure to pick your berries when they are ripe because the more you pick the more they fruit.