Hi there, I am in Northland NZ. I have potted strawberries in full leaf. How do I prepare them for winter? And ready them for spring?

Hi Trevor, great question. Remove the older big outside leaves now and cut off any runners which are coming from the centre of the plant.

Once the plants are cleaned up, apply a side dressing of Tui NovaTec Premium fertiliser (suitable for pots and containers. If planted in the garden you can use Tui Strawberry Food) around the base of each plant, then cover with straw. This will provide the plant with the nutrients before winter when they set the flower buds, which will then be next year’s fruit.