The great Kiwi pavlova just wouldn't be the same without a generous topping of delicious red strawberries. Now is the perfect time to plant your strawberries for a bumper crop this summer! We asked our Facebook fans for their top strawberry tips. Share yours below in the comments section.
Plant
- Grow them in a bag of Tui Strawberry Mix if you don't have enough room in your garden. They grow a treat. Also being in these bags, means you can also move them around your section - Wendy
- I always put sheep pellets around my strawberry plants they seem to thrive on this and we get nice big juicy strawberries, my 3yr old granddaughter loves them - Tracy
- We have planted strawberries in an old bath, heaped them up with compost and then surrounded them with straw. Last season was the first time using the straw and it was the biggest crop of strawberries we've had, will be repeating this season - Joanne
- I have learnt to plant my strawberries up high enough for the dog not to jump up and steal them, getting very creative at times! Hanging them in PVC piping from the top of the deck works the best - Lynley
- I am planting last year's runners that I saved now, to replenish and enlarge my strawberry patch - Chantel
- Plant them in plastic guttering - Sharon
- Plant approximately 3-5 strawberry plants every couple of weeks or so, then you'll have a continuous amount of strawberries for the Christmas/summer season. Don't forget to cover them with light netting to stop the birds from stealing them! - Karen
- Dig in compost and Tui Strawberry Food before planting - Patricia
- Plant at least five per person (more if you have little ones who love being outside in the garden and will eat as the play), water water water, and feed feed feed. The more you love strawberries the bigger and juicer they are - Bronny
- I grow mine in a tower planter, they grow great and the strawberries ripen quickly. Slugs dont get them either! - Trethewey
- Pick a spot in full sun for the sweetest strawberries - Bronwyn
- Never plant too many plants in a planter. Overcrowding makes them prone to disease. I prepare the soil with compost and plant the new plants in sept. I sprinkle Tui Strawberry Food around the plants. I have the plants on a watering system so they are never stressed. Makes for big, sweet, healthy strawberries - Daphne
Nourish
- Give the strawberries food and plenty of water! - Jenny
- Pine needles make strawberries twice as big - Annette
- Give them in as much sunshine as you possibly can - Donna
- Spray with water to get them to bud - Michelle
- Strawberries should be fertilised once a month, using a well balanced fertiliser - Mana
Protect
- Protect the fruit from birds and little fingers with netting - Emma
- Put egg shells around your strawberries the shells are too sharp for the bugs to get near them! - Leanne
- Put pea straw around them to keep the fruit from going rotten lying on the dirt. Plenty of fertiliser, water and TLC. Bird proof them or they will beat you to them - Colleen
- Paint stones to look like strawberries - one peck of those and the birds will learn to leave the real ones alone! - Kelly
- I started to grow them in the greenhouse away from birds and slugs - Heena
And this one from Lynda - eat as soon as ripe!
When should I plant
in
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
- Harvest in 140-160 days
Post a comment
Top Tips for Strawberries Comments
I started growing my strawberries in baskets in the glasshouse Very sweet juicy fruit and no birds to contend with
Gordon Cameron
Hi Gordon, that's great to hear. Thanks for sharing your success :) Happy gardening, Tui Team
jenna
These are helpful tips for good strawberry crop Thanks dear
Pavinder Bhogal
Is this why they are called STRAWberries ... because they thrive growing on soil covered with straw?
Carole Prentice
I have some open weave wire baskets in which i would like to grow strawberries. Can anyone please advise me - Should I line the baskets with coconut fibre or black plastic? Thank you
Lynn
Hi Lynn,
Yes, the baskets will need to be lined and coconut fibre or sphagnum moss are two very good mediums to line hanging baskets with. One trick is to line the basket with the liner of your choice, place a saucer in the bottom of the basket (upright) and then fill with potting mix. This will help retain moisture and prevent the water running right through the hanging basket.
Tui Team
Hi, It's mid-april in North Waikato and my strawberries are still flowering and have green fruit on them. Will they ripen or should I prepare the plant for winter? They are in pots on a hanging wall. Thanks!
Dotty
Hi Dotty, autumn fruiting is common in strawberries. The fruit on the plant now may be a bit late for ripening, it will depend upon the weather over the next 4-6 weeks. You may find the fruit from the flowers that are on the plant now will be deformed as the bees go into hibernation and don’t pollinate the flowers as effectively. There is no harm removing the fruit, it will give the plants more time to rest over the winter. Remove old leaves from around the plant to make sure there are no overwintering insect pests or disease (black spot).
Tui Team
Hi Tui, really helpful information on strawberries thanks. I would like to know if Monterey is a short-day or day-neutral type please.
Doreen
Hi Doreen, Monterey is moderately day-neutral, it is not short-day bearing and leans more to day-neutral so you will get an extended fruiting season.
Tui Team
Last year I successfully grew strawberry plants, cropped well, in potting mix in between the slats of a wooden pallet obtained from Farm Source/Farmlands or any agriculture farm related stores selling stock food etc. and mulched with pea straw. Covered with netting set over a crisscross frame of no 8 wire. The plants were up off the ground and away from slugs/snails and birds, not coming in contact with the earth didn't rot. I'm doing the same this year.
Jan
Hi, I’m in South Otago, my plants have grown a lot of runners, should I cut them off or leave, plants in large containers. Thanks.
Lyn
Hi Lyn, if your plants are still producing flowers and berries, remove the spring runners as the plants energies are going into producing new plants instead of flowers and fruit, and use the autumn runners for your new plants. Strawberry plants are good for about 3 years and then it is a good idea to replace the plants as plant vigour declines, fruiting reduces, and the fruit become smaller over time. Planting runners is a good way to replenish your strawberry patch with new plants to make sure you always have large juicy berries. You can tuck the runners into the existing pot or place them into small pots filled with fresh potting mix, they will develop new roots, then the runners can be cut from the mother plant. Whether you do this now in late spring, or in autumn it is up to you.
Lianne
I have planted strawberries 3 weeks ago and have been picking off the flowers. When should I let the flowers develop into strawberries ?
Janet Martin
Hi Janet, early season flowers are often partially pollinated by bees and so the fruit tends to be deformed, so they are best picked off as they never amount to much. If the fruit is now setting normally (not deformed) and the risk of frost has passed, then leave the flowers to develop into fruit. Feed your strawberries every 4-6 weeks to prolong flowering and fruiting and to help improve fruit flavour.
Lianne