Strawberry jam, strawberry ice cream, strawberry cake or eaten raw - strawberries simply taste good. However, they taste best when they come from your own garden. The strawberry plants also thrive in tubs or balcony boxes. And the joy is all the greater when the harvest is plentiful. That's why you should offer the strawberry plants not only the right location but also an optimal substrate.
strawberries
Strawberries in the bed
In order for the strawberries to thrive in the bed, you should choose the right location and soil for the plants. In the best case, the floor is as follows.
- relaxed
- not too hard
- profound
- rich in humus
- pH value: 5.5 to 6.5 (slightly acidic to acidic)
- sandy-loamy
garden soil, soil
In addition, the soil should not allow waterlogging. If the soil is heavily compacted, it should be loosened with sand or leaf compost before planting the garden strawberries. A green manure with lupins or crimson clover is also a good preparation for the plants.
Tip: Conventional garden compost is not suitable for strawberry plants because it contains too much lime and salt.
soil preparation
Before the strawberry plants come into the bed in July, the soil should be prepared. It is best to start doing this a few weeks before planting, because strawberry plants must not be placed in freshly tilled soil. To do this, proceed as follows.
- dig deep into the ground
- Work in four to five liters of humus or leaf compost per square meter
- Work in 30 grams of horn meal per square meter
After about two weeks, the garden bed has settled so that it can now be raked smooth and the young plants can be planted. Straw spread between the plants not only reduces the growth of weeds, but also protects the garden strawberries from moisture and gray mold.
strawberry plants
Tip: Monthly and climbing strawberries are planted in spring.
After harvest
So that the plants bear many fruits again next year, you should prepare the soil and plants for the coming year after the harvest. To do this, clear the straw to the side and cut off the leaves and remove all the kindling.
Tip: Depending on your needs, the Kindel can be used for propagation.
To protect the plants from fungal infections, it is necessary to remove the old foliage from the bed. The now compacted earth is then loosened. Then sprinkle organic berry fertilizer around each plant and mulch the soil with leaf compost. This gives the plants enough nutrients to create new flower buds in the fall.
standing years
As a rule, the strawberry harvest is most productive in the second or third year after planting. In the following years, the crop yield decreases significantly. Therefore, after the third harvest, you should exchange the old plants for new young plants. So that the new plants bear plenty of fruit, they should also be placed in another bed. The old garden bed should only be planted with garden strawberries again after four years. Plants with a short cultivation period are suitable as so-called preceding crops, such as
- Kohlrabi
- radish
- salads
Strawberries are very popular fruits
pot plants
Strawberries as pot plants
If you don't have a garden or don't want to create a strawberry bed, you still don't have to do without fresh strawberries, as (potted) strawberries also thrive very well in a bucket or balcony box if, as with garden strawberries, the location and the substrate are right.
Potted berries should ideally be grown in compost-based potting soil with a stable structure. As with garden strawberries, the substrate should be nutritious and slightly acidic. To reduce the risk of waterlogging, the soil should be loosened with perlite or sand. Since potted berries do not like freshly worked soil either, the planter should be filled with soil a few weeks before planting so that it can settle. Like their garden colleagues, potted berries are fertilized after the harvest.
Tip: A planter with drainage holes also helps against waterlogging.
To keep the soil warm and moist, you should mulch the potted berries with leaves, straw or bark mulch. This reduces water evaporation and at the same time protects the plants from rot. Ideally, the layer of bark mulch is two to three centimeters high.
Since the space for the plants in the tub is limited, special attention should be paid to the planting distance for strawberries in the balcony box or in the planter. A distance of between 20 and 30 centimeters is ideal. If only one plant is placed in the pot, it should have a diameter of at least 20 centimeters.
Strawberry plants in the garden bed
hibernate
Overwinter strawberries in the tub
As with garden strawberries, there are also winter-hardy varieties of potted strawberries. In order for the plants to get through the cold season well, all the leaves of potted strawberries must be cut off after the last harvest. You should also remove all leaves and parts of plants lying on the ground. It is best to place the potted berries against a sheltered house wall in winter. At extremely low temperatures, the plants should also be covered.
special earth
Special soil for strawberries
Strawberry plants make few demands on the soil. It is important that the soil is loose and rich in nutrients. This also applies to potted strawberries. Whether the strawberry harvest is larger with a special soil, such as strawberry or berry soil, is hotly debated. The fact that it improves the soil and serves as an organic fertilizer speaks for a berry soil that can also be used for the garden bed.