Who doesn’t love fresh strawberries in the Spring? Ever wish you could grow your own? Container gardening to the rescue! Let me show you how to grow strawberries in a container!
Strawberries represent that Springtime has arrived!
Not only are strawberries delicious, but they supply Vitamin C, manganese, folate, potassium and high levels of antioxidants.
And don’t forget about how fabulous strawberries are in pies, cakes, jams, jellies, smoothies and just raw!
So, let’s get to growing some strawberries in a container!
Easy Strawberry Preserves Recipe
Are There Different Kinds of Strawberries?
Strawberries come in two varieties:
June-bearing – As the name indicates, these berries bear fruit in June. June-bearing are for those who prefer to have a large amount of strawberries at one time, in order to bake and preserve them.
I prefer June-bearing strawberries because I like to freeze my berries as well as make Strawberry preserves. I find that I can pick berries for 3-4 weeks.
Ever-bearing – Ever-bearing strawberries will bear fruit all summer, but in very small amounts. This works for folks who just want a few berries a day for smoothies or cereal.
Where Can I Purchase Strawberry Plants?
Most nurseries and many big box stores will have strawberry plants.
You will also find them on Amazon and Stark Brothers.
When buying plants, look for organic, non-GMO plants for best results!
BEST Healthy Strawberry Smoothie Recipe
What Kind of Soil Do I Need for My Strawberries?
Choose a soil that’s for container gardening.
You won’t be able to use soil from your garden for container gardening. It’s simply too coarse and dense.
How to Plant Strawberry Plants
Before you can plant your strawberry plants, you’re going to need to choose a container.
You can use everything from a 3-gallon bucket to a hanging pot, but I’m choosing stackable gardening pots.
Ok, I totally LOVE these stacking garden pots!
They are light-weight and take up very little room on your patio or back porch!
Yet, they allow you to plant 3 plants, per unit, and you can stack them as high as you want!
See how nicely they drain? Plants don’t like soggy roots, drainage is critical.
How to Plant Strawberries in Your Stackable Pots
When planting strawberries, it’s important that you plant them correctly.
As you can see the parts of a strawberry plant below, you will want to cover the strawberries roots with soil up to the “just right” line.
Soak your strawberries plants in water for about 10 minutes before planting.
Next, I put a layer of container potting mix in the bottom of the container, and then lay my strawberry crowns in a way that the roots can spread out.
How to Freeze Strawberries the Right Way
Always make sure that you spread the strawberry’s roots out, never bunch them up!
Then, add enough soil to cover the roots completely, up to the bottom of the crown.
I still need to add a little more soil here, make sure you cover the roots entirely.
I also decided to use a large terra cotta pot, to set on my back patio.
I planted 5 strawberry plants and a chive plant in the center as a companion plant.
How to Grow the BEST Strawberries with Chives
How to Make Easy Strawberry Jam
Make sure to check your soil daily and don’t let it dry out. Water your strawberries consistently.
Container gardens tend to dry out more quickly than when you plant in the ground.
Strawberries aren’t particular and will grow in just about any type of container you put them in, as long as they have good soil, full sun and adequate water.
How Much Sunlight do Strawberry Plants Need??
Strawberries require a full day of sun in order to produce berries!
So, wherever you decide to place them, remember that they need sun all day long.
Within a few days, you’ll see how quickly your strawberries begin to grow!
Will I Get Berries the First Year?
Yes, you have a good chance of getting strawberries in your first year of planting them!
However, your plants will produce much more in the coming years!
From my experience, strawberry plants tend to pitter out after about 4 years and need to be replaced.
Enjoy your strawberry container garden!
