If you want to grow fruit at home but don't have a lot of space, strawberries might be a good option.
While apple and pear trees can grow to be quite large and raspberry stalks can spread out quickly, strawberries are compact plants that can thrive in small gardens or containers.
Some growers choose to grow strawberries in dedicated garden beds, while others use the low-growing strawberries as mulch to suppress weeds. But if you live in an urban area or just want to save space in your garden, growing strawberries in containers is a great solution that will keep pests down and make harvesting easier.
Strawberries are generally divided into three categories: June-bearing, perennial, and day-neutral.
Caleb Goossen of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association recommends that home growers focus on everbearing strawberries in containers, suggesting treating traditional June-seeded strawberries as annuals rather than trying to survive winter.
Goosen explained that this not only reduces the chance of winter damage, but also allows people to enjoy strawberries throughout the season, rather than just in June and July.
Apart from the strawberry variety, you also need to choose the right planter. The container you choose should have drainage holes and be relatively wide.
Strawberries have shallow roots that spread horizontally, so be sure to choose a planter that is at least 12 inches wide and 8 inches deep to accommodate two or three strawberry plants.
Strawberry flowers come in shades of red, pink, and white. Hand-pollinating indoor plants with a cotton swab will increase your yield. Photo by Lauren Landers
Strawberry jars and multi-hole growing towers are popular, but climbing strawberries also look beautiful in hanging baskets. You can also grow strawberries in old terracotta pots or indoors on hydroponic countertops.
Most often, strawberries are planted in March or April, but if you're a little behind on your gardening, you can plant them later. Either rooted or potted plants are fine, but rooted plants will take longer to produce fruit.
To pot your strawberries, fill your growing container almost to the brim with rich, well-draining potting soil. Next, find the base of the strawberry plant, where the root and stem meet.
When planting strawberries in pots, make sure the base of the plant is level with the soil line. Firm the soil around the base of the strawberry, but do not cover the base.
After planting, cover with a thin layer of straw mulch to prevent weeds, water well, and move potted strawberries to a location that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight each day. Strawberries grown indoors can be placed in front of a bright, south-facing window or under grow lights that are on for 12 to 16 hours a day.
Watering strawberries about an inch per week and feeding them with an organic liquid fertilizer once a month will help boost your yield. Pest problems are less common in container gardens, but you may want to cover your strawberries with a row cover or greenhouse to keep chipmunks and birds away.
Outdoor strawberries will flower once established and attract bees and butterflies, while indoor plants will need to be hand-pollinated with a cotton swab.
Six to eight weeks after flowering, strawberries will begin to produce ripe red berries. Harvest every day or two to produce more strawberries for eating fresh, freezing, canning, or making jam.
