Hi Guys
Well Summer has finally arrived here in Southern Ireland…..not sure how long for but we will enjoy it while it last. Very very busy day yesterday in the tunnels and the garden……..soooo much to do at this time of year and so nice to do the gardening in the sunshine. Well, I planted up my strawberry plants into larger pots. They were in 3 inch pots and were more than ready to put into their final planting position as they are in flower and lots of strawberries are started to appear. Strawberries are easy enough to grow…..Honest. They can be grown outside but they do like lots of heat and sunshine so this year I have planted them in pots in one of my tunnels. They can be planted straight into the ground, hanging baskets,containers or in growbags………..all of which are fine as long as they are kept well watered. I planted mine into containers this year as we are still working on the tunnel that they are in so they need to be moved around as we work. To plant up your strawberry plants is very simple if you follow these simple steps: 
First thing you will need to pot on your strawberry plants is your container, basket or growbag. If your planting into the ground the rules are the same. Strawberries need good, rich, moist compost…….an organic grow bag or your own compost if you have a compost heap! Fill your pot, container or hanging basket up to about a 3rd from the top allowing room for the strawberry plant and roots which will make up quite a bit if it’s in a reasonable sized pot to start with. Carefully take your plant out of it pot by gently squeezing the bottom of it if necessary. Arrange your strawberry plants on top of the compost in your container.
Strawberries can be planted quite close together so you can put 2 or 3 in your container. Once the plants are in position you need to fill the pot up with more compost. It is really really important NOT to cover the top (crown) of the strawberry plant, as this is where the plant grows their new shoots….so fill the pot only to the same level as the plant was in its original pot.
Strawberries will need feeding when they start to flower. Feed your strawberry plants with a good quality fertilizer such as the tomato food…….I know the label says it for tomatoes but its perfect for all flowering veg and some fruit!!
This is the perfect time to go and buy your strawberry plants. Im going to buy some more today so that I hopefully will have strawberries all summer……thats the plan anyway!!
Health Benefits of Strawberries
Did you know that strawberries are one of the superfoods, they are packed full of vitamins, fibre and high levels of antioxidants. Strawberries also help to protect your heart, increase the GOOD cholesterol (HDL) and lower your blood pressure. They are sodium free, fat-free and low in calories! They are classed in the top 20 fruits in the antioxidant category and just one serving….about 8 strawberries will give you more Vitamin C than an orange.
So get planting those juicy, healthy little fruits!!
Also managed to get some more seeds planted:
Beans, Peas, Swede, Cabbage, Corn,Cauliflower and more to do today….busy busy busy!!!
I know some of you will be thinking it’s too late to plant some of these seeds but I will be growing a lot in my tunnel over the winter.
Hope you all have a great day and that the sun shines for you toooooo 🙂
Eve's Leaves 
I love reading your blog! 🙂
You are full of fruitful knowledge about gardening and health! Love it!
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I planted two hanging baskets of strawberry’s last week. This is my first year growing them so fingers crossed. I am at the flower stage, does it take long for the fruit to appear?
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Hi Rose. Well done on planting your strawberries in hanging baskets. Hanging baskets is probably one of the best ways of growing your strawberries as those horrid little slugs can’t get to them 😉
Once the plants start to flower, it will only be a matter of a week or so before the centre of the flower starts to swell and begin to turn into a strawberry. Just like tomatoes it will be green as it grows and then just needs some sunny days to help the fruits to turn red ready for picking. Enjoy
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Great post! 🙂 You’ve inspired me to go and get myself some strawberry plants!!
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I water my fruits and veggies with tomato plant food and they LOVE it!! Another great fertilizer I’ve recently started using is fish emulsion and it makes a big difference too! I alternate weekly…one week tomato food (smaller dose than the once a month feeding) and the next week fish emulsion while the plants are producing. Both fertilizers/plant foods are great!! : )
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Hi there. I have heard of fish emulsion but have never used it. I use my homemade liquid seaweed extract as the sea is only 1 mile from our home. Will be making compost tea in the next week or so and hope to do a video and blog as I go!
Thank you for following
Eve
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My favorite food. I grew up on a strawberry farm and boy do I miss those fresh berries. Guess I’ll have to try container strawberries. Thanks for sharing the inspiration. 🙂
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A fellow gardener! Nice to meet you and I will keep following you and your garden in the future!
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Great garden tips. I just got around to cleaning up, and planting my garden a few weeks ago. I was too late at our local garden center for strawberries this year. I’m lucky that about 6 of my strawberry plants from last year made it through a winter of much neglect. I have been eating them up as I water my garden seedlings each morning, and they are getting baby strawberry shoots now too.
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I just LOVE your poly-tunnel garden ! Yay for strawberries !!! 🙂 Nice to meet you !
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Learned a lot of good stuff here! 🙂 thanks! Good luck with the strawberries! 🙂
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Thank you for visiting my page and sharing your experiences. Gardening in Ireland must be quite different from the Mojave Desert. At least we share hard ground! I tried the poly tunnel idea a year ago. The High Desert winds turned it into poly confetti over night. So much for that idea! Now I’m looking for old glass doors to use for winter fencing.
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We have crazy windy weather here also as we live in a valley just 1 mile up from the atlantic…it could be as calm as anything a couple of miles down the road but here….its mental 🙂 Thanks for following
Eve
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Eve, thanks for joining my blog, I will be keenly following your strawberry planting advice when I return to Tasmania for the summer, I grew a few plants successfully last year but plan on a larger production next time. Roz
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