i bought a strawberry plant - i've never had one before.

i'm going to put it in a pot and keep it inside (i'd like to actually GET some of the fruit - rather than have the local rabbits and groundhogs get them all ).

so, how large a pot and what is type of soil and how often to water???

thx!!

I don't have any animals eating the actual plant,
its' when the strawberry is just about ripe that you get marauders..*snails, groundhogs, birds, chippiemonks, etc.*

They do grow well in containers, keep soil moist, but nottttttt water logged...

And keep the runners trimmed, this will not overly help with fruit production when they are busy trying to make new plants... just pinch them at the base of the plant..
After about 3 years, you should let one or two or three runners develope and repot in new pots/containers, as the original plant tends to wean after that amount of time..

And make sure they in a nice fertile soil/dirt..

Hope this helps some...

I am putting in some new strawberry beds this year, if I can get around to it, just squares made out of cement blocks and soil...so they will be raised off of the ground, so those creatures can't get at them..
if I can get to it, I will certainly add some pictures...

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

Deborah,
How long does it take for a everbearing strawberry to get it's first flower?
Thank you, Nicky

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http://s80.photobucket.com/albums/j184/ladyk24/

I sit in my vegetable garden so that I can see them grow.

Heidi, I just received a PM from you, & if you don't mind, I will answer your questions here, as I think they might be things that other people wonder about, too.

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1. How do I know when to stop picking the flowers off (I'm in zone 6)?

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You know, I always wonder the same thing! I know that in a full strawberry area like I have here, it's impossible to keep track of which plants you've taken the flowers off of! If your weather has settled down to the point where you've noticed bees & other pollen helpers flying around, stop picking!

quote:

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2. I see something nibbled on some of the leaves...any suggestions?

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Can you see what it is that's doing the nibbling? Some bugs don't respond to the same chaser-awayers or killers that others do, so it's helpful to know what they are. (Be sure to look under the leaves.)

I would recommend starting out with real soapy dish water, but don't "water the plants" with it... keep it "topical" & just spray the leaves I use a garden sprayer or a spray bottle, depending on how bad the infestation is. (I have a HUGE problem with Spittle bugs here.) From the dish water, if that doesn't work, I move on to other non-chemical applications, & as a last resort I use Sevin. The label says that it's safe for food plants within a certain period of time before eating, but when I do use it, I only do it early in the growing season, before the fruit is forming. (Fortunately, the only time my Spittle bugs are out is the first few weeks of Spring, when the Strawberry blossoms are first starting.)

quote:

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3. Have you ever tried to "redirect" your runners to contain the plants? Since I have them in my veg garden I don't want them to go all over the place.

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Deborah did an excellent job of answering that on her post (above) & the only thing I can add to that is that I've taken mature crowns off the runners (when the new plants actually look like a Strawberry plant & have some "meat" to the crown) & have set them on (very wet) soil, where they took root in just a very few days. Remember, DON'T bury the crown. You can shove it down into the dirt a bit, bit it must stay 99% above the soil line.

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