Strawberry varieties fall into two main categories - short day varieties and day neutral varieties. The biggest difference being that the fruiting peak falls at a different time, so if you plant a mixture of these varieties you will be harvesting fruit for a longer period.
Short day varieties initiate flowering when, as the name suggests, the days are short in winter and spring. These varieties will start in early November, mostly finishing after Christmas.
Day neutral varieties, in contrast, will fruit any time of the year when the temperatures are warm enough for growth. These varieties tend not to have such a large flush of fruit at once but produce consistently for a longer period. Aromas is a high performing recently released day neutral variety that is well suited for Whanganui.
The Strawberry variety Camerosa will be available as bare root bundles during the coming week or so for a very limited time and Aromas later in the month. If you want to buy a reasonable quantity of plants then you are best to place an order to ensure you don't miss out! Otherwise they will be available later in May in pots and punnets.
While strawberry plantings can be made year round, planting done in the cooler months tends to result in heavier cropping than plantings made in warmer months. If they are planted too late, i.e. closer to the longest day (December), they will tend to produce an abundance of runners instead of fruit.
Where To Grow
There seems no limit to how and where strawberries can be grown, and they are fairly fool proof so anyone can plant them and be rewarded with fruit!
They can be grown in old car tyres where the heat of the tyres hastens ripening. This method keeps the fruit off the ground and subsequently clean from soil. They can be grown in hydroponics, in glazed or terracotta pots, specialist herb/strawberry planters.
More gardening wisdom from Gareth Carter:
Gardening: Autumn harvest time
They are an edible option to grow in a hanging basket or they can fit in the herb garden. Some grow them along the edge of a vegetable garden and others will dedicate a spot to mass produce their favourite berry!
Many will grow strawberries in pots and containers of various forms. If you are planting strawberries in pots make sure you should use a specialist mix such as 'Tui Strawberry Mix' – as with the success of most plants the quality of the media they grow in plays a significant role in the success you will experience.
The biggest factor to growing good strawberries is site selection. The plants need a sunny position and a well drained soil that has good structure. When planting strawberries the addition of 'Tui Compost' or 'Sheep Pellets' will help improve soil structure and bulking up the soil can give height that will aid in good drainage.
Strawberry plants will produce significantly more fruit if they are watered and fertilised regularly. Like many plants you can buy a specially blended fertiliser such as 'Tui Strawberry Food' which is blended with the appropriate proportions of NPK and trace elements. While they like to be well drained, plants will need to be watered during the summer months. This is best done in the early morning to reduce the risk of humidity build up.
Strawberry plants will produce good crops for two to three years after which time the "mother" plants are best thrown out. The plants will generally produce runners each season during late summer.
In the first year it is beneficial for the next year's fruit production if these are removed before growing too much as they will drain the plant of energy that will benefit next seasons fruit. However in the second and third season saving some runners and replanting will allow you to replenish or enlarge your strawberry patch.
How many to plant? A rule of thumb is to plant five plants for each family member. If you want to eat bowlfuls of strawberries every night during summer then plant more!
Have a good week!
Gareth Carter is General Manager of Springvale Garden Centre
