From a practical point of view, it is advantageous to always have ripening strawberries on hand, and you do not have to own a useful garden. Just plant strawberries in a pot and you can enjoy the harvest on your balcony. In this article you will learn more about our own experiences from the last year with this way of growing everbearing strawberries. Traditional cultivation in a bed isn't the only way to self-sufficiency in your own crop of strawberries. If you don't have a garden or the soil in your garden is depleted, try growing strawberries in pots. This method mostly uses strains that are photoperiod neutral, meaning they will produce flowers regardless of the length of the day. We refer to such varieties as everbearing or reblooming. The greatest advantage of such varieties is the ability to bloom and bear fruit from June to the end of vegetation. The harvest is usually completed by the first frosts. Even spaces like a balcony, patio, or garden pergola where you can hang flower pots can be successfully used to grow enough strawberries for your own consumption. 

What Are the Benefits of Growing Strawberries in Pots?

  • The fruits always stay clean as they hang freely on the flower pot. They dry quickly after rain, so they don't rot due to botrytis infection and aren't damaged by snails.
  • When it cools down and the rain continues, the pots with strawberries can be hidden. This prevents the roots from getting wet, which hinders the overall growth and development of the plants.
  • Growing in pots can prevent root system diseases that can destroy outdoor strawberry culture.
  • Treatment is much easier, no need to hook the plants or pick weeds. Runners with daughter plants can be easily removed as they hang down from the pot. Outdoors, the stolons root and thicken the space between plants.
  • Based on our own experience, we can confirm that strawberries can be grown completely without spraying in this way. Of course, the choice of strain is also important in this case.
  • All fertilizers delivered into the pot are fully available to the crops. The fertilizer is used 100%.
  • Collecting big and clean fruits is fun, especially for little kids. Those already suffering from back pain will appreciate the ability to set the flowerpots high enough so they don't have to bend during harvest.

Instructions for growing strawberries in self-watering pots

Choosing a reliable variety is an important condition for successful cultivation. Our cultivar trials were mainly focused on evaluating the quality of current new cultivars of perennial strawberries. Among the different varieties, we recorded the best performance in our growing conditions in pots with the Dutch variety ELAN F1. We will favor this variety as a carrier for the next growing season.

What characteristics should a variety suitable for pot cultivation have?

  • Resistance to diseases affecting roots, leaves and fruits
  • High fertility
  • Tolerance to elevated temperatures in summer
  • Production of first class fruits with excellent taste
  • The advantage is the everbearing variety with harvest time from June to the first frost

Planting date

Plan the planting date for either April to May when vegetation begins, or August to October. Reblooming varieties planted until mid-May will give a full harvest in August. The type of pot also plays an important role. Reliable are self-watering plastic pots Siesta with a double bottom, which allows suction of water from the tank and simultaneous ventilation of the lower part of the root system. Plant a strong and well-rooted plant for every 15 cm of pot length. Another alternative is a polystyrene self-watering pot, which offers all of the above benefits and also protects the roots from overheating in the summer. Each pot can be hung with hooks on various structures such as railings, fences, pergolas. Pots can also be placed in an iron stand provided for this purpose.

Which substrate?

We recommend using a mixture with a predominance of organic matter, such as coco coir mixed with 15% sand and clay. Coconut fibers have important properties for which they are the most important growth medium in the professional production of strawberries. Alternatively, you can use a medium-grain peat substrate containing 15% coarse sand and clay. The pH of the substrate should always be in the range of 5-5.5, and the addition of basic fertilizer should be in the amount of 1-2 kg / m3.

Fertilization

The method of fertilization when growing strawberries in a pot is slightly different from growing them outdoors. If you are planting in a substrate that does not have enough starter nutrients, add 10 g of crystalline water-soluble fertilizer for strawberries per flower pot with a length of 60 cm, height and width of 20 cm before planting. We also recommend fertilizing strawberries during vegetation with granulated cow manure in a total dose of 100 g and calcium nitrate in a total amount of 30 g per 60 cm balcony flowerpot. Divide the total dose into three parts and dose gradually. Watch carefully for signs of nutrient deficiencies in plants. If necessary, supply the missing nutrients in the form of a water-soluble crystal fertilizer with microelements in the form of a chelate. Potted strawberries have a lifespan of 2-3 growing seasons.