Growing Vertical Strawberries - 5 Tips
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How to grow strawberries in a vertical way
According to the results of the last article, many ask - do I hide strawberries cultivated vertically?
I apologize. The fact is that we do not have severe winters. The lowest temperature in the past 20 years has been -10 ° - 12 °. For the local population this is a real tragedy. People do not leave home, do not let children go to school. About motorists in general there is nothing to say - they do not leave the garage.
Several years ago I grew an Italian strawberry Sonata - very beautiful and powerful bushes with high peduncles, on which large elongated berries hung. In late autumn, fearing freezing, I covered the entire barrel with a large plastic bag, and on top with old rags. All winter it was very damp and it rained constantly.
When the sun warmed up in March, I decided to open the strawberries and ventilate them. And it's good that he did not wait for April or May. I was not just waiting for disappointment, but I was ready to kill myself for an unforgivable mistake!
When I took off my shelter, I found a bag that was wet from the inside (it “sweated” without air), and all my strawberry rotted safely. I decided not to take any steps to somehow reanimate her.
He removed all the earth from the bucket (it may have caught fungi or mold) and poured onto a separate pile, away from the beds.
Cultivation of vertical strawberries: advice 1
Do not use land of dubious quality or that in which house plants grew. Later I realized that I had done the right thing. This land lay all spring, summer and autumn “dead” - even nettles did not grow on it ... So make a conclusion: what would happen if I had not replaced it, but planted new seedlings there!
Reference by topic: Wild strawberry: cultivation
Growing vertical strawberries: The 2 board
In a bucket of water, dissolved manganese (the concentration was determined by eye-the solution turned out to be very dark), put on rubber gloves and sponge thoroughly washed the buckets inside. Completely all the earth from the barrel I did not get, since it basically does not come in contact with the roots, but serves to stabilize the barrel. I prepared a new soil mix, fell asleep in buckets and shed for shrinkage.
So the barrel stood until April. It rained, and as the land subsided, I poured it. When it became warmer, planted a new seedling, which in the same year pleased us with beautiful berries.
And that's interesting. Nearby there was a similar barrel, but with bushes of remontant strawberries. She did not die. The fact is that I ruthlessly trimmed strawberries almost level with the ground and filled each bucket to the top with dry compost. Apparently, the compost protected it from getting out in a wet bag.
Growing strawberries vertically: the third council
Closer to winter, I cut off all the old and dry leaves and fall asleep with dry compost. In the ground next to the barrel, I hammer on four sides of the tube so that they hold tight and rise sufficiently above ground level. My land is soft, so I scored it to a depth of 60-80 cm. I inserted 6 mm thick fittings into the tubes so that one end fits into one tube and the other into the tube on the opposite side of the barrel. And I got two arches. I tried thicker, but the rods were more difficult to bend.
See also: Strawberry varieties for harvest all year round
Cultivation of strawberries in a vertical way: the fourth advice
It is better to make 34 arches at once, then the covering material will not sag under the weight of the snow.
On the arches I threw a big plastic bag from above, made holes for air in it with ordinary scissors, and tied a bag from below to prevent the mouse from penetrating inside. And already on the sack put the old blankets and bedspreads (which too was twisted with twine so that the wind did not ruffle).
In this state the barrel went to winter. Strawberries were comfortable, warm, enough air, and most importantly, thanks to the arcs, it did not touch the walls of the shelter.
When torrential rains began, blankets and bedspreads, saturated with moisture and becoming quite heavy, began to sink between the arches. Here I want to give the Council a fifth
Later on, I put on flexible plastic pipes for wiring - this gave the reinforcement weight and stability. And from above all the arcs were tied with wire - a net was obtained. If you have a piece of mesh, you can immediately put it on top of the arches.
And finally I got a stable and reliable design. The covering material lay firmly, did not slack, did not slip.
All autumn and winter I didn’t go to the barrel, but it’s easy to say, and the thought ran through my soul: “How is my brainchild? Is it wet? Do not barred? "
18 March, the day of my birth, while my wife was conjuring in the kitchen, and the children were at school, I could not stand it and took off the shelter. I thought that on such a day there should be no disappointments. And he was right!
I can not convey my enthusiasm. I slowly took off the covers and blankets, and when a transparent bag appeared in front of me, I was simply dumbfounded. The whole strawberry made its way from under the compost and gave beautiful, vigorous dark-green leaves that already wanted light!
I quickly took off my bag, put on rubber gloves, and poured compost from the buckets from each bucket, giving them freedom for development. Sorry, there was no camera at hand to capture this.
See also: Flower garden flowerpots
Vintage design
A little admiring, I still covered everything back, but did not tie it up - for more air intake. A week later I heard on the radio that dry and sunny weather was coming. Immediately took off all the shelters, but so far nothing has fertilized or watered.
The weather really was dry, but cold, occasionally the sun broke through. So the strawberry stood open and grew very slowly. If someone is standing in a greenhouse, you can immediately fertilize with diluted manure, then it quickly breaks into growth. But I did not need it yet.
I took off all the arches, pulled the pipes out of the ground so that no one tripped, and, having tied, sent to a secluded place. He dried the blankets, but decided not to leave the bag. Rather, I used it for other purposes, and for a strawberry I took a new one. Nevertheless, over the winter, spores of various pathogenic bacteria, parasites and fungi could accumulate on it - it is better not to risk it.
In April, when it became warmer, I began to feed my pets. The first was not even feeding, but the prevention of diseases and different rot. This is a well-known mixture of potassium permanganate, boric acid, ash and manure. I immediately parted a 200-liter barrel and plentifully, without regret, doused all the bushes and soaked the earth in buckets. The next top dressing - last year's infused manure, and the third, before flowering - a solution of complex fertilizer.
The harvest was excellent. Strawberries are large, beautiful, delicious. Even the neighbors came to look at the green cap, entirely covered with red berries.
To this design, I have walked more than one season and, as you can see, has filled a lot of cones. That's why I told you honestly and frankly about them and wish you never repeat them.
On a note:
Strawberries on the windowsill - how to grow?
Ripe, juicy, tasty strawberries on the table, while outside the window a chill is a real luxury! In winter, not in every store you will find fresh berries, and if they are there, then the price for them will be sky-high (their taste is another matter). But it is possible to grow strawberries in the “off season” - at home. This will require a free window and a little imagination.
Now I am on maternity leave to care for the child, and there is little time to write while the baby is sleeping.
I want to share with the readers the experience of growing strawberries on the windowsill. I have been doing this for the third year and I am very pleased with the result.
I must say that fresh berries from their "beds" in winter are just a source of good mood. You look at them, and it seems that the summer season has not yet ended. Moreover, strawberries are truly a universal and responsive plant.
I use ordinary flower pots for my home plantings. I put a “cake” of three layers on the bottoms as drainage: expanded clay, river sand and coal.
For cultivation on the windowsill, the repair grade varieties are best suited.
If you correctly determine the variety, the plant will begin to bear fruit after a few months, and more often it happens just at the New Year's table, sometimes earlier. First the bushes,
planted in pots, I put in a cool place and do not touch them - for two weeks they need complete peace. Then expose on the windowsill and look after the usual color; mi, I only extend the daylight hours for them with the help of an ordinary lamp: in the evenings and on rainy days.
I water through the pan, but at least 2-3 times a week. If the air in the house is too dry, I also spray it. When the strawberry blooms, I pollinate it - with a regular cotton bud I touch all the flowers, moving from one bush to another.
In general, I work a little bee. I fertilize only with humus, and not with chemicals, because my children are eating berries. For the best development of plants I fertilize seedlings at least once every two weeks. Here is what I want to pay attention to.
During fruiting, strawberries need an increased iron content in the soil. Some recommend to put a rusty nail into the container with the plant, but I use the spraying of leaves with a special solution containing organic compounds of iron, which I buy in a flower shop.
At the time of fruit ripening strawberry bushes once I had amazed aphids, I took the advice of an experienced gardener. I sprinkled my beds with garlic tincture (2 clove garlic mashed and poured 1 / 2 glass of warm water, insisted 2-3 h, filtered).
When we took off the first harvest, the children were delighted. It's winter outside, and a ripe berry on the table. Usually I grow no more than ten bushes: it's enough to pamper the children several times in the winter. I wish everyone to grow a delicious harvest!
Natalia Krasnodar Region
© Alexander KERCH. city of Antwerp. Belgium
Below other entries on the topic "Dacha and garden - with their own hands"
- Repairing garden strawberries in garden pots - planting and care
- Autumn planting of strawberries - agricultural technology and subtleties from an agronomist
- To make strawberries large - good advice
- Strawberry Negritenok (Negritanka) - planting and care, my reviews
- Planting strawberries in August
- How to deal with sulfur with strawberry mites, gray rot, and white spots on strawberries
- The main pests of strawberries and strawberries - photo, name, description and control measures
- Ways to grow strawberries for beginners
- Seed strawberry repairman - my growing tips
- The best strawberry varieties for the Moscow region - my reviews
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Several years ago I planted young apple trees in the garden of 2. Planting pits for them prepared carefully, the trunk circles turned out to be wide. It was a pity not to use such a land. But it was required to find plants with a superficial root system, not aggressive, not oppressing yet weak seedlings.
As a result, I planted trunks with small-fruited remontant strawberries of the Alexandria variety. The ground between them was covered with a thick layer of thatched straw. This strawberry forms very beautiful, dense bushes with small, light green leaves. Peduncles tall, above the leaves, not lodging, so both white flowers and ripening dark red berries in sight. It blooms and fructifies from June to frost, the leaves do not turn yellow, keeping decorativeness.
Straw mulch benefited both strawberries and apple trees: the earth remained loose and damp, the earthworms multiplied well in it. Fertilizers also suited both neighbors. Strawberries grow in one place and bear fruit 3-4 year. At this time the apple tree was still small and did not give a strong shadow. Now I have removed the planting of strawberries, and I opened the trunks under the sludge.
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The vertical way of agriculture has many admirers, however, such beds have not only advantages, but also disadvantages. First, not all crops are suitable for cultivation. Cabbage, for example, with its powerful root system is quite difficult to grow on a vertical bed. She simply does not have enough room for normal development. Hence it follows that when choosing crops, preference should be given to those that do not have a developed root system.
Secondly, it is not necessary to grow crops on such beds that are sensitive to scarcity or surplus moisture. Even in the presence of drainage or drainage holes in this bed, water often stagnates. At the same time, a small soil layer quickly loses moisture, so the moisture-loving plants on these beds are also better not to grow.
Thirdly, if you leave perennials on such a bed without shelter, there is an 90% probability that in winter they will freeze. The bed will have to be planted again. Therefore, they need to either cover for the winter, or initially plant annual crops.
On my site, high beds I use for annual undemanding flowers and greenery such as spinach and thyme. The rest I prefer to land traditionally.