Container size for strawberries

I have planters that are 6" wide * 6" deep * 36" long. I was thinking 3 bare root strawberries per planter. Are they too small? Should I get larger planters?

Do a search for

“strawberries in rain gutters”.

There is some good info…

Problem with small containers and especially gutters is watering. In a hot day you may have to water it several times a day to keep alive, forget producing well. When you just plant the young plants you are fine. But as soon as they grow fully, they can easy have roots 6’’ deep and 12’’ wide. Which will leave not much place for holding water. I would definitely go with a deeper pot or provide some kind of self watering pot.

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Thanks! Watering is not an issue.Its on a soaker hose with timer. I can adjust as needed. But I don’t want to repot again next year. I would rather just get bigger pots now…

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Pretty cool, saw some you tube videos on this as well. But it looks like better to give roots more space for long term… May be a great idea for annual herbs/flowers…
Thanks!

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That will work fine if you’ll put some clay soil in there instead of potting soil.

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Are you saying that regular garden soil would be better in a strawberry gutter planting because it would hold water longer? Just asking, sounds interesting if I am understanding you.

Some of the best strawberries grown are in red sticky clay. But, regular garden soil works if it’s mostly weed free. (The Florida and California commercial varieties may be grown in sand, but most Junebearers should not be. And any soil too rich will create all vines and few berries.)

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I grow some of my strawberries in gutters.

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Those plant look like last year runners? How do you keep them over winter in your zone? For me, even growing in barrel didn’t work well - only bottom plants survived the winter but even they were not happy. For me to keep containers overwinter is a biggest challenge. I only can imagining using shallow containers to plant last year runners in spring to get some additional berries first year and then just let them die. Would be interesting to know how do you deal with them.

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Wow Nice pictures!

Will try, got plenty of that here!
Thanks

I pick up the gutters and put them on the floor of my potting shed for the winter. Seems to work for about three years, then I try a new variety. :slightly_smiling_face:. Also mulch them!

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thanks! I probably could push them under the shed, mine is lifted from the ground and is not much warmer then outside. But bellow the shed could be a different story. But first I have to get rid of the “some day useful” junk stored there. :grinning:

June bearing strawberries need some supplemental fertilizer when they are beginning to make new buds for the next spring. In Kentucky that coincides with around Labor Day, but will vary by climate/location.
The rest of the year, most people over fertilize them. BB

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i have mine in 12in. high raised beds 20in w by 8ft long. i filled the bottom 4in. with 3-4in.dead branches filled in w/ horse manure then well amended soil on top. basically making a hugelkulture bed which holds water better than soil alone. as the wood rots it continues to feed the berries. i do this in all my raised beds. when i first put the bed together, the manure starts to decompose and slightly warms the bed , helping your seedlings establish. by time their roots reach the manure its broken down enough to feed the plants. learned this from a permaculture site. hugelkulture has been used for hundreds of years in europe to increase plantable land and water retention. i just modified it for my beds. its worth the extra effort.

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i have lots of worm castings from my compost worms. i put about 1in. around my plants every spring and mid summer. i then cover with wood chips. i sometimes supplement with some miracle grow during fruiting.

Wow Moose71, with soil like that your plants will be thriving! Wish I was close enough to get some from you!!!

BB - I’ll keep that in mind for June bearing crops.

for you guys that grow in drier conditions, the addition of wood in even regular growing beds is a benefit to keep water in your root zone. just make sure you add a nitrogen source for the bacteria to feed on so they don’t take it out your soil to decompose the wood. any wood other than cedar and black walnut will work. you don’t need to feed your plants for at least 2 maybe 3 yrs. depending what your growing. also need much less water as the wood holds it like a sponge. i actually have very rocky clay soil here so i have to amend heavily and use bagged soil in my beds. i put about half and half with worm castings and horse manure i get from my neighbors.

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I usually use wood chips on the bottom of deepper containers. I do not think nitrogen is a big issue, as only top layer is contacting with soil. But when watering, nitrogen leached from soil doesn’t go to waste on the ground bellow container, but works on that extra carbon in the wood chips.

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my evie 2’s were producing berries till’ early nov. then heavy frost stopped them! we had a mild fall and my freezer still has lots of frozen strawberries! not to mention what my earliglows produced in june/ july.