Did you want to grow organic strawberries of your own? But you don’t have enough space to grow in your garden. Don’t worry you can grow strawberries in containers, in pots, in grow bags and in hanging baskets.
Hanging baskets are an excellent choice to grow strawberries for the gardeners who has some kind of space problem going on. You can hang them anywhere you want like, your balcony, in front of your home or hang them with a tree of your home.
Here are a few benefits of growing strawberries in hanging baskets:
- The first and most obvious one is the space problem. Hanging baskets will cover your space problem.
- Your strawberry plants are well out of reach of so many pests because of the height of baskets.
- Plants in baskets have no direct contact with the soil, so they will be saved from rot.
- Because we will use a good kind of soil in baskets, so there will be no soil born diseases.
- Harvesting the strawberries will be much easier because of the height.
- You can also change the location of baskets (close of heater or cooler) according to the need of plants.
Varieties Of Strawberries To Grow In Hanging Baskets
There are so many varieties of strawberries are available in the nursery or supermarket. But you have to be mindful in choosing your variety. Here are a few varieties to grow in baskets:
Day Neutral Varieties: These varieties are an excellent choice to grow in hanging baskets. These varieties produce small strawberries and no runners, which makes them perfect to grow in hanging baskets. Day-neutral varieties produce fruits throughout the growing season. Choose from these day-neutral varieties:
- TRISTAR
- TRIBUTE
- MARA DES BOIS
- EVIE
- ALBION
Do Not Choose These Varieties: June-bearing varieties and ever-bearing varieties are not a good choice for hanging baskets. June-bearing varieties produce so many runners who spend a lot of energy and time, which can be used to grow more fruits.
June bearing varieties produce only one crop in June or July. Ever-bearing varieties produce 2 crops each year, the first crop in early summer and a second crop in early fall.
Selection Of Hanging Basket
The diameter of the hanging basket must be 12 – 15 inches from the top to bottom. There are a few baskets in the market which lined with the coir or meat moss, these are great.
Here are the best and most reviewed hanging baskets you can buy from the Amazon.
How Many Strawberry Plants In A hanging Basket?
For a hanging basket of 12 inches in diameter, 3 to 5 plants are enough. But the number of plants also depends on the variety of your selection.
Varieties that produce runners are not a great choice, but if you have only these varieties, 3 plants in one basket are enough. For day-neutral varieties, 4 to 5 plants are enough in a basket of 12 inches.
Best Time To Plant Strawberries In Hanging Basket
If you are growing strawberries indoor and you have some kind of source of light like LED grow light, you can grow any time you want.
Growing strawberry in the basket totally depends on your area. For most of the area, early in the spring, after the last frost. The last frost is different in different areas. Usually, it is March or start of April.
Also Read: An Ultimate Guide to the Best LED Grow Lights for Indoor Plants
Best Soil
This is very important. You cannot just use the topsoil of your garden to grow in hanging baskets. The topsoil is not fit for the container garden as it has a very low amount of nutrients and drainage.
So you will need potting soil to grow in baskets. Don’t worry, potting soil is very cheap if you buy in bulk. Or you can even make your own potting mix.
Plant Strawberry Plants In Hanging Baskets
After the selection of a hanging basket, a variety of strawberry plants and best soil, it is time to plant the plants. Follow these steps to plant your plants in basket:
- If your bucket has polythene bag lining, you should make some holes in it for drainage of water.
- Now carefully pick your plant from the pot you got from the nursery and space 3-5 plants around the edge of your hanging basket.
- Now fill the basket with potting soil.
- Water the plants, so the soil in the basket will set.
- Now hang the basket where you want.
Also Read: 10 Best DIY & Cheap Container Vegetable Gardening Ideas Anyone Can Use
Best Location For Hanging Baskets
A nice sunny place is great for strawberries because every plant needs sunlight for photosynthesis. If the summer in your area is very intense, plants will appreciate a nice shady place.
Caring Of Plants In Hanging Baskets
Here are a few tips to take care of your strawberry plants:
- Although potting soil can provide nutrients to your plants for weeks, plants will need fertilizer. Especially, when they start producing flowers. Use organic all-purpose fertilizer in liquid form. Once or twice a week is enough.
- Use organic pesticides or neem oil if there is any pest attack.
- Keep watering your plants. Before watering, check the moisture level of the soil. Stick your finger in the soil about 2-3 inches, if the soil feels dry, water your plants.
- Water slowly and deeply. Do not sprinkle water on the leaves or fruit, it can cause a fungal attack.
- Water your plants, early in the morning.
- Strawberry plants require full sunlight, which usually means 6-8 hours of sunlight.
- If you are growing indoor and using grow light, 9-10 hours of light is great.
- Strawberry plants love acidic soil, so keep your soil away from mushroom manure because it has lime in it.
- When fruits turn red, harvest them as soon as possible.
- Pull the weeds or any grass from the basket by hand.
- Also pull the runners from the basket, because they can be a competition of energy and sources.
- You may have to use nets to cover your plants to save the fruits from the birds.