Strawberries are one of the easiest fruits to grow and will produce a good crop of fruit year after year with very little effort.
To ensure you have sufficient plants to pick enough fruit for the needs of a family of four over the summer, plant around 100 plants in a strawberry bed.

The following steps will help ensure you maximise your fruit.





Step 1.
Begin with freshly rooted plants and don't keep plants for more than three years. Renew a third of the bed each year for the best productivity.

Step 2.
Ideally plant in early autumn; If not, in late summer or spring.
Dig a hole large enough so that the roots can spread outwards and downwards.

Step 3.
Stop the crowns from rotting in winter by planting level with the soil. Keep them well watered and free from weeds, but don't waterlog the soil.

Step 4.
Place straw or matting around the plants as they begin to flower to encourage root growth, supress weeds and keep fruits off the ground.

Step 5.
Tp protect the crop from birds or squirrels you will need a fruit cage, or spread small meshed garden netting over a suitable frame to cover plants.

Alternatively the strawberries can be grown in hanging baskets - this method helps keep pests such as slugs away from the fruit.

Tip: Once the crop has produced fruit the plants will start to shoot off runners - these can be cropped and re-potted into baskets, plant pots, etc and grown ready for new plants.