If you would like to try growing strawberries indoors you need to make sure you have proper lighting and good soil. My first article explains how to get started with proper lighting and soil. I plan on using hanging baskets for my plants with the strawberry runners being overwintered in a greenhouse. To read this article check out the following link: Growing Strawberries Indoors, a-Gardening Adventure
photo credit: sashafatcat

This article tells how to set up a strawberry pot. I like the looks of a strawberry pots. They add character to a room and growing strawberry plants equally as well.

Strawberry pots are designed to hold one to three plants at the top. The pockets in the sides would then be able to hold any runners that developed as the plant matured. Many gardeners, like me, fill all the openings with strawberry right from the start.

To plant your strawberry pot, you will need a piece of PVC pipe that is capped at one end, a drill, potting soil, and a strawberry pot. Cut the pipe so that it will fit inside the strawberry pot with the uncapped end even with the pot’s rim. Drill 1/8″ diameter holes an inch apart down alternating sides of the pipe. For example, on one side your first hole might be 1/2″ inch from the top, but on the other side your first hole would be one inch from the top.
photo credit: tanakawho

Partially fill with the pot with soil and insert the tube, capped end down, into the center of the pot. Loosely add the rest of the potting mix. Plant each pocket. Add more soil around the roots if needed. Finish by planting two to three plants at the top and soaking the soil well. Water the pot by inserting a funnel into the pipe and pour water into it, ensuring that the water is distributed evenly through the pot.

This method will grow healthy plants and produce a great strawberry crop.

Technorati Tags: container gardening, growing strawberries, indoor plants

I realized today as I was planting the last of my perennials from a greenhouse sale that I had strawberry plants that needed a home before winter. The plants also spread and produced runners with plants during the summer and I was puzzled on what to do. Should I plant them outdoors and hope they take with only a short time to acclimate to new soil or grow them indoors? After reading a few articles I decided to plant the strawberries  indoors.
photo credit: Grumpy Chris

I feel I will have more control over the plants survival rate. Strawberries also grow well grow in containers and even do well indoors. I will have to supplement their growing space with artificial sunlight but I feel it’s worth the time.

My plants are everbearing plants. They will produce two crops of strawberries, one in the spring and another in the late summer or fall. From what I have read and my lighting situation I think its would be best to grow these strawberry plants in hanging baskets.

Strawberries prefer a soil with a pH between 5.3 and 6.5, so I will be heading to the garden center for the proper soil and a controlled-release fertilizer to insure the plants have enough nutrients. When I plant the strawberries I will remove any older leaves from the plant and remove the runners. (I will also plant the runners in my greenhouse and over winter them for a larger plant crop for next spring). The roots should be trimmed so they are about 4 to 5 inches in length and any damaged areas removed. I will place the roots in water for an hour before planting. The plant should be placed in the soil so the crown of the plant is even with the soil’s surface and the roots fan out. This was a mistake I made the first time I planted strawberries. I planted them too deep and did not spread the roots out.

I also read that I will need to remove all blossoms by either pinching or cutting them for the first 6 weeks after planting. This gives the strawberries  time to get established before expending energy towards growing fruit. I will need to water the plants every day until the growing season, and then reduce your watering to when the top inch of soil has become dry.

Indoor strawberry planting TIPS:

• Strawberries should be fertilized at least once a month. Once the plants have begun flowering, fertilize it about every 10 days until harvest season is over. They prefer a fertilizer that is high in potassium.
• They will need at least six hours of sunlight a day to produce a crop that can be harvested, although full sun is better. Make sure hanging baskets are rotated to ensure that all plants get adequate light.
• Strawberries are prone to both aphids and red spider mites. Strawberries can also develop powdery mildew. If your strawberry plant has purple spots on the top surface of its leaves and white fungus on the bottom side, it has developed powdery fungus and needs to be treated with a fungicide.
• Strawberries are ready to be picked as soon as the fruit has turned red. They can be stored for about two days in shallow trays in the refrigerator. For longer periods, it is best to freeze them. I freeze mine on cookie sheets them place them in plastic bags. This way I can freeze small amounts at a time and also take out a few berries to use at a time.   photo credit: Martin Lindstrom

How to assemble Hanging Strawberry Baskets

Gather

• 24 strawberry plants
• a 16-inch wire basket
•  potting soil
•  and some sphagnum moss, coconut fiber or a specially designed basket liner.

Next line the wire basket with the damp sphagnum moss, coconut fiber or basket liner. Insert 18 of the plants into the basket sides through the sphagnum moss. After you have finished, fill the basket with potting soil and planting the remaining plants in the top of the basket. The basket will continue to produce fruit for about three years.

My plan is to keep my plants healthy until I can get a proper strawberry bed set up. If I have a small crop of berries this winter it will be a plus!

UPDATE: Feb 2009.   My indoor Strawberry plants did very well in 2008 and produced a great crop. I found I needed to use a little more compost tea (or any liquid fertizer on them) when I transplanted them into the ground. They are still thriving and I again have indoor strawberries.

Technorati Tags: container gardening, Growing indoor strawberries, hanging baskets

Perennials are wonderful plants as they give you a garden that can produce color most of the year, depending where you live. By careful selection and laying our your garden properly you can add color, enjoyment and value to your property.
photo credit: cliff1066

I consider myself blessed to have a nice piece of property with rolling hills and streams and creeks. I wanted to do something “green” for the community I live in plus share gardens and ideas with those who wish to stop by, so the idea of a perennial gardens business was born.

There are many steps to take in the business I have planned and I will be adding different gardening aspects to the grounds as time and interest in the project takes off. My gardens will also be organic and will have no use of chemicals or chemical fertilizers.

I have taken the first steps by rounding up a variety of perennial plants and laying out my working gardens. At this time I have two gardens that I am tilling and adding natural compost and nutrients to the garden. This will start the garden soil off rich and healthy.

One garden is in a shape of a boomerang It measures about 35 foot by 20 foot. The other garden, which I am tilling today, is rectangular and will be about 35 foot by 25 foot. This is my retired vegetable garden and has to be tilled under and have compost, leaves and straw added. These will be the working base for my later gardens. During the late fall and spring I will be designing and showing you step by step how the new gardens will be set up.

I hope you join me in this adventure and share ideas and success stories with me. Tomorrow I will show you the rough plots and share a few more ideas on what I hope to accomplish. Happy gardening all! Denise
photo credit: Alyzande

Technorati Tags: perennial plant, Theme Gardens