The Strawberry Experiment

I've never grown Strawberries before. My parents garden was so infested with slugs that it just wasn't really a possibility, but maybe it just didn't occur to me. Anyway, the roof seems like the perfect place to try them: there is plenty of sunlight, no slugs, and they do well in containers.

In early April I made a trip to Riverside Garden Centre. The fruit bushes I had bought from here before were doing well, the staff are super friendly and helpful - both good reasons to return. They had a good selection of different varieties, I bought:

Christine, Elsanta, Honeyoe, Calypso, Florence, Alice, and two Aromel. I potted up four plants per box in mid-April, in compost, with manure and some chicken manure pellets mixed in.

Hopefully by the end of the year it'll become clear which variety is worth pursuing, and I'll grow on some runners. 

CW from TL - Christine, Elsanta, Honeyoe, Calypso

Honeyoe - Ridiculous name

Christine - getting huge!

Christine, Elsanta and Calypso were the first to set fruit. It was around this point I became mildly obessed with the idea that a pidgeon would steal my treats. Wilkinsons sorted me out, with some netting at 75% off.

With a few sprinkles of manure pellets, and a splash of Comfrey water, all seems to be going well. I scoffed the ripe ones earlier today, but this is how it looked before:

Christine - Marvelous

The box - Swoon

They tasted seriously good. I'm not too hot on subtle flavours, but I think there was something there. Probably a massive dose of smug self satisfaction. And slight amazement at being able to pick strawberries on a roof top...


I went home a few weeks ago, and "borrowed" a few plants of the alpine strawberries that have grown by the garden path for as long as I can remember. I also tried growing them from seed - so far, not to be recommended - only three seeds out of twelve germinated, and growth rate is painfully slow. They were sown a month and half ago, for progress, see below.

Thievings

Seedlings