The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Fruit => Topic started by: valr on May 26, 2010, 10:18:19 pm
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Hi
Just wondering whether you folks put straw or anything down to stop the fruit spoiling on the ground - am considering putting some of that black sheet stuff under mine this year - which will involve laying it over the top and trying to cut holes for the plants in the right places! Tricky ... ???
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I'm just going to use straw. I've just pulled up most of the black membrane that the previous owners had down - too many weeds growing through it!! ::)
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Plant them in hanging baskets, the fruit grows over the top. Screw to a wall/fence then you can net them
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Vair just for fun if you have a bit of space.Suspend a piece of the larger type of rain water guttering.Fill it with a good growing compost and plant the strawberry plants in it keep it watered and the strawberries will hang down like grapes cover with a bit of plastic netting to keep the bods off easy.If you like the idea the year after you can do more. :D :farmer: :wave:
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Hi,
We find it's a toss up to cover the ground or not - if you don't then some fruit may get spoilt, if you do then you may be giving a good hiding place for slugs.
The general thing we find with some of the "pick your own" establishments we supply is that they dont cover the ground.
Matter of choice I suppose.
Thanks
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when we moved in to our holding last year it was mid june and we found the most amazing strawberry bed!! it was never covered, apart from blinkin bindweed ::) and there was so much fruit it was unbelieveable.
this year I have left it uncovered and will probably put some egg shells down to try to deter the slugs (maybe some lager too?)
its stopping the children eating them all that's my problem - I want to make jam!!
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Nah - don't put the lager out - drink that! If you're partial to 'proper' coffee, the coffee grounds will stop the slugs!
I'm going to have the same problem with Leo - strawberries & tomatoes won't last 5 minutes with him around!
Like your idea George!
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;D last year Scarlett pulled every green tomato off all my plants and threw them in the fishpond. great.
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Was her bum scarlet after ??? :farmer: :wave:
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ha ha - should have been!! i grew them all from seed and never got one tomato!!!
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This is the biggest problem with gardening.Every thing has to be done in its window and if the plants had green ones on its to late to plant fresh seed. ??? :farmer:
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Annie and George - it is an existing bed - but if I get more plants I will try your ideas! Now, I didnt know slugs dislike coffee grounds - interesting! We do have a couple of pots of "proper" coffee to get us going in the morning - so I should just tip the grounds around the strawberry plants? It won't harm the plants will it??
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This is the biggest problem with gardening.Every thing has to be done in its window and if the plants had green ones on its to late to plant fresh seed. ??? :farmer:
No, but you CAN use teh green tomatoes - make GT Chutney - delish!
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Who last Peed in the pond Annie love? ??? ;D :farmer: :wave:
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Coffe grounds won't harm the plants - mine usually go on the compost heap, but this year they will be put around the strawberry patch!
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cheers Sharon I'll try tha too
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Just watched Chelsea and one Gold winner had LOADS of strawbs in hanging baskets. They apparently tried globes but strawberries don't like growing up side down (surprised anything does really), so they turned the globes three times a day. Then the compost in the middle turned out to be unsuitable for strawbs so they went to plan B which was hanging baskets - it looked glorious! Why is it there are loads of flowering plants down there and very few up here at this time of year?
And a thought - does it ever rain on the Chelsea Flower Show? ???