I have been asked for thoughts on growing strawberries vertically to save space for our garden. Raised on a farm, I know how to do that in-ground, but have no idea how to do it vertically and still have the plants productive for a few years after some N.Y. winters. Any suggestions on how to do this?
I have looked at the plastic strawberry towers, but have been told they are a one-shot deal. Some have said to move them into an un-heated garage for the winter and they will be fine. Anyone done this successfully?
no i've not done this, but i grow a lot of strawberries in the normal fashion on the ground and suspect you could go one or two levels without too much issue in terms of loss of production as long as the stems between the plants are not damaged.
having seen strawberry plants growing in very little other than crushed limestone mulch and still flowering they may do ok just hanging.
i would guess how much stress the plants might get from the wind and sun and how they get their water would be important as the fruiting quality is dependent upon there being enough water and the right temperatures.
I was unable to tend the strawberry patch last year and now my wife wants to turn it into an asparagus bed. I was thinking of transplanting whatever strawberry plants are left along the rows in the vineyard, so that they can grow beneath the grapes.
sounds ok, they may not produce a huge amount of berries, but will survive and grow towards the light.
one experiment i did very early when starting out with strawberries was using beans/soybean plants to keep them along the edges of the garden for a season. it worked pretty well.
most strawberry patches need to be redone after three years anyways to keep the plants producing well. once you can see/feel that crown being really extended you know it is time (at least for most varieties i've taken care of - i'm not sure of the habit of the alpine strawberries). i just turn them all under after picking out enough to replant. it's pretty rare i don't have enough plants to work with...
they are forest land edge plants that take advantage of any clearings that happen from storms or fires. they produce the most in full light and high organic content soils. pick often and remove all berries that are ripe even if they are damaged and laying on the ground. that way you can avoid a lot of the fungal/bug problems and won't need to use any sprays.
some diseases i've not seen yet, but we do get black spots on the leaves when the plants have gotten to the middle of summer. the leaves will die back and then when the next round of growth happens the plants are fine. i don't consider it worth it to spray for a cosmetic issue. all plants go through stages and fungi are a natural means of recycling that energy from the sun.
it will be interesting to see how the newly redone patch will survive this winter. my attempt last year was too late and almost all the plants didn't survive. this year the plants had a few months before the really cold weather to get ready for the winter, but it has been a pretty cold one...
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