Strawberries and ice cream anyone?
The delicious combination of strawberries and ice cream may be hard to picture right now as
we wrap up warm and go into hibernation mode, but don’t forget the cold and damp won’t last
forever. In fact, before we know it, it’ll be summer again and if you want to enjoy the home-grown
version of this mouth-watering dessert, now’s the time to get planting.
The thing I like about strawberries is, not only do they taste good, they’re super easy to grow. Of
course you can plant them in your everyday garden bed or a planter box. But if you want to do
something a little different, why not pop them in a hanging basket or an old wine barrel? The
plant’s green foliage, white flowers and red berries will look great on your deck or patio. Just make
sure they’re in a sunny and a well-drained spot.
Wherever you decide to plant these red delights, you’ll first need to get hold of our ‘bare rooted’
strawberry seedlings (which means we dig them up for you and shake the soil off the roots). Simply
pop down to your local supermarket, The Warehouse or Bunnings and pick some up. Or, better still,
head to our website at www.awapuni.co.nz and get them delivered direct to your door. Each bundle
has around four plants which should produce between 60 to 100 strawberries. It may sound like a
lot but I’ll bet you’ll get through them in no time, so don’t be shy when ordering.
To get started, prepare the soil by digging in a general fertiliser that’s rich in potassium. This will
help stimulate plant growth and produce large, juicy fruit. Before planting raise your garden bed by
mounding the soil. This will encourage circulation, drainage and can add depth to shallow soil. If
you’re planting in rows they should be around 60cm wide and 100cm apart.
Dig a hole about 10cm deep and place your seedling inside. You’ll need to make sure it’s a deep
hole to give the roots plenty of room to spread out and grow…but be careful not to bury the plant.
Pack the soil firmly around each seedling and surround it with peastraw or newspaper to help keep
away weeds and encourage fruiting on top. Once your seedlings begin to fruit, place netting or
wire over them. This will block out birds and ensure you get to eat the strawberries yourself!
Planting in a pot? Easy! Plant around the sides to encourage the strawberries to hang over the sides
and prevent your fruit from rotting. And ensure you use a top quality potting mix. For an extra
boost of goodness apply a liquid fertiliser to the mix.
In spring, add another dose of general fertiliser to your strawberries to encourage sturdier plants
that are more disease resistant heading in to the warmer months. And make sure you give them
plenty of water.
If you’re using hanging baskets, it’s best to pull out your strawberries and plant new ones after a
year to freshen up the soil (don’t forget to use new potting mix).
But if they’re in your garden, your strawberry patch will last a couple of years. After this you can
simply use your runners to create a new patch – now that’s what I call a sweet investment.
Tod Palenski
Awapuni Nurseries
ENDS