Old strawberry patch

United Kingdom

We have inherited a strawberry patch on our allotment. Last year there were loads of strawberries, but also loads of weeds, and red ants and holes in the berries where the ants had eaten them! I don't know how old the plants are.

This year I have weeded the patch but the plants look quite dead - just a few shoots. Any advice on what to do next? Put straw down at some point?

thanks

4 Mar, 2009

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Answers

Helofadigger

Hi Sally don't worry strawberries die down in winter so they will come back.

What I would do is try and keep the strawberry bed as weed free as you can, you can lay a little straw down around them too as when the strawberry fruit rest on the ground they soon rot.

Another thing to do is wait for some runners to grow from your main plants cut these off when they are little plantlets and grow them on for the following year.

Normally strawberry plants are at their best for only three years so it makes sense each year to take a few of those plantlet runners so you never run out of good cropping berries.Hel.xxx.

5 Mar, 2009

Sillysally

Thanks Hel, I'll try and keep up with the weeding.

Does it matter when I put straw down? I was thinking that it would be best once there are a few more leaves growing.

Can anyone advise me, when I cut runners off, what to do with them? Replant them somewhere else on the allotment, or in the same place? Can they go straight into the allotment, or do they have to be nurtured indoors in a pot (which could be difficult, as we don't have much space to do that!)

Thanks for the advice.

5 Mar, 2009

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