Tip of the Week – Strawberry Care
Generally speaking strawberries will produce a good crop for three years and they should be replaced after that - a "good crop" is approx. half a kilo per plant. Bear in mind that a punnet of strawberries will cost you about 5 euro to buy at the side of the road which goes to show you how thrifty it is to GIY. You can create your own new plants at this time of the year (June) by potting up the "runners" that the plants send out - anchor them in pots of potting compost and once they have taken root, snip them off from the mother plant. Plant these new plants in the autumn.
Strawberries will not ripen once removed from the plant so pick only when fully ripe. Birds and slugs will also find the fruit irresistible. Net against birds if they become a problem and if slug damage becomes an issue, check plants for slugs at night time (and then remove em!).