For the best tasting strawberries, why not grow your own. In this video, Debi shows you how to prepare and plant bare-root strawberries in the ground, and pots for a summer of delicious tasting fruit.
How to plant bare-root strawberries
Read the transcript
Bare-root strawberries are dormant plants sold without soil or pots. You can see the leaves at the top, the crown just beneath them, and the long roots below. An old runner may still be attached. Once established, a plant can send out new runners that root and give you more strawberry plants.
Prepare the roots. Separate the plants in the bundle and soak their roots in a bucket of water for about 30 minutes. If you can’t plant straight away, tuck the roots into a tub of compost until you’re ready.
Plant in the ground. Choose a sunny, weed-free spot in a border or raised bed. Dig a hole deep enough for the roots and space plants about 30–45 cm apart so runners have room to spread.
Plant in pots. Choose a container with drainage holes and fill it with peat-free compost. Make a hole, spread out the roots and set the plant so the crown sits at soil level with the top just above the surface. This works well on a patio or balcony.
Pick varieties that fruit at different times. A mix of early, mid-season and late strawberries, such as ‘Vibrant’, ‘Sweetheart’ and ‘Malwina’, gives you a succession of fruit.
