This past weekend, I decided to force the strawberry crowns that I'd dug up from the old garden last fall. I'd recently purchased a strawberry jar and was excited to fill it. Most of the crowns in this jar are 'Sarian' - a day neutral variety that is easily started from seeds and will produce in the first year. I'd started these last spring but the field mice had gotten to most of the strawberries before I could.
As you can see, the crowns are already starting to wake up and produce their first leaves of the year. I'll keep them inside the green room until about mid-may. Hopefully they'll like their new home. Whenever I see these jars for sale, whether in a catalog or on a website, the picture accompanying the offer always shows seemingly dozens of strawberries spilling out of each hole. I wonder if such results are really possible. I guess we'll just have to fertilize regularly and see.
I'm currently in Massachusetts for work. Last night, I dug up eight of my 'Seascape' strawberry crowns, which I'll force in a second jar. Seascape is another day neutral variety that produces excellent tasting berries. While the ground is still frozen solid in Vermont, the soil in the old garden is completely frost free. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to dig them up.
Did you not get the snow Thomas, or am I a day or two behind in reading this??
ReplyDeleteDug them up at night? ;-)
ReplyDeleteGood luck! Hope they do fantastic!
That's a great idea Thomas!I should dig up some from the bed next door and put them in some pots. I don't know how many of my new plants survived over at the plots. I guess I need to go over there and check them out to see if I am going to need to buy some more.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your plot. Hopefully it will be ready at the end of April. I am anxiously awaiting our garden move.
Your artichokes look great. I bet you are loving that sunroom!
It will be interesting to see how early they will be. I get so many runners out of my strawberries that it would be easy to dig some up.
ReplyDeleteHi Kelly, I dug them up in the early hours of the snow storm when there was only a couple of inches. At this point, we have about a foot of snow in northern mass.
ReplyDeleteI have been looking for this kind of strawberry planter for ages. My year round strawberries are currently growing in hanging baskets and they seem happy there producing at least a berry a week.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with yours.
I have been looking for this kind of strawberry planter for ages. My year round strawberries are currently growing in hanging baskets and they seem happy there producing at least a berry a week.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with yours.
I have always wanted to try one of those strawberry planters! I can't wait to see it filled with growing plants.
ReplyDeleteHi! The strawberry pot looks great and I will look forward to seeing how many berries you get. I've never tried a pot but I did a little S-berry tower one time with wood planters stacked in a way that created little "pockets" and worked relatively well. I like the day neutral "Tri Star." I have good luck with it. Have you heard of it?
ReplyDelete