So I got this phone call from a long standing client of mine telling me
he had a problem that needed fixing. Appears his chickens escaped from their
run, ran a mock whilst finding they had a fondness for strawberries.... the result was a
disaster.
Just a few months before i had made a second strawberry bed with around
300 plants - yes they like strawberries.... mind you who doesn't. But now the
bed resembled something out of armageddon.
I went down today to see what i could do and may be come up with a plan
of action.
My client, being a laid back and easy going kind of fellow, left it up
to me to sort out.
 |
| Henrietta really doesn't like me |
So here's what i met when i visited... |
| God it was a mess |
A darn chicken (Henrietta... i know but don't blame me) and her mates had destroyed the strawberry bed...
we had words, some less than flattering but they just ignored me…..And a bed that once full of strawberries now looked like a
weedy muddy patch of dead plants and detritus. God it was a mess and a half.
All was not lost as strawberries have a great way of multiplying – its through
something called runners, they're like an umbilical cord with a plant on the end and works in much the same way. Each plant can produce up to 5 or 6 baby plants a
year so as long as there were some plants left we could start again. Mind you it would take a bit of hard work.
This was going to take more than just 1 visit to remedy so this week it was
making an action plan agreed with the client. Starting with a full bed clean up, lifting all
the remaining plants and runners. Then manure it, the client has his own stables so there's an endless amount of the stuff, rotovate and replant the older Strawberries, then after all that pot up the runners, cross your fingers and hopefully there’d be enough.
Week 1
 |
| A runner after root washing |
The sun was out on this nice autumn morning - it had stopped raining at last - so after cleaning up the bed of the dead plants, removing the perennial weeds and digging up the remaining strawberries it was time to pot up
the runners, the
first step being to root wash the runners, this basically means washing away the
old soil. In doing so it removes any pests and weeds whilst also allowing you
to check the roots etc. I use a bucket with slightly warm water so to not shock the plants and more importantly keep my fingers warm... |
| a good multipurpose is ideal. |
Then pot up into a suitable pot – in this case 3½ pots (see video below). Using a good multipurpose compost, the compost - I use one with a mix of
composted bark, soil, sand and composted green waste, it holds water and
nutrients well whilst giving good drainage. |
| The runners will overwinter in the greenhouse |
Surprisingly I managed to get 235 plants potted
in the end so along with the older plants that survived there’ll be enough for the
whole bed. So next week its all about soil preparation and replanting the older plants in rows and in the spring re-panting the runners. then its summer and strawberries galore.. If you want to know more about growing strawberries please read my how to blog.
 |
| A washed runner attached to its parent. |
So until next week, thanks for reading and if you have any questions just ask.
Happy gardening.
Oh and what about Henrietta and her mates you ask - well they've been moved!
Blog 22/11/2025 Gardening by Geoff.- horshamgardener.blogspot.com
All information contained in this blog and all the others is purely the opinion of the author and should be taken with advisement. please read the legal disclaimer. https://horshamgardener.blogspot.com/2025/12/sorry-boring-legal-stuff-updated.html
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