Strawberries dilemma.

[Ricard with an H]

My first year for strawberries this year and I do love strawberries so I was wasn't pleased to find the first ripened berry had been partially eaten. In fact a hole had a sort of minute worm in it.

It's a dilemma because whilst a cover won't protect from slugs or creatures out of the ground I'm aware that birds like strawberries and I'm sure my dog would love them.

If I cover, then the bees can't get to them and this was made clear when I had used expanded metal covers. Only the plants at the open ends of the covers had berries. Now, after being uncovered for two weeks I have more berries in the middle of the row.

Presumably we have to cope with eating what is left over ? I eat two 50% ripened ones yesterday, fabulous.

So, large-hole netting to let bees in ? No netting ? Scarecrow ?

Those berries were so lovely compared to store-bought fruit them I'm now committed to growing them every year.

[retropants]

Hi Richard, we leave the net off until they begin to ripen, that way you have a better chance of pollination. our net is about 1.5cm, so bees can still get in if they are persistent. ours are always eaten by slugs and, strangely, woodlice. we have found it sensible to pick before properly ripe, then leave them on the window cill for a day or two to get nice and red. take care to check them for mould regularly, as the eaten ones can go very quickly.

[Ricard with an H]

Thanks for that advise, I'm also wondering how long it'll take for Molly ((My dog) to realise that strawberries are nice.

She picks her own berries from the brambles by standing on her hind legs and sucking them off. When she can't get any she vocalises and stares at me with that stare you see in the artwork of her I had done.

Right, I better get digging and hacking. I still have cabbage to get into the ground. Also flowers, bi-annuals to pot-on and annuals to get into the ground. I've taken on far to much this year.

[robo]

We have just found the biggest strawberry we have ever grown half eaten I think it was by a bird it was ok yesterday, my wife has spent part of the day picking ones that look like they are ripening

[Westi]

Retropants I found loads of wood lice around my strawberries & lots of munched on strawberries on the ground. Didn't catch them in the act but was going to post if they were the culprits. Question answered - thank you.

Now just how do you deal with them?

Westi

[Ricard with an H]

ours are always eaten by slugs and, strangely, woodlice.

I've been thinking about this, I'm no expert but woodlice tend to hide in dark/dry corners. Do you grow your strawberries over straw ?

I just plumped-up my plants by placing a little extra straw under the fruits and I did wonder what might be going on underneath ?

It must be heaven to be happy spraying everything with chemicals.

[alan refail]

Woodlice are the only pests on mine in the polytunnel.

[retropants]

I find plenty of the little fellas right inside the fruits!

Richard, I do not use straw, we have found it just makes better hiding places for slugs and snails.

[Ricard with an H]

I'm grateful you raised that point because it's exactly what I thought.

[PLUMPUDDING]

I always find lots of baby frogs in my strawberry bed and wondered what they found so attractive. Perhaps it is the woodlice they are eating. I have noticed one or two woodlice in damaged strawberries in the past but not thought about them being frog food.

The pond is fairly near to the strawberry bed.

[Geoff]

I protect mine with windbreak and 25 mm chicken wire - lets the small insect eating birds in but keeps the fruit eating Blackbirds and Thrushes out. I don't mulch but still get some slug damage, expecting problems this year with how many there are everywhere else. I wage war on wood lice in the greenhouses but haven't seen them on strawberries. Have had trouble with voles pinching strawberries.

IMG_3087_R.jpg (328.2 KiB) Viewed 5279 times

[Ricard with an H]

Very professional looking Geoff.

I took all the straw away from under my plants, quite a few slugs but nothing else. I haven't had any slug attack on the strawberries, maybe they were waiting for ripe berries. I get to them first, I can't resist, my partner says we'll make jam.

Even half ripe berries are lovely.

The straw had a few berries hidden in amongst it which wasn't good, the up-side was that the straw helped keep moisture in the ground though to be honest I would rather use a ground fabric. I now have straw bits all over the place, very untidy.

[Ricard with an H]

Since I took the straw away every berry that touched the ground was affected in-that the berry was misshapen though edible, if there is a next time I'll probably use straw.

What do you people do with your strawberry plants ? I now find after a very sort picking time, say four weeks, they are going to be taking up space I could use for growing something else.

I have plenty of space but not much 'broken-in-ground'. It takes time, each year I break a little more ground in but there is other work to do before the summer ends.

I suppose I could pot each plant though to be honest whilst I grow lots of herbs and stuff in pots to keep them isolated I have learnt that plants prefer to be in the ground even compared to well maintained pots.

Considering the small price I paid for these plants, I suppose they could be treated like annuals. Do strawberry plants mature into producing more fruit in the second and third years ?

[Geoff]

I grow my strawberries in a fairly traditional way now they are well established. I have four beds. First year, second year, third year and fallow usually peas. I root runners into pots each year, as I am not increasing the area I usually only take one per plant mainly off the first year plants. When these are well grown and the peas are cleared they get planted out. The third year plants are dug up and burnt after fruiting and the bed well dug and composted. Although I should really leave the ground strawberry free for more than one season I have got away with it so far as I haven't replaced the stock since 2008. When fruiting and runner rooting is complete the plants are well cut back. Got a problem this year as for some reason, presumably weather, all three ages of plant are fruiting together whereas the youngest plants usually fruit first. These plants are all Symphony. I am struggling to establish the Malling Centenary (that I reported my supply issues with), the plan was to move over to half and half as the Centenary are earlier.

[Ricard with an H]

Thanks Geoff.

As if to answer my question, "Are they worth the space"' I bought a punnet of strawberries of the same variety from Aldi. Elsanta, mine taste sweet, juicy and moreish, the store-bought berries tasted like a completely different variety.

My problem is that I want it-all now and I need another five years to get to where I'm going.

I don't want to over-winter the plants in my beds because I'll loose them to the wind until my windbreak has filled out so ill pot them or something along those lines. Maybe grow bags and I can throw some fleece over them.