Kitchen Garden Forum

Can anyone offer some suggestions - the strawberries on our allotments are all coming into flower, and mine which are for the first year in a victorian style planter are flowering profusely. I'd be looking forward to a bumper crop, but as we're in Manchester, it's still quite cold and there are not many pollinating insects around so I'm worried that no fruit is going to set.

Should I be picking the flowers off, or try and pollinate them my self, or just let them get on with it?

Any sugestions gratefully recieved.
Dan

Dear Dan, certainly don't pick the flowers off, they should be fine, but you won't do any harm running over the flowers with a soft paintbrush, or a rabbits tail on a stick.

Hi Dan

Try covering them with fleec, or there's this new product called Ecogreen aerated polythene(not that I've come on to advertise but it's really good). It's like polythene with holes in it so it warms up the crop while allowing bees etc to pollinate. And there must be early bees in Manchester who'll love the nectar!