Strawberries on the balconyis an excellent proposition for all people who do not have their own garden, but would like to enjoy he althy, organic fruit from their own cultivation. There are very interestingvarieties of strawberries for the balconywith long, hanging shoots, bearing fruit continuously from the end of spring to autumn. Seewhen to plant strawberries on the balconyand how to grow them in balcony pots or boxes. Here are the secrets to growing strawberries on your balcony!
Strawberries grown in hanging pots on the balcony
What varieties of strawberries to plant on the balcony
In the past, in amateur conditions, only the cultivation of strawberries on the plot was popular. Today, thanks to new, attractive varieties of strawberries, these plants can also be successfully grown on balconies. Choosingstrawberries for the balconywe have a lot of varieties at our disposal. When buying strawberries, check their resistance to strawberry diseases. The fruiting date is also very important, as the difference between the harvest of early and late varieties is about two weeks. It is therefore worth choosing both early strawberry varieties and late varieties in order to have a continuous harvest of fruits. The way in which we will be able to overwinter the strawberries planted in pots is also important. If you are going to spend the winter outside on the balcony, you should choose highly frost-resistant varieties.
Balconies are perfectstrawberries repeating fruiting , producing long shoots and numerous stolons. They are often referred to as climbing or hanging strawberries.They are characterized by a nice appearance and delicious taste. With proper cultivation conditions, it is possible to obtainfruits of strawberries on baconfrom the end of May until the first autumn frosts. An additional advantage of these strawberries are long shoots, which look attractive when hanging from pots attached, for example, to a balustrade.
Among thebalcony strawberriesrepeating fruiting and producing long stems, the 'Albion' variety seems to be the tastiest. In turn, decorative, very long runners are created by the 'Super Star' variety. This strawberry can be successfully led as a climbing plant, tying its shoots to supports. If, on the other hand, we want high frost resistance of strawberries on the balcony, it is worth choosing the 'Temptation' variety.
Although most strawberries bloom white, you can findbalconiesstrawberry varieties such as the blooming pink 'Pink Panda'. The pineapple 'Pinneberry' is a very attractive fruit with a white color and a sweet pineapple aftertaste.
It is also worth paying attention to the type of strawberry seedlings you buy. For the balcony, it is most convenient to choose strawberries growing in pots, sometimes already sold in the target hanging pots. If they are strawberries in production pots, they will have to be transplanted into larger and more solid pots or containers. Unfortunately, strawberries in containers are also the most expensive, because we pay not only for the seedling, but also the soil and the container. Therefore, especially if you want to plant a lot of strawberries, it is worth paying attention to the frigo type strawberries. These are strawberries hibernating in a cold store, which bear fruit within about 2 months after planting (taking them from the cold store and planting them at different times, you can adjust the date of fruit receipt).
The least useful forgrowing strawberries on the balconyare traditional field strawberries, which bear fruit only in the second year of cultivation, after wintering. They are the cheapest (and therefore used in large-scale cultivation), but we do not want to wait so long for the fruit on our balconies.
When to plant strawberries on the balcony
Strawberries on the balconyare planted when the risk of frost is over. In May, you can safely start planting seedlings. If frosts are anticipated, we cover the plants with agrotextile. When buying seedlings in pallets, try to plant the plants a few hours after the purchase at the latest. The quickly drying soil in such containers can cause the roots to dry out, which significantly worsens the absorption of newly planted plants in balcony pots.
How to plant strawberries on the balcony
Strawberries grown on the balconyrequire quite large and deep containers or pots (with round pots - minimum diameter 25 cm). At the bottom of the container we pour a drainage layer made of gravel, broken pieces of old ceramic or expanded clay pots. Only for such drainage we pour soil for growing strawberries.
Strawberries on a balcony in a ceramic pot
Due to the fact thatstrawberries growing in pots on the balconyhave a small amount of soil at their disposal, it must be sufficiently fertile and fertile. It should be humus soil (e.g. universal garden soil) to which garden peat, compost and loosening material, e.g. some sand, fine gravel or expanded clay, are added. The soil for strawberries should be neutral to slightly acidic (pH 5.5 to 6.5). If we buy a ready substrate, soil for vegetables usually works well.
A very beneficial element isadding TerraCottem to the soil prepared for strawberriesThis product contains a starting dose of fertilizer, fragments of volcanic lava, which loosens the soil and a hydrogel that stores water in the ground. Thanks to the hydrogel, the soil remains moist for much longer.Plants can be watered less often, saving up to half of the water used for watering.
Above all, however, by adding TerraCottem to the soil,we create better growth conditions for our strawberries in pots on the balconyand eliminate the risk of drying them out, even if we forget to water them sometimes.
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Repetitive fruiting strawberries should not be planted too deeply. Planting too deep causes the base of the shoot to rot and the plant to die. It is very important whenplanting strawberries on the balconynot to cover the inside of the rosette with soil. Let's also make sure that the roots do not curl (hence the need for a sufficiently deep pot, which I mentioned in the previous paragraph).
After plantingstrawberries on the balconywater generously and place the pots in a sunny place. In the shade, strawberries bloom less and the fruit ripens less well. If strawberries are planted in large balcony boxes, the soil can be mulched with straw, which will keep the fruit clean and the soil moist.
Growing strawberries on the balcony
Strawberries growing in pots on the balcony should be watered regularly. Remember that in the flowering and fruit setting phase, the water uptake of strawberries is the highest. Strawberries on the balconyalways water on a saucer under the pot or directly into the ground, so as not to wet the whole plants. Strawberry shoots, flowers and fruits are easily susceptible to fungal diseases when wet.
Strawberries on the balconyalso require proper fertilization. If we do not have experience in this area, it is best to choose liquid fertilizers for vegetables and fruit bearing plants. For the strawberries on our balcony to be really he althy food, it is best to use natural fertilizers, e.g. commonly available biohumus.
It is also necessary to look after the plants for the presence of fungal diseases and pests. If we notice them, we must react quickly so that there is no need to use chemical plant protection products on the balcony. So how to deal with natural methods? In the event of the appearance of gray mold symptoms, quickly remove the infected parts of the plants and spray the natural preparation Bioczor BR. You can also reach for the biological preparation Polyversum WP.
Strawberries on the balconyare also often attacked by aphids. Fortunately, there are many natural and environmentally harmless preparations available against aphids. The smell of garlic has a deterrent effect on aphids, so you can reach for the already mentioned Bioczos BR. Spraying potassium soap with a garlic scent also helps. The natural Agrocover preparation is effective against aphids, also available as a ready-made spray, convenient for use on the balcony.
If we have strawberries bearing fruit repeatedly on the balcony, in the fall, after harvesting, the shoots on which the strawberries have been bearing fruit should be trimmed. This procedure can also be performed in the early spring of the following year. We should also remember that strawberries on the balcony bear fruit abundantly for 2-3 years of cultivation. Then it is worth replacing the plants with new ones.
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