Can I Plant Strawberries in a Hanging Basket?

..Absolutely. Growing strawberries from hanging baskets is a great way to grow (possibly) the tastiest fruit we know.

There are advantages of growing strawberries in hanging baskets too. Being elevated from the ground, you find that firstly the fruit doesn’t end up sitting in puddles and end up inedible.

Secondly, the fruit is out of reach or small animals that may decide to eat the strawberries before you do, and thirdly the plants are less likely to be affected to soil borne diseases.

Another great factor is that it is lovely to see the colourful fruit growing ripe. This itself brings a nice look to the garden, even more so when they are at eye level.

The correct Variety of Strawberry plants

You are likely to have success with most strawberry plants within your hanging baskets, if you do it right, but there are many different varieties of Strawberry plants that are better for containers so that they don’t create runner plants that come off them. Day-neutral Strawberries are great for producing small berries and grow well in hanging baskets. The link above will give you some good info of variety differences.

 

Growing Strawberries from Seeds

If you are keen to follow the whole process, then good for you. Most people take the easier option which will be buying plugs, but please click this link to get good advice on Growing Strawberries from Seeds.

If you plan to grow from seeds, you need to start in the winter to stand a chance of fruit this year, so you better get cracking.

 

What type of Hanging Basket Liner shall I use to plant Strawberries?

The hanging basket to be used will need to have open spaces or bars for the strawberry plants to protrude between. Wire frames are probably the best.

As for a liner, moss be messy for such a job and often takes up too much of the basket. Co-Co Coir liners are difficult to achieve side-planting which is a great way to plant strawberries. We find the Amateur’s Answer lining system is a great option for fruit bearing baskets.

 

The best way to plant large plants in a hanging basket

For a guide on how to plant large cell plants in to a hanging basket  without damaging the plant or creating too much of a large hole, see this 50 second video.

What soil do I use when planting Strawberry plants in a Hanging Basket?

Get a good potting mix for your containers. Multi-Purpose Compost will be fine and will give good results for strawberries. However, you can improve your results by using a mixture of a loam based compost and slow release fertiliser.

I have found that there is a wealth of information with such mixes on the RHS website with great advice on What Potting Soil Mixtures To Use For Containers.

 

When to plant rooted Strawberry plants in a Hanging Basket

If you are buying potted strawberry plants, these can be successfully planted and bear fruit within the first season. Strawberry plants come on well in temperatures between 60-80 Degrees F. So, if you have a green house, put it to good use during the earlier summer months.

 

Healthy Hanging Baskets

A few key things that keep your Strawberry Hanging Baskets healthy are:

  • Good Drainage (roots don’t do well if sitting in stagnated water)
  • Moisture Retention (use a good liner to keep the moisture in and water often in hotter days)
  • Use good compost and fertiliser to feed for the duration of the season.
  • Protect the plant and fruit from the elements (too much sun or damaging winds)

 

We wish you all the best of look for this year’s fruit baskets!

 

 

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