How to grow strawberries

Inspired by a helpful YouTube guide. This walk-through is based on the popular UK video “How to Grow Strawberries from Planting to Harvest” from the GrowVeg channel, which covers the full growing season in clear, practical steps. It is particularly good on the details that most guides skip over — when to stop watering before picking, what the crown level should look like after planting, and which pests to watch for first.

1. Choose the right variety for your garden

UK strawberry varieties are grouped by season. Early varieties like Honeoye and Elsanta start cropping in June. Mid-season varieties such as Cambridge Favourite (a reliable old British favourite) follow in July. Late types like Florence extend the harvest into August.

To be fair, planting a mix of all three gives you fruit for ten weeks instead of three. If you only have space for one variety, a mid-season type is the safest bet for most Kent gardens.

2. Prepare the ground or containers

Strawberries want a sunny spot with well-drained, slightly acidic soil. Dig in plenty of garden compost or well-rotted manure a few weeks before planting. Avoid ground where tomatoes, potatoes, or other strawberries have grown in the last few years — soil-borne diseases can persist.

In containers, use a good-quality peat-free compost mixed with a little grit for drainage. Terracotta strawberry planters look nice but dry out quickly. A plain plastic pot with drainage holes is more forgiving.

3. Plant at the right depth and time

Plant bare-root runners from October to November, or potted plants from March to May. The crown — the knobby bit where the leaves meet the roots — must sit at soil level. Too deep and it rots. Too high and it dries out.

Space plants around 35 to 45 cm apart in rows 75 cm apart. It feels generous at first. By summer you will understand why.

4. Water regularly but carefully

Water at the base of the plant rather than over the leaves and fruit. Wet foliage encourages grey mould, which can devastate a crop. In dry spells, water every two to three days once the plants start flowering.

Taper off watering slightly once fruit starts to colour up. A little stress at that point actually concentrates the flavour. Mind you, do not let them dry out completely or the fruit will be small and seedy.

5. Feed with a high-potassium fertiliser

Once plants start flowering, switch to a tomato feed or specialist strawberry fertiliser. Both are high in potassium, which encourages flowering and fruiting rather than leaf growth. Feed every week to ten days throughout the growing season.

A feed in late August after the main harvest is also worth doing — it helps the plants build up reserves for next year’s crop.

6. Protect fruit from slugs and birds

Tuck straw or strawberry mats under the developing fruit to keep it off the soil and deter slugs. The straw also helps retain moisture in dry weather. Do this just as the fruit starts to form — too early and slugs will hide under it.

Birds love ripe strawberries as much as you do. A simple fruit cage or some netting held off the fruit with canes will do the job. Just make sure there are no gaps around the edges or the birds will work their way in.

7. Pick fruit at peak ripeness

Pick when the fruit is fully red all over and comes away easily with a gentle twist. Strawberries do not ripen further once picked, so resist the urge to harvest early. Check the plants every day or two during the main season — fruit can go from perfect to overripe in 24 hours in warm weather.

Eat them the same day if you can. That is when the flavour is at its best.

8. Manage runners to keep plants healthy

Strawberry plants send out long stems called runners that produce new plantlets. In the first year, remove all runners to keep energy directed into fruit production. From the second year onwards, you can peg a few runners into small pots of compost to root — free plants for next year.

Most strawberry beds are renewed every three to four years. After that, plants become less productive and more prone to disease. Fortunately, by then you will have plenty of runners to start fresh beds.

When to call a handyman

Richard can help with raised bed construction, garden border preparation, and laying weed membrane before planting. Getting the soil right and the structure in place is the hard work — growing the fruit is the enjoyable bit.