Strawberry crop sheet

Activity

Strawberries are ideal for raised beds and containers as they don’t take up much space. You can also grow early crops under cover.

  • Estimated time: 30 minutes
  • Location: Outdoors
  • School term: Early Autumn, Late Summer
  • Level of experience: No experience needed
  • Subject(s): Maths, Science

Learning objectives

  • Learn what plants need to grow
  • Learn how to plant out at a specified distance
  • Choose the correct tool for the task

Preparation

Organic matter or fertilizer should be incorporated at least one month beforehand. The soil, raised bed or planter should have already been cultivated, weed free with a fine, crumbly texture ready for planting.

Equipment needed

  • Rake or hand cultivator
  • Trowel 
  • Strawberry plants with runners
  • Watering can with a rose
  • Enviromesh or horticultural fleece
  • Label, pencil or dibber

Step by step

  1. Plant your new strawberry plants between July and mid- September. These could be ones that you have grown from runners yourself or purchased from a garden shop.
  2. Make a hole for the plant bigger than the pot it is grown in. Remove from the pot and gently open out the roots. 
  3. Place the plant in the middle of the hole with the base of the plant level with the surface. Fill in the rest of the hole with the soil, firm well and water.
  4. Plant each strawberry plant 30-45cm apart and 75-90cm between each row.
  5. The berries will develop after flowering; these are sometimes protected by straw or matting. Make sure the area is kept free of weeds, slugs and snails.
  6. Strawberries are best re-planted from new stock every few years and preferably in a different area.

Look for runners or plantlets on existing plants during the summer term. Remove them, pot them up and keep watered whilst they are developing. They will grow into your Fruit for free!

Hints & tips

  • Look for perpetual strawberries; these are a cross between wild and modern varieties that can provide fruits from July to October.
  • Plant new strawberry plants under cover for earlier crops.