Bloomin' good Sunday but question about strawberries

breezyacre

Hi folks I attended Bloom with the family last Sunday ,31st, and am about to upload some photos if anyone's interested. I loved the victorian walled garden and the good value to be had on plants. I bought some herbs as I have been threatening to do for some time now. I planted them near a path so there will be no excuse for the cooks of the family not to harvest them now. I also got a totem tomato plant which doesn't need to be staked or pinched and two gardener's delight plants also.

michael brenock · Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 8:17 pm Post subject:

commercially strawberries are grown on drills for a number of reasons, better drainage in wet conditions, easier control of weeds, easier picking and less fruit trampled during picking, easier control of runners.
michael brenock Horticultural advisor (retired)

Liparis · Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 8:30 am Post subject:

Sorry, I missed this post for some reason. Can't really add to Michael's other than you will notice a better quality of fruit because of the above reasons. It allows the sun to play it's part in ripening better as well because the fruit isn't hidden so much from the sun.
Bill.

breezyacre · Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:19 am Post subject:

Many thanks both of you. My father used to have many strawberry plants in one large bed and right enough it was difficult to avoid standing on the fruit and the runners were a bit of a pain. I notice these were not protected by nets to keep the birds off. Any comments on this. I put nets over strawberries once and noticed that some little birds got caught in them, I think I ended up sacrificing the strawberries as I was afraid of the damage the nets would do to the birds.

Liparis · Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 10:00 pm Post subject:

I've never had problems with birds getting caught up in the nets, but I have had problems with birds getting inside the nets. I used to buy fishing nets that fisherman were finished with, the ones that were past bothering to repair. I got them cheap, the fisherman got some money back for something they would have dumped. I missed a hole and the blackbirds found it very easily. I think they gorged until they were nearly sick Laughing

Bill.

breezyacre · Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:08 am Post subject:

Yes I had that problem too. My garden is in the countryside and is surrounded by hedgerows which afford great cover for foraging birds. It's like a game of chess isn't it.!