How to Plant a Strawberry Pot
Use your strawberry pot for strawberries, herbs, succulents, or other plants
While a strawberry pot is often used to grow strawberries, you can also use it to produce many edibles and ornamental plants—for example, low-growing, trailing annuals such as moss rose and perennials like hens and chicks grow well in strawberry pots. Hens and chicks is a popular choice because they don't require much water, and many cultivars can survive the winter in a container. Some gardeners use strawberry pots to grow herbs and leafy salad greens.
Strawberry pots require a planting technique all their own. You don't fill them with soil and insert plants only into the top of the pot; you must also insert plants into the side planting holes. The planting technique is unique but very simple, and once planted, your strawberry pot will fill out and look great through the growing season.
What Is a Strawberry Pot?
A classic strawberry pot is a tall, upright, urn-shaped terra-cotta planter with a planting area on top and planting hole openings randomly scattered around the sides of the entire pot. These days, many different materials are used to manufacture strawberry pots, but the design remains similar. Strawberry pots are sometimes referred to as strawberry jars.
When to Plant a Strawberry Pot
Strawberry pots are planted at the same time as any outdoor container—typically in the spring once all danger of frost has passed. Because the potting soil in a strawberry pot warms up reasonably quickly, you might be able to plant a little earlier than you do for in-ground garden plants. However, be ready to cover your pots or temporarily move them indoors or to a more sheltered location if spring frosts are predicted.
Before Getting Started
To minimize the messiness of planting, consider placing the strawberry pot in a wheelbarrow as you work with it. Strawberry pots are messy to fill because soil can easily tumble out of the side planting holes. Working in a wheelbarrow prevents you from wasting potting soil and requires less clean-up. The wheelbarrow also makes it easier to rotate the pot and requires less bending.
Small plants are your best choice when purchasing or selecting plants for your strawberry pot. This is because you must be able to fit the plants into those small side planting holes, and it's easier to do when a plant is small or young with a somewhat loose and pliable root system.
As a growing medium, use a well-draining potting mix suited for most plants. A lightweight mix makes the pot easier to lift and move and will evenly distribute water throughout the pot. An exception is if you are filling your pot with hens and chicks or another succulent plant, which is better suited for a coarser growing medium, such as a cactus or succulent mix.
Tools and Supplies
Terra-cotta is the classic material for strawberry pots, but plastics have become increasingly popular, and some fabric grow bags are being designed with a strawberry pot configuration. Sizes range from short pots that require just four or five plants to tower-type planters that may accept as many as 15 plants. Some terra-cotta and plastic pots have a lip under each side planting hole, which helps retain soil as the plants become established. However, the lip also makes planting a bit tricky. It's a nice look, but it's not necessary, and any strawberry pot that strikes your fancy will work just fine.
What You'll Need
Equipment / Tools
- Wheelbarrow
- Garden gloves
- Trowel
- Drill with 1/8- or 1/4-inch twist bit
Materials
- Strawberry pot
- General-purpose potting mix
- 5 to 15 plants per pot (depending on size of planter)
- Time-released fertilizer
- 1 1/2- or 2-inch-diameter PVC pipe
Instructions
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Prepare a Watering Column
Because the planting holes in a strawberry pot are randomly scattered around the pot, it can be tricky to water all plants adequately. Sometimes, the plants near the top of the pot are the only plants that receive adequate water, while plants at the bottom sit in standing water, and the other plants remain somewhat parched. To ensure all plants are watered well, insert a porous PVC pipe down the center of the pot.
To create a watering column, measure the height of your strawberry pot and cut a piece of PVC pipe that is 1 to 2 inches shorter than the height of the pot. Drill 1/8- to 1/4-inch holes into the pipe, spaced randomly about 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart.
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Prepare the Potting Mix
Blend a timed-release fertilizer with a good quality standard potting mix. Most pots will hold about four quarts of potting mix, but different-sized pots take different amounts. The only way to gauge how much soil you'll need is to fill the pot and then dump it into a wheelbarrow or other container. Then, blend in slow-release fertilizer based on the quantity of soil and the recommended amounts on the fertilizer packaging.
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Moisten the Potting Mix
Dampen the potting mix before filling the pot. Doing so makes the potting mix easier because it reduces dust and keeps it from tumbling out of the side planting holes. Thoroughly blend the soil with your hands so that it is uniformly damp, and so the fertilizer is evenly distributed.
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Begin Filling the Pot with Soil
Begin filling the pot from the bottom up to the level of the first planting holes you encounter. Use your hands to tamp down the soil lightly.
If you created a watering column, insert the PVC pipe into the center of the pot and press it into the soil, so it's anchored in place. Stuff a piece of paper or paper towel into the top of the pipe to prevent potting mix from falling into it.
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Begin Planting
Place each plant into its planting hole, remove it from its container, and gently compress and stretch the root ball. Be careful not to damage the root system; gently massage the roots into a more tubular shape. It's okay if some soil is dislodged from the root system.
To add plants to the side planting holes, you can work from the exterior or interior of the pot:
- From the pot's exterior, gently push the root system through the hole into the pot's interior.
- From the pot's interior, gently guide the foliage through the planting hole until the foliage is fully exposed on the pot's exterior, with the root system remaining inside the pot.
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Finish Planting
Continue adding potting mix up to the next level of planting holes. As you reach each new level of planting holes, press gently to firm up the soil and insert additional plants. Straighten the watering column pipe if it has tilted. Continue in this fashion until you reach the top of the pot.
Finally, add the last layer of potting soil and plants to the top of the strawberry pot, around the watering pipe. Plants with an upright growth habit work well for the top of the pot because they camouflage the pipe and won't trail down over the other plants.
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Water the Plants
It's time to give your plants their first drink of water. Apply water directly into the PVC pipe. The pipe will fill up and drain quickly, so fill it several times to ensure water is dispersed evenly.
If you did not construct a watering column, use a watering can or garden hose to gently apply water to the top of the pot and the side planting holes. Apply water until you see it draining from the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot.
Repeat these watering routines whenever the soil is dry to the touch.
A terra-cotta strawberry pot can quickly become dry because terra-cotta clay efficiently wicks away moisture. It might be necessary to water the strawberry pot daily or even twice a day during hot, dry weather. On very hot days, it might be helpful also to trickle water down the outside of the pot to make sure water reaches soil in the side planting holes
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Maintain Your Pots
You now have a beautifully-planted strawberry pot. Your plants will perk up and grow toward the sun within a few days. Keep the plants watered and fed and turn the pot every few days so that all plants receive equal sunlight. Deadhead faded blooms and harvest edibles to keep your plants healthy.
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What pot is best for strawberries?
Strawberry pots are ideal; they are urn-shaped, usually with pocket holes along the sides to accommodate separate strawberry plants. Each strawberry plant has a small root ball that fits comfortably in each hole.
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What is the benefit of a strawberry pot?
A strawberry pot works well for growing strawberries since it elevates the plants, keeping the berries from resting on the ground. Berries touching the ground rot easily, also making it easier for bugs to get at them.
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Do strawberries grow well in pots?
Strawberries can grow successfully in pots, making it easier to control certain variables like moisture and bugs, and keeping the berries elevated, which prevents them from spoiling prematurely.
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How long do strawberries last in pots?
Strawberries are perennials, meaning they come back annually, but they only produce a good crop for about three years before diminishing their yield and starting to die. To keep a plant in good shape, take cuttings from some of the plant's runners (long stems) and plant them in place of the old parent plant to keep your strawberry crop vigorous.