Growing Strawberries in Pots, Containers and Hanging Baskets

Strawberries are a perennial favorite (sic) for growing in pots or containers. While they have a tendency to sprawl in a bed, there are a few varieties that do well and produce few runner in a container. Let’s take a look at how to grow strawberries in pot.

Many strawberries will do well in some type of container. You will probably have the best results growing strawberries in a container if you stick to a day neutral or everbearing variety, as they will have fewer runners than the June bearing varieties. With this approach you can also plant a little later in the season than when starting a strawberry bed.

The traditional wisdom is to not harvest fruit the first year, to encourage runner growth. For a container or pot grown plant, that is less critical and probably not even needed since you will have enough plants to fill the pot.

A good soilless mixture of sphagnum peat, perlite, and vermiculite can be used, as that reduces the chance of soil disease and weeds.

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If you are using the traditonal hanging strawberry planter lined with coco fiber, soak the pots and line them with sphagnum before filling with soil. The are all sorts of strawberry containers that are alternatives to the traditional wire basket. Particularly popular these days are strawberry pots. One other approach is to use a Topsy Turvy strawberry basket with the plants sideways, similar to the Topsy Turvy tomato planter. Just make sure whatever approach you use that it provides for adequate drainage.

To plant the strawberries, fill the pot with soil almost to the top, leaving a couple of inches to the top, make a hole for the plants that is large enough to allow you to spread the roots when you place them in the soil, and then cover the roots but leave the bud uncovered. Water thoroughly. If you are planting these in a pot you may want to put the pot at its final spot before filling and watering, as they will get pretty heavy.

The biggest problem with container gardening of any sort is the tendency to dry out and need watering. Be sure to check your strawberry container or pot on a regular basis to keep it from drying out. Like most crops, you want the soil to be moist, like a dishcloth, but not so soggy the roots are in standing water.

Finally, if you are in a very cold climate, you may want to bring them in during the coldest months, as the soil will not stay as warm as a mulched bed in the ground. Alternatively you may need to cover or mulch the container.