Stawberries - growing and using this wonderful fruit

Strawberries – fragaria x ananassa

This is, arguably, everyone’s favourite fruit and the flavour is used in drinks, ice-creams, cakes, preserves and even medicines universally as an irresistible flavour. That said, strawberries are really quite easy to grow.

Sowing and Growing

It is possible to grow strawberries from seed although you may have to search for suppliers and the choice is limited. Sow in early spring after a couple of weeks in the freezer which will improve the germination rate.

For most people, the easiest way to get started is with young plants [runners] which will be supplied in pots from garden centres and seed suppliers. If you want to establish a good-sized bed, this can be quite an expensive way of getting started. Most of your allotment neighbours will have established strawberry beds which will produce many unwanted runners each summer. Have a chat with them and ask if you can take runners from their plots. It is reasonable to assume you will have to do the work yourself and water regularly in dry summers to ensure they establish in their pots. When they have rooted firmly into the pots you can cut the stems to the mother plants.

It is probable that your neighbours won’t know what variety they are growing but, if you choose good strong plants you are likely taking from stock which is happy with the ground you will plant into. Once you have established your own bed you can then use your runners to enlarge your bed and create new ones.

In May/June/July - the plants will put out these runners [long stems with one, two or even three young plants which will root into the nearby ground to create new plants]. Unless you are planning to increase your stock or set up a new bed, it is a good idea to clip out these runners as they appear as they will take away from your ‘mother’ plants. Of course, as you remove them, they will continue to put out new runners. You can use these runners for your own use or to share.

It is recommended that you pin or peg these young plantlets [the young plants as they appear on the runners – choose the ones closest to the mother plant as they will be the strongest] into pots which you then bury into the surrounding ground to prevent them from drying out.

In dry years they will have to be watered regularly anyway.

Being a lazy gardener, I prefer to take the strongest runners from the strongest plants in the early autumn when they have already rooted strongly into the surrounding ground. A few of these will fail but I will have so many more to replace them. My chosen method is to take the young plants with the best developed root structure which I will lift with as much of the root area as possible and transplant them into the prepared bed.

To help reduce weeds I will cover an area 2 metres wide by the width of my plot 4 – 5 metres, [it really isn’t necessary to have such a large area but, I have the space and enjoy the fruit] which has been well dug and had a very liberal dressing of well rotted manure [20 cm thick, at least] with a woven fabric usually sold as ‘Weed Control Ground Cover Membrane’ or ‘Weed Barrier Matting’. I pin this matting down securely, cut ‘cross’ holes in the matting at approx 60cm apart and plant the young rooted runners into the well-enriched ground beneath. Water well until the plants have established. The matting will keep most of the weeds at bay unless perennial weeds have not been removed beforehand. The matting will allow rain to penetrate to water the plants although in very dry years some extra watering will be necessary.

In the spring clear off the previous season’s dead leaves to ensure slugs and snails don’t have anywhere to hide and to keep the plants tidy.

Strawberry beds should be replaced every three years. On the first year, it is recommended that you don’t allow the flowers to develop fruits though, I always do! In the second year the fruit should be at its best – large luscious fruits - and in the third year you should have more berries but, maybe not so large. Although you can continue to harvest from these plants in following years, it is not really recommended as the fruits will become increasingly small and insignificant. I find it useful to have two plots on the go, so that I can always have a good crop [well, some very wet years have to be the exception].

Types and Varieties

Strawberries can be classified  by their time of harvesting or by type.

·         Alpine strawberries frageria vesca – usually much smaller than their more cultivated cousins – they can be a bit sourer but are exquisitely flavoured fruits.

·         Cultivated Strawberries

§  early season – Christine [ can harvest from May in warm areas or from under cloches], Sweetheart

§  mid season – from mid-June - Cambridge Favourite, Malwina, Sonata, Royal Sovereign, Malling Opal [will produce fruit from June until October

§  late season – Elegance, Malling Opal

§  Everbearer / all season – there has now been developed a range of plants which will produce fruit from June until autumn – eg. Malling Opal, check the seed houses to see what has been recommended.

Harvesting and Storing

Blackbirds just love strawberries and will go around your ripening fruit eating the red patches out of them before they have had a chance to properly ripen ready for harvesting. I find this a problem only at the start of the season when I am looking forward to my first fruit of the year. After that, I feel there are enough to share with them. If you are trying to beat the blackbirds try harvesting slightly before they are fully ripe, they will continue to ripen over the next 24 hours, even in the fridge.

Strawberries really are best eaten fresh, enjoy them while they are fresh as it will be many months before they are available again. They won’t keep for long in the fridge – 24 hours maximum.

Although it is possible to freeze them, it isn’t particularly successful as they will turn to mush when defrosted.

However, if you are determined, try putting 1 berry into each of the sections of an ice-cube tray, fill the section with water and freeze. They can be left in the trays for a short time or for longer storage decant them into a freezer bag. Alternatively, place the dried, hulled berries onto a tray, making sure the berries are not touching then, freeze. When well frozen, the fruits can be stored in a freezer bag.

If you have more fruit than you can happily eat fresh or – heaven forbid you might get tired of eating them – they do make the most wonderful jam and conserve - see below

Nutritional Value

Excellent source of	Useful amounts	Traces
Vitamin C	Dietery Fibre Folate Potassium Manganese	Vitamins – B – thiamine, riboflavin,niacin, B6 Minerals – calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, copper, selenium
Low in saturated fat and protein also low in cholesterol and sodium [salt]

Pests and Diseases

Slugs and Snails – slugs and snails can be a serious nuisance with these ground growing plants, especially in damp weather. The pests will hide under the dense leaf growth during the day then, come out at night to destroy your harvest. Use slug pellets, beer traps or nematodes.

Botyritis [grey-mould] – this is usually only a serious problem in damp warmish weather although a few fruits may be affected, even in dry years. Pick off and remove any affected fruit before the spores can affect other fruit. Keep weeds under control and avoid overcrowding the plants.

Birds – the best protection for your crop is to net it. Keep the net off the ground and high enough for you to get inside for easy picking. It can be a nuisance if you have to remove the net each day when you want to pick your fruit. Allow an escape route for birds who will, almost find a way in despite your best efforts. It is most distressing to find the remains of a bird that has been caught by the net or trapped by a predator.

Strawberry Jam

2kg ( 4lb) strawberries

1¾ kg  ( 3½ lb) sugar

Juice of half a lemon

Method

1.      Hull the strawberries and wash only if really necessary ( it is important that no more liquid is added to the fruit).

2.      Put the strawberries into the preserving pan with the lemon juice and heat very slowly until the fruit is really soft and has released much of its juice. ( 20 minutes or so).

3.      Add the sugar and stir over a gentle heat until you are sure that all the sugar has dissolved.

4.      Bring it to the boil and boil briskly until setting point is reached – test  a little on a saucer or use a sugar thermometer.

5.      Leave the jam in the pan for 10 – 15 minutes until it has cooled slightly. (when it has cooled slightly the setting process has started and this prevents the fruit rising to the top.

6.      Heat sterilised jam pots then place them on a wooden surface to pot the jam.

7.      Pot up the jam, cover and label.

( my personal preference is for the jam to be only lightly set, I think it has a better flavour.)

Strawberry Conserve

There are many recipes for strawberry conserve and all saying much the same thing. This particular one is from ‘Allotment Growing Recipes’ – www.allotment.org.uk

2lb (1kg) small strawberries or halved, hulled larger strawberries

2lb (1kg) granulated sugar

Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 Tblsp bottled lemon juice)

·        Place alternate layers of strawberries and sugar into a bowl.

·        Add the lemon juice, cover and leave to stand overnight – 12 hours.

·        Next day, transfer the fruit and the sugar to a pan, bring slowly to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

·        Pour back into the bowl, cover and leave again for another day.

·        Finally, transfer to a pan, bring to the boil and simmer until setting point is reached.

·        Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little (until the fruit begins to sink in the syrup).

·        Stir and pour into small, hot, sterilised jars and cover immediately. Label.