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Find out more about keeping bees in your garden for honey
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15:40, 4th Jan 2012
Storing Apples
Find out how to store apples
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Pear and Lemon Jam
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Making Apricot Jam
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Grow and Make Harissa Paste
A recipe for harissa paste with ingredients you can grow yourself
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Grow Your Own Chilli Peppers
Find out how to grow your own chilli peppers
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Dry Chilli Peppers
Find out how to dry fresh chilli peppers
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Make Lavender Biscuits
Find out how to make delicious fragrant lavender biscuits
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Grow Strawberries in Hanging Baskets
Find out more about the benefits of growing strawberries in hanging baskets
Grow Strawberries In Hanging Baskets
grow your own | fruits
Home grown strawberries are one of the delights of summer. Strawberries can be grown in any sunny, warm site either from seed or from small plants (from the garden centre). Its quite a treat to see the flowers transform into bright red bulbs.
If strawberries are to be grown directly in the ground, the fruits must be kept dry and off the ground to prevent mould and mildew forming. Typically straw or strawberry mats are used to achieve this. Another problem for the strawberry grower is that strawberries attract the unwanted attentions of slugs and snails. Therefore many gardeners grow their strawberries in pots or hanging baskets.
Strawberries in Hanging Baskets
Three of four strawberry plants can be planted into a typical hanging basket with each 2yr old plant producing up to 1 1/2 pounds of fruit. Up to 50% less wastage occurs since the fresh breeze blowing through the strawberries keeps them dry (and therefore prevents rotting) and the slugs and snails cannot get to the fruit.
A good multipurpose compost should be used, ideally with a layer of small stones on top to help retain moisture in the hanging basket, and also to keep the leaves and fruit of the strawberry plant dry.
Birds are still attracted to strawberry plants whether on the ground or in baskets, so netting should be use once fruiting begins to protect the plants. The netting should not be draped over the plants directly (since the birds will still be able to get to the strawberries), instead a basic cage should be constructed.
All strawberry plants like a good feed (tomato feed is perfect), but plants in hanging baskets in particular need regular feeding since there is a limited amount of nutrition in the small amount of soil contained in a basket. Feeding every couple of weeks during the summer months should be plenty. The plants need to be water frequently as the hanging basket will dry out quickly in the summer, but do not spray with a hosepipe as this gets the fruit wet.
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Article Published: 10:32, 10th Mar 2011
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