The strawberries are on their way!

After a steady start, although still not the most vigorous plants, the strawberries are starting to produce fruit. Unfortunately a couple had already got pecks in from birds, so it was time to cover the plants with a net before we lost them all to our feathered friends!

We made a simple frame up around the strawberries, about 1′ high from wooden battens and a few nails.

Then, we placed some straw round the base of each plant. The strawberries can then ripen on this rather than the soil, and it keeps the fruits cleaner. Its texture hopefully deters the slugs and snails from taking a nibble!

Then we gave the plants a liquid feed of nitrogen and potash. Nitrogen to try and encourage the plants to grow a bit bigger, as nitrogen  and potash to help with the fruits themselves. Who knows whether it’ll work, but it shouldn’t do any harm!

Finally, we covered them with some bird netting, and held this down every 1′ or so with metal pegs.

We’ll keep these regularly watered, and hopefully it won’t be too long before we have some delicious strawberries to eat.

The hanging basket strawberries aren’t doing too badly either. This one will be ripe for the picking in the next day or so!