Strawberries will grow very well in hanging baskets. They will naturally cascade over the edge and hang down with fruit. You will need well drained soil and frequent water and fertilizer. In a 16 inch basket up to three plants should do well. If your climate grows strawberries well in the ground it will in baskets. Al

Thank you Calistoga but I have read in this link http://www.victoriananursery.co.uk/s...ascade_basket/
which is exactly what I want to achieve and in the end of this page you have a link to "Strawberry Yields", in which he say "If youÂre using hanging baskets... A good rule of thumb is to grow one plant per 5cm (2in) pot, so a 20cm (8in) container will hold up to four plants. ..."
It is more than you wrote but my question is - how do I plant few plants (as my basket is 41 cm)? Do I fill
the all basket with soil and than insert the plants?? Do I fill 5 cm soil and insert 1 plant etc..?? I really don't know this method of planting several plants in pocket...

Hope I explained myself (sorry for my English..)

Thanks a lot,

Ayala

Ayala:

I can't get your link to work, but planting strawberries two inches apart in your hanging baskets would result in serious overcrowding, which would lead to very poor berry yield. Three or possibly four plants in a 16 inch container is plenty. Strawberry plants will become quite large, and will fill up the basket in good growing conditions.

I don't quite understand your second question about transplanting. Do you have strawberry pots with pockets for planting on the sides? If so put in one plant per pocket, with a couple of plants at the top. If the baskets are open and flat at the top (no side pockets), fill the baskets with soil then put in 8-10 plants. Thin them to three or four when they begin to grow up. You may have some losses, so it's a good idea to begin with a few extras. Obviously, putting in plants before filling with soil would bury the plants, which would kill them.

You won't have to worry about transplanting for a while. Strawberry seeds can be a little difficult and slow to germinate. Wait until the seedlings are strong, healthy, and about two inches tall before transplanting from your seedbed to their final locations in the hanging baskets.

If you can provide an environment warm and humid enough to germinate seeds, you could seed directly into the baskets and avoid transplanting entirely. Just make sure that if you do, you thin the plants to three or four in each basket to avoid overcrowding.

I can't avoid the feeling that there is something you are not quite telling us about your hanging baskets, and your transplanting plans. The better your description, the more helpful the answers to your questions will be. I understand the difficulty if English is not your native language, but give it a try.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Dear Don,

Thanks a lot for the explanation.

I read about the strawberry pot - you can see the image here(http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/915/752909.JPG)
and what I would like to do with my hanging basket is the same - to make pockets on the sides and to plant in each pocket plants. But, as In Israel we don't have such pots
I don't know the methos of plantung in this pockets.

For the germination - I use to germinate vegetable seeds
in a homemade germinator, as in Israel we have a lot of worm sunny days during the winter so ther is no problem. I use a big polystyrene box (which I take from fish stores - without the fish :) ) and all the rest you know.. I cover it with nylon and in the winter put the box in a sunny place - its grows very nice - without second watering. After the plants are big anought to handle I plant in my garden (there is a place for it).

This is my first time with strawberry and I can't plant it in my vegetable garden as ther is no place.

So I hope I explained my question know.

Also please advise if the germination need to be all the time in a hot weather- so its better to wait for the end of the winter??
Also are you familiar with the seeds I have
http://seeds.thompson-morgan.co om/uk/en/product/490/1

Thanks you,

Ayala

Ayala:

I cannot get the sites you list to come up, so I cannot see the pots you are talking about. But it appears that you are focused on one type of hanging basket, and you propose to somehow bore holes in the sides of it to increase the number of plants it will handle.

I suggest that you abandon that approach, and simply plant three to four plants on the surface of your hanging baskets. Don't try to overdo it on the plants. It will not increase your berry production.

Like most seeds, strawberries germinate best at a moderately high temperature. Just follow the directions on the seed packet. It appears you have some experience in this area. If you start the plants now, and have a sunny location for the seedlings to grow, they should be big and healthy by next spring when the time comes to install your hanging baskets outdoors.
Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA