"Thanks, I always wondered about those strawberry pots. Are they a preferred method? besides space and critters, is there any other benefits or drawbacks to the pot method as opposed to the "in the ground" strawberry patch? And how much direct sun should strawberries get? I guess I'm not with it at all because I don't know "mother" and "daughter" are you referring to the offshoots? I'm probably making this more complicated than it needs to be." ******************************************************* I can't speak about containers other than I know that some folks have done it successfully. It just requires more attention to water and fertilizer, as with any container plant. Mine have been in the ground for about 4 years now, which is the only way I've grown them. Hopefully, someone more knowledgable about growing straws in containters will chime in here. The "daughter" plants I referred to are the the smaller plants that start to form from the runners. Once the daughter plants establish roots, they are considered a new plant and can stand on their own, without the help of the "mother". The "umbilical cord", better known as the runner, can be severed at this point with harming either plant. Strawberry plants are really a weed in my eyes, and spread like crazy once they have been established. They are heartier than most give them credit for. Mine get full sun in the garden and do extremely well. I do water a time or two in the spring and periodically during the summer, depending on how dry it is. But really, they are just beneficiaries of my vegetable garden, which is my reason for for watering in the first place. I think they would do just fine without it. Weeds and crowding is probably the strawberry plant's worst enemy. That's one of the reasons why it's so common to cover the ground around the plants with black plastic in commercial growing. Production tapers as they start to get a few years old. That's why it's good to let the runners propagate... so you have newer, more productive, plants the following years. Once the older(3-4 year old) plants slow down on fruit production, they can be removed from the garden, leaving room for the newer offshoots. Hope this helps some.

cut 'em right off at the top(joke). Nobody responded yet? hard to believe. Guess there isn't even a search for it - otherwise Willard would have told ya to seach. I've trimmed mine up right to the shoulder of the first spread and then let them grow right back. Smokemaster - any recommendations?

I put these RB's together during the summer, I had okra, basil, chard, (half done beets) some late squash, a scattered tomatoe, onions, and some of the other greens...What remains is some of the chard, some parsley a few lettuce plants, a scattered green... Except for the chard and parsley, the rest could be pulled up as far as I'm concerned. I guess my real question was do people remove old roots, stir things up and add in the additonal OM...or can all that just be put on top of the beds now? I did add some composted material in the beds that ended up being more shallow than I had planned on.

I've grown both varieties in containers. 4th of July will be a little bit earlier when grown in containers because the container will keep the roots a little warmer early in the growing season. Actually, this works for any variety. Any kind of good mix will be great for the transplant from the germination beds. I use Miracle Grow Potting Mix for most of mine. There are a lot of formulas for what people put into the holes for growing tomatoes and peppers. Earl's Hole is one of those mixtures that has become popular. I'm sure someone here can link to it on this forum. Here's my basic approach. Always think about reducing "stress" for the plants. Try to transplant by moving the entire root system and the growing medium around those roots as a unit. Eliminate any kind of "extreme" environmental conditions - too much or too little water, heat, fertilizer, physical damage, etc. Avoid changing anything too quickly. Fast or extreme changes cause stress. After that, it's up to the plant. It's really just plain logic. You have a living entity (the plant) and you need to provide all its needs that will allow it to keep itself alive. It may sound a bit corny, but try to empathize with your plants. What would you want if you were being set out in the back yard? Ted