Pest-Proof Planting Pots for Strawberries

Pest-Proof Planting Pots for Strawberries
Written by Maria Gaura
SANTA CRUZ (August 2010) – Strawberries are easy to grow in our cool coastal gardens. The hard part is getting to the tender fruit
before the bugs do, especially in an organic garden.
Commercial growers, even the organic ones, rely on sheets of plastic to keep their berries dirt- and bug-free. But I can’t bear to
uglify my garden with non-biodegradable petrochemical mulch. Instead, this summer I recycled a stack of terra-cotta flowerpots into
pest-proof podiums for my strawberry plants.
The inverted pots raise the berries out of reach of hungry bugs and slugs, and prevent soil-borne pathogens from splashing onto
plants during watering. Also, the berries are easier to find, and ripen more evenly when dangling against a sunwarmed terra-cotta
surface.
To make these simple planters, all you need is a selection of clay flower pots 8 inches or wider in diameter, a power drill with a
ceramic bit, hammer, ear plugs, safety glasses and gloves.
Pots smaller than 8 inches in diameter dry out rapidly, and will be quickly overgrown by a vigorous strawberry plant. Consider a
combination of tall and short pots to add vertical interest and variety to your planting bed. If you’re recycling old pots, scrub them
thoroughly, inside and out, to remove residual mold and disease-causing spores.
Turn the pot upside-down, and use the drill to sink a series of holes, in a circle, around the drain hole in the bottom of the pot. Tap
the bottom of the pot with the hammer until you’ve created an opening large enough to accommodate your strawberry plant. Tap
gently, or risk reducing your project into a pile of shards!
Prepare the soil in your garden bed for planting and add compost and slow-degrading organic fertilizer. Set aside a pile of loose,
fast-draining, compost-enriched, fertilizer-amended soil or bagged planting mix. Push the inverted pots about two inches into the soil
for stability, and fill them from the pile of planting mix.
Our mild coastal weather allows us to choose from a variety of ever-bearing and day-neutral strawberry varieties that will produce
fruit spring through late fall. Make sure you know what kind of berry you’re buying, so you don’t inadvertently get stuck with a plant
that takes two years to mature, or that bears only one crop per year.
When planting strawberries, make sure to position the crown of the plant above the level of the soil. Fill the pots all the way to the
top with soil, to prevent bugs from taking up residence under the rim.
Water your berries daily for the first week, and keep an eye on them if there’s a long spell of hot weather. (This hasn’t been a
problem in my garden since 2008!) Strawberries are shallow-rooted plants, but they should still sink roots below ground level within a
few weeks.
Strawberry plants can last for years, but they start looking speckled and grotty as they get older and harbor generations of bugs
and fungus. Most commercial growers now treat strawberries as annuals, and replant every year. Even home gardeners should
replace their plants every two years to prevent mite populations and disease from building up in your garden.
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Pest-Proof Planting Pots for Strawberries
Written by Maria Gaura
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