There heaps of varieties out there, just wondering if there is one that is better than the other. I bought some plants off TM one year and they had the tinest fruit it took ages to pick them, and they were tiny not because of lack of water, it was the variety. THANKS
bluefrog2,
Aug 18, 5:23pm
How tiny are we talking about? If they were fingernail sized, you might have gotten alpine strawberries by mistake. I don't grow strawberries because my garden doesn't get warm enough for them to ripen well, but you could try planting several varieties, and replanting from suckers the plants that do best. I'm doing this with tomatoes, and it works because you're selecting for the plants that are most suited to your site.
ricp,
Aug 18, 7:32pm
Chandler for flavour and El Camino (or Pajaro) for big fruit
macandrosie,
Aug 18, 8:19pm
bluefrog2 they should ripen if you give your plants full sun for most of the day. I live in Southland & have strawberries over November, December
piquant,
Aug 18, 8:31pm
My personal pick is Camarosa. Nice sized fruit - great flavour.
samanya,
Aug 19, 3:09am
That's good to know. I need to replace quite a few this season & have seen the Camerosa on special but wasn't sure if they were OK. My current ones are a mishmash of varieties, runners from old ones etc . & I have no idea which ones are which & as long as they produce, I haven't really minded, but would like to restock with good ones.
bluefrog2,
Aug 19, 5:02pm
They ripen just fine, but they're not sweet. Bright red, not sweet strawberries are just depressing to grow. And my garden does get full sun, plus I tried growing them in the glasshouse as well. Same result, un-sweet strawberries. We're coastal, and there's almost always wind blowing which lowers the overall temperature even on sunny days. I can't grow french beans outside the greenhouse either.
piquant,
Aug 19, 6:02pm
Maybe it's the cultivar, bluefrog2? If you think it is worth it - try a few new plants (not runners from your existing ones) and put a spoonful of milk powder in the hole when planting. Make sure they have a high potassium fert (Strawberry or tomato) and make sure they get a deep soaking as opposed to a sprinkle of water on a regular basis whilst fruiting. Might help to give a good mulch between the raised rows to help with transpiration, given you say you have a wind problem. Another way you could help with that is to form a cover I use canes with alkathene pipes bent over to produce a "dome" which you can then use either a plastic (greenhouse) cover or a bird netting. Only problem being it is a bit of a bind to have to remove or lift the cover every time you want to pick. I need to keep the ruddy pukeko's off!
samanya,
Aug 20, 3:01am
Hey .thanks for that advice re the milk powder. I now have 6 new strawberry plants, planted, each with a spoon full of milk powder & a bt sprinkled around the rest of the patches. 3 new different varieties planted in a bed full of all sorts of animal shite & compost & those strawbs should recognise how lucky they are & reward me . big time.
piquant,
Aug 20, 3:29am
That's good, samanya, but remember that strawberries are acid loving plants. A handful of pine needles, maybe - but do keep up the correct fert to them. Too much animal shite will give you a lot of leaf growth and not a lot else. It'll be interesting to hear your results. (and that'll be in the eating! )
samanya,
Aug 21, 2:46am
I do the pine needle thing each year & have built up my strawberry patches (have about 100 plants) with a little quantities of poultry & sheep shite . hope I haven't done the wrong thing. Had a great crop last year, so fingers crossed. Maybe I'll get some more pine needles onto the patches . tomorrow!
pugswal,
Oct 21, 8:08am
Sunset is a very good variety. Not many runners (if any).
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