Plant family: Rosaceae
Plant origin: France, Strawberry is a cross between Fragaria chiloensis from Chile, and Fragaria virginiana from North America.
Fruit description: Strawberry fruit are heart shaped red fruit with tiny seeds on the outside of the skin. The whole fruit is edible, delicious, sweet and aromatic. The fruit turns from green to dark red when ripe. Each fruit is about 4cm long. Strawberry fruit grow on thin stems that hang from the plant.
Flowers: Strawberry flowers are produced in autumn spring and early summer. Each flower is about 2–3 cm in diameter with five white petals and a yellow centre. You can expect fruit about 4 weeks after flowering.
Growing conditions: Strawberries are low growing, perennial, evergreen, herbaceous ground cover plants. The leaves are 3 lobed with serrated edges. They do well in pots, in rockeries or in the garden. You can grow strawberries in holes in a bag of potting mix -you might like to keep it on a bench or wall where it is easy to reach and harder for pests to get into. They are very easy to grow, in any climate. They need well-drained soil and full sun. Ideally, they like a sandy loam. Dig the soil well before planting and enrich it with blood and bone and well-rotted manure or other general organic fertiliser. Raising the bed provides excellent drainage. Plant the new plant so the crown is just above the soil. If you are planting several plants in rows, space the plants 30 cm apart and 40 cm between rows. If you get heavy frosts, protect the plants with straw mulch. Straw is also handy for keeping the fruit off the ground so it is easy to pick and stays clean. Control the weeds around the plants. The plant spread in autumn by putting out runners along the ground. For new plants to get strong and produce more fruit, pick off the runners. The plant needs water when the fruit is forming.
Uses: Almost everybody loves strawberries! Kids love them and they are so easy for little hands to hold and eat. Strawberries are best eaten fresh, in fruit salad or with yoghurt, cream or ice-cream. They look sensational decorating cakes, tarts or pavlova. They are divine dipped into chocolate. Strawberries make superb jam and jelly, ice-cream, juices, smoothies, sweet toppings, sauces, wine and liqueur. They can be dried and used in desserts.
Medicinal uses: Strawberries are rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, silicon and flavonoids. They are also rich in folates which are very important during pregnancy.
Pollination requirements: Self-Pollinating.
Harvest time You can pick ripe strawberries in Winter, Spring, and Summer. Pick them just above the star shaped calyx (the green bit on the top of the fruit). They will not ripen after picking. Store them in the refrigerator.
Plant relatives
Special features:
Grown by method: Cutting Grown Pot size: 100mm
Plant growing Height and Width for pots or in the ground planting: Grows to 0.2 metres high by 0.2 metres wide if Planted in a Pot. Grows 0.2 metres high by 0.2 metres wide if Planted in the Ground.
Shipping plant pot or planter bag size: 100mm
