I really want strawberries...

But I've received a lot of conflicting advice from people on how to do it (all local people). Some said plant them in the ground, some said a raised bed, some said in a strawberry pot. Now I have no clue what to do.

When I was little, my dad made a pyramid type raised bed and put it in the corner of the yard. Bottom layer was about 6 feet, middle layer 4, top layer 2 feet. I think he filled it with mostly sand if I remember correctly.

He put some strawberries in there and never did much with them (he's not a big gardener, flower, or plant person). They exploded into a giant mass of berries and we ate off of them for years until we moved.

Is that generally a good way to go about it or did my dad just have some dumb luck with that bunch?

In another thread, someone posted a pic of the type of "strawberry pyramid" you described. My (limited) experience is that strawberries are relatively trouble free and don't need a lot of attention. Mine take up 9 (3x3) squares in my SFG and do just fine so long as I keep them shielded from the birds.

That may well have been dumb luck or there was work done on that garden when you were not about (if years means more than 3 years). My life is testimony that dumb-luck happens.

Strawberries really are not tough. Keeping them under control takes a weekend or two of work to make sure the sisters end up where you want them rather than where they want to spread.

All of the methods you mentioned work for strawberries.

Strawberry Pots are cute but the yield will be low and next year’s crop (which comes from the sisters) will be dicey. I like to save strawberry pots for herbs.

Most Strawberry gardens in the PNW are grown on lowland near flood zones. The raised garden is to keep the roots dry after heavy rain or floods. They can be grown on level ground if they are not subject to flood in the off season (one reason a pyramid garden is nice is dry roots.) For high yield berries lots of well composted manure gets worked into the bed before the original plants are put in. For many people this makes a raised bed. The reason many beds are only good for about three years is that the bed gets less fertile and the yield goes down. It is easier to move the bed to a more fertile place then to keep trying to coax fruit from the old bed.

My best guess for SFG would be to plant one plant per sq ft in a checkerboard pattern then train the sisters (the new starts) into the empty squares. The third year you may need to pull up the original

I'm old and these days I just keep strawberries in pots on the deck. Not much yield but a few red gems for my cereal bowl in spring. Better yet from a hanging basket with sphagnum moss that I can stick berry plants through the sides as well as the top and make a massive ball of berry foliage. (late for starting one this year.)

Does that make sense?
Deborah ....who likes to go to farmers markets for berries.

Here's Theresa's new planter, I believe she was talking in the neighborhood of 100+ plants

Thanks for the replies guys! I think I may try to build something like a 3'X8' box with a 1'x4' box on top of it, load it with plants and see how it goes.

did Theresa ever put up an order form for her strawberry pyramid?

Now that you mention it, since he is retired, and she thinks he has nothing to do....

I have a pdf file from the University of Florida which explains how to build and grow strawberries in a 55gal barrel but i cant figure out how to load up the pdf file i can always email it to you if your interested.

I just purchased this http://gurneys.com/strawberry-bed-and-berries-bonanza/p/14075/

That bed also includes 50 plants. It was only $48, plus if you spend over $50, you get $20 off. I haven't received it yet, so I can't recommend it yet

Ok i found the website that i got the pdf file from for growing strawberries in a barrel
http://alachua.ifas.ufl.edu/lawn_and_garden/fact_sheets/strawberries_barrel.shtml

although the guide recomends and old wiskey barrel which would look awesome as anything when searching for the barrel i found out alot i didnt know about them

1. Wiskey barrels can only be used one time befor haveing to be destroyed or sold off for other purposes
2. Not all wiskey barrels are the same wood type
3. The cost of these things is insane

although an old wiskey barrel (jack daniels old #8)would look awesome in any gardeners back yard the plastic type might be more cost efficient you can usualy find them on craigs list in your local area if not try your local car wash all of thier soaps and cleaners come in these barrels and as long as you rinse them out thuroughly (god my spelling sucks lol) they should work just fine. Some resturaunts also get stuff in these barrels and they are food grade plastic as well so bonus there hehe.

Most of these places usualy throw them out or have to pay someone to come get them im sure if you ask nicely they will be glad to save themselves the money on the pick up and give them too you for free or at minimal cost.

I talked to a guy at the Florida starwberrie festival last year who informed me that the 3 barrels he had growing produced approx. 40 flats of strawberies (i say approximate because he his wife and kids were constantly eating them as they picked them)

If your crafty or inventive you can possably even paint the plastic to look like a real wooden barrel let your imagination free and be sure to post up pics if you do.

I think I'm going to try a 3'X4'X6" box with a 1'X2'X6" box stuck on top of it. Of course, that means driving AGAIN an hour to a store that has the lumber... so I may just get lazy and throw some in the existing SFG.