Topsy Turvy's Newest Endeavour

http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-Garden-Center-Landscaping-Supplies-Raised-Beds/h_d1/N-5yc1vZblw3/R-202521061/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Hmmmm... this looks a lot like the multi-level planter boffer built.

I wonder if they'll be selling these in Canada this year. It would work great for my strawberries and clear up a whole 3x4 for something else.

I don't have such great luck with planters but I heard one can grow strawberries in the matted row system around fruit trees.
I'm going to try that this year around my dwarf fruit trees.

My original plan for this season is to plant strawberries in one of my 3x4's. Last year I had them in a Strawberry Topsy Turvy and they actually did quite well. I'll probably still have some in my Strawberry Topsy Turvy this year, and then expand either into my 3x4 or get one of these new Terrace Gardens.

I've never heard of the matted row system. I'll have to look into that.

Oh! The possibilities!

@BlackRose wrote:Hmmmm... this looks a lot like the multi-level planter boffer built.

Boffer - you've been robbed! They snagged your idea and built it out of plastic instead of sturdy recycled fan cages.

I guess if we don't have access to fan cages so we can build our own, this isn't a bad idea. It is fairly attractive too.

Blackrose....In the matted row system you put in strawberries once and that's it.
When the plants give their all their 2nd year, remove these 'mother' plants but keep their babies that have 'run' and buried their roots to be the mothers for the next year. They will give a bounty of berries their 2nd year also. You just keep removing the old, worn out plants and allowing the new runners to prosper. You don't have to buy new plants.
You can do this in a raised bed if you dedicate one to the job. Its just a matter of keeping track of what plants are 2 yrs old and giving their best berries that year, and then removing them from the plot and nurturing the new runners.
Sometimes those runners are too plentiful and you have to remove the weaker ones in order to have room for a healthy runner to take Mom's place.
Check it out on Google. You're sure to find something there.

@Furbalsmom wrote:I guess if we don't have access to fan cages so we can build our own, this isn't a bad idea. It is fairly attractive too.

It looks great in the picture online. I'd be interested to see what it looks like in real life. I'll be on the lookout for these in the spring.

Now... what to plant in my strawberry-less 3x4...

@quiltbea wrote:Blackrose....In the matted row system you put in strawberries once and that's it.
When the plants give their all their 2nd year, remove these 'mother' plants but keep their babies that have 'run' and buried their roots to be the mothers for the next year. They will give a bounty of berries their 2nd year also. You just keep removing the old, worn out plants and allowing the new runners to prosper. You don't have to buy new plants.
You can do this in a raised bed if you dedicate one to the job. Its just a matter of keeping track of what plants are 2 yrs old and giving their best berries that year, and then removing them from the plot and nurturing the new runners.
Sometimes those runners are too plentiful and you have to remove the weaker ones in order to have room for a healthy runner to take Mom's place.
Check it out on Google. You're sure to find something there.

Thanks quiltbea! I will certainly research that further. It sounds like it would be a great system for a raised bed. Whether I use my existing 3x4 or this new topsy turvey garden for my strawberries, I'm sure I could use that system.

If you find any good links I hope you'll share, Blackrose

@Furbalsmom wrote:Boffer - you've been robbed! They snagged your idea and built it out of plastic instead of sturdy recycled fan cages....

Just wait till I find which way they went!

My wife and I kick ourselves several times a year for not taking a simple idea to market! It takes a bigger vision than we have, I guess.