Strawberry Fields Forever (Not)

I love strawberries (and apparently, so does Charlie).

This year, I've decided to grow just a few plants in a container on the deck and see what happens. If they die, the cost isn't that much.  I might be crazy, but I love to see any kind of plant produce its' riches, even if it's just a few.

I've tried for a couple of years now to grow them, but alas, I just don't have a green thumb to tend to and harvest the amount I would like.

The past years have proven to be experimental, to say the least. In 2015 we planted them in a makeshift gutter; one of the great Pinterest ideas I found. LOL We live in such a small house, on a small plot, I thought this would be the perfect solution. Although we had a number of nice berries during the summer, they didn't last until the next year. (Even though we followed the directions on Pinterest about how to store them over the winter.)

In 2016, we invested in a large above ground container and planted 8 plants. These lasted 2 years, but after such a hard winter last year, they didn't make it to this summer. :(

So here we are in the spring of 2018 and I've decided just to grow a few plants in a container. If they don't come back next year, it's not a great loss. By the way, since we purchased the plants 2 weeks ago, I've harvested 6 sweet, delicious berries from these plants (and they are still young.) 

This was a fun project. I started with a metal bin (yes, Mom, my research says strawberries can be planted in metal containers.) This year Walmart has a wonderful selection of metal containers designed for many uses. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-Homes-and-Gardens-Oval-Tub/55505628

I have no idea what this container is intended for, but it was not that expensive and I liked it. Isn't that what counts? 

I decided to jazz it up just a bit with a strawberry design from Apex Cuttables at http://apexembdesigns.com/cuttables/product/strawberry-cuttable-design.  I used my Cricut Maker machine to cut the vinyl and attach it to the container. 

 

The finished project was completed when my hubby, Rich, drilled a few holes in for drainage. He also added the potting soil and planted the plants. 

The container has been out on our deck for a couple of days now. Our, ever curious, Charlie, goes out each day and checks on the plants. He licks them to see if they are good enough for us. 

Recently, Charlie has been getting a little to close to the fruit. Just yesterday, according to vet guidelines, we gave Charlie just a little piece of strawberry to see if he liked it. Of course, he gobbled it down as if he was me, who just loves the berries. 

We now have to watch him whenever he goes out on the deck to be sure he does not snatch the berries while we are not looking.  

I'm sure glad we have a fruit farm very close to us so we can get many more strawberries than my plants will produce. 

Lessons learned: 

1. Contact Cornell Cooperative Extention before any "plant growing" project. Don't rely on Pinterest. 

2. Start with just a few Everbearing Strawberry Plants and see what happens over the seasons. Don't invest a ton of money because a website says so.  ( LOL Live and Learn) 

3. The great northeast is temperamental. Be careful. 

Do you have a favorite fruit plant you would like to grow successfully? I'd love to hear about it. Feel free to comment below. 

Enjoy the summer harvest,