Fabulous Strawberries

Wimbledon is upon us once again and Wimbledon means strawberries - whether in a bowl with cream or in a tall glass of Pimms, you simply can't imagine the one without the other. How often have you been disappointed when you bought strawberries in the shops and have found them to be hard and sour with absolutely no taste? There is only one solution - grow your own! Strawberries are among the easiest fruits to grow and you don't need a huge garden - they can be grown in tubs on the patio and even in hanging baskets.

If you are planting your strawberries in the soil you should digg it and remove any weeds. You might also want to add some manure to give your plants a good start. Don't forget to put down slug pellets if you want to enjoy strawberries whole rather than half eaten and you should also net them to prevent the birds from having your entire crop. If you are growing strawberries in tubs or baskets feed them once a week with tomato feed, which is high in potash, once the fruit has set.

Once the strawberries begin to ripen check them daily and pick the ripe fruit before it rots on the plant. That way you will extend the growing season. Once the harvest is over remove the old leaves, leaving the crown and any new leaves. This allows the sun to get to the centre of the plant and you will get a better crop next year. You should continue to feed and water well and you can now remove the netting which will enable the birds to pick off any insects on the strawberries.

If you want to extend your strawberry season you should plant early varieties, such as 'Elvira' which produces fruit from June to early July, as well as mid-season and late varieties. A good mid-season strawberry is 'Hapil' which grows from early to late July, while you might like to try 'Florence' which produces dark, sweet fruits in late summer.