Introducing Strawberry Growing Methods
There are so many great things about city life, but something that I’ve struggled with is not having the space to garden when you’re a person who is interested in gardening. I prayed for south facing windows, I experimented with balcony gardens, and finally I moved into an apartment with its very own backyard.
Granted, it’s a small backyard, so I had to get a little bit creative if I wanted to grow more than a couple types of herbs and wildflowers. I started doing a ton of research on ways to get creative with utilizing small spaces to the best of their ability.
Strawberries are a great plant to try and grow if you have a limited amount of growing space. They’re easy to grow, they transplant well, and different varieties are tolerant to all sorts of different growing conditions.
This article is going to introduce some neat ways to try growing strawberries in small areas. Instead of growing in the ground, we’re going to look into different ways to grow strawberries vertically, and even using stuff you have just laying around the house!
What are Some Good Strawberry Varieties to Grow in Containers?
Now when it comes to growing strawberry plants, there are some amazing hybrids and cultivars that horticulturists have created in order to be dependable, vigorous growers, and resistant to disease.
You’ll be choosing between perennial varieties and annual varieties. Perennial varieties are wonderful if you’re able to overwinter them, but annuals are better if you don’t feel like prepping your plants for colder seasons.
Albion – Albion strawberries are an everbearing variety, and they grow best in USDA growing zones 4-8. This is a new cultivar that is very popular among commercial growers because they are disease resistant, they’re vigorous growers, and have incredible flavor.
Chandler – Chandler strawberry plants are a June bearing variety and they grow best in USDA growing zones 5-8. This is a variety that grows amazingly in southern regions where it’s very hot and sunny. They produce fruit in mid season with intensely sweet fruit.
Earliglow – Earliglow strawberry plants are June Bearing and they grow very successfully USDA growing zones 4-8. These are reliable and fast growers, they are lovely to look at, and they produce a ton of early season fruit.
Seascape – Seascape strawberries are an everbearing variety that are best grown in USDA growing zones 4-8. These are great plants because they start to produce berries only 3 months after they’re planted – a great option for folks interested in quick yields.
Tristan – Tristan strawberry plants are an everbearing variety that grow their best in USDA growing zones 5-8. They have lovely flower blooms, small and sweet berries, and are also used as ornamental plants as well as edible plants.
5 Methods of Growing Strawberries in Small Spaces
Strawberries are a great choice for experimenting with growing in small spaces because they have compact, shallow roots that are super well adapted to growing in containers.
Growing strawberries in containers can sometimes even be better than growing them straight in the ground because it’s easier to control their growing conditions, and you can keep them away from ground pests.
Whether you’re living in an apartment with a balcony, you have a tiny backyard, or you’re just looking to be efficient with your landscape, you’ll surely find a way to create your own strawberry patch out of stuff just laying around the yard.
1. Pots & Planters
Starting out with the easiest method, you can grow strawberries in various little containers and pots that you find around the house. You can then string these up to make them hanging plants, or fasten them to a windowsill.
Materials: you can use things like mason jars, old plastic containers (though these aren’t the best for drainage), wooden boxes (these are great to use for the windowsill).
Cost: Under $15 – this can cost you pretty much nothing as all of these can easily be found around the house. You may need to purchase items to help fasten them in place, but otherwise you can get creative!
Watering Method: watering can easily be done by hand or with an irrigation bulb.
Pros: this is a superb option because it doesn’t require much planning or materials and you can custom fit your growing vessels to your space. It’s very easy to assemble and can be achieved by any skill level of gardener.
Cons: you can only grow so many strawberry plants in small containers meaning you can only yield so many berries. Additionally, you’ll have to water the plants frequently if they are in a full sun area.
2. Pyramids
Building a garden pyramid is pretty much the closest thing to growing strawberries in the ground but it takes up way less space. Essentially you’re just creating a multilayered garden patch. It takes up more space, but it’s most like growing in the garden.
You can use pieces of lumber to create a multilayered squares of soil to create the pyramid shape. Strawberries are great for this since they have shallow roots. You can custom fit the square footage of each square, and also decide how many levels to have.
Materials: you can either purchase a ready made kit, or you can use salvaged lumber to create your garden boxes.
Cost: a ready made kit is anywhere from $150-$200, where purchasing your own salvaged lumber and building the garden beds will save you a lot of money (depending on the price of lumber).
Watering Method: having beds like this is a great option if you like to water with a sprinkler. You can also you a soaker hose or water by hand.
Pros: these are wonderfully easy to assemble and it’s the closest option to growing your strawberry patch in the ground. Winter protection is also much easier with this arrangement.
Cons: this isn’t the option for you if you only have a roof top or balcony to work with, since pyramids require a minimum of 5 square feet of space. You also need a large amount of soil to fill the boxes. Pyramid beds are also very hard to relocate.
3. PVC Planters
The next option is where we introduce the option of a vertical garden! There are many different ways to create a vertical garden, and in this case it would be with PVC pipe (polyvinyl chloride pipe).
You create the garden by using 6 inch diameter pipes and cutting holes large enough to root a strawberry plant. The pipes can be anchored to the wall, the ceiling, or wherever else you please, but they will need some serious reinforcement.
Materials: all you will need is some length of PVC pipe and extra hardware according to whatever method you’d like to reinforce the garden. You’ll also need a tool to be able to drill out the holes in the pipe.
Cost: this is a super affordable option since PVC pipe isn’t too expensive. The price will depend on the length of piping you need. Each pipe is somewhere between $30-$60.
Watering Method: here’s where this type of vertical garden gets cool. You can take a 1 inch diameter PVC pipe and drill holes along the length. Place this pipe within the larger one and then fill the outer pole with soil. All you need to do is pour water down the thinner pipe!
Pros: this is the perfect project if you’re into DIY, as this application can be custom made to any type of space. If you add the watering addition it’s a very convenient method of growing strawberries.
Cons: PVC pipe isn’t particularly attractive to look at. This type of garden is also a little bit tricky to relocate.
4. Living Wall Garden
You can really use almost any vessel lying around your yard in order to create a new garden space, and in this case we’re going to be talking about creating a living wall garden using things like old rain gutters and pots.
You can drill old rain gutters into the side of a fence or shed well to create a vertical garden. You can do the same with maybe even broken terracotta pots, lighter containers, or whatever else is light enough to drill to a wall and fill with soil without it breaking.
Just make sure to pick a wall or fence that is at least south west facing, otherwise the strawberry plants won’t get enough sun exposure to bloom and produce fruit.
Materials: you can really use anything lying around the house to fulfill this project. Repurposing is so fun because you can get really creative with it! Use pots, gutters, containers, and whatever materials you need to create a vertical wall.
Cost: this garden bed option will cost you little to nothing to set up. It all depends on how much you have lying around, what aesthetic you’re looking for, and the materials you need to get set up.
Watering Method: you can use a regular soaker hose for watering or regular hand watering with this garden bed option.
Pros: this is a particularly beautiful garden set up. Vertical gardens are really great for space saving as you implement a structure that is already there. Repurposing is also the best way to be sustainable.
Cons: you need a pretty sturdy area in order to create this type of vertical garden as pots filled with soil need something very stable to hold them up. Winterizing this type of garden can also be a bit tricky.
5. Towers
Now we’ve saved the most impressive space-saving garden for last: the cedar tower. Be aware that this type of construction is a pretty involved process and you may need some help by an experienced carpenter if you don’t have experience with building.
This will become the focal point of your garden space. This is a gorgeous vertical garden made from tiers of angled boards with multiple layers allowing you to plant a ton of strawberry plants on a single construction.
Using western red cedar boards to create this tower structure is not only going to look beautiful, it will smell beautiful and it can last a very long time outside.
Materials: you’ll need some western red cedar planks of wood and whatever other hardware you like to put it together. Or, you can always buy a ready-made kit.
Cost: this is also one of the more expensive options. A tower garden kit can cost anywhere from $500, or if you’re building it yourself the lumber will cost around $250.
Watering Method: you can use drop irrigation to water you strawberry plants planted in a garden tower, or you can use a regular soaker hose or watering can.
Pros: this is a great space saver as you can accommodate a few yards of garden space into a 3 square foot base. You can plant a few dozen strawberry plants on a single tower, and they are lovely to look at too.
Cons: this may be a bit of an intimidating project if you don’t have much experience with carpentry. It’s also the most expensive option and a tower garden isn’t the easiest to use.
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And there you have it! There are so many ways to get creative with building gardens for smaller spaces. If you don’t have access to much ground area, just start growing up! Hopefully you’ve found the perfect solution for your space and you’ll have beautiful little strawberry fruits on the way in no time!