As it so often is, today it is blowing a gale but dry so far and a wonderful day for washing and drying bedding. I took advantage of the sunshine for my washing and for myself. While mooching around, camera around neck, I spotted a ripe strawberry hiding from me among leaves. How dare it? I thought it should be punished and so I bit it very hard.
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| Death of a strawberry by biting (macro) |
Some website and books describe the strawberries that I grow as perpetual or everbearers while I have seen them described as everlasting. This year I have been very pleased with the crop I am getting from my perpetual strawberries this year. Last year the
strawberries were mostly deformed, covered with botrytis mould and abysmal. I don't know why this year has been good because, yes we've had a good amount of sunshine, but we've also had long periods of rain and I expected what strawberries were forming to rot and be deformed again. I've not been getting bowlfuls, like I did with the raspberries this year, but there has been little sign of deformity or botrytis, and I have had plenty to top up my almost daily breakfast of
bircher muesli made with raspberries.
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| The strawberry is the only fruit with its seeds on the outside. |
I am growing the perpetual strawberries in a freestanding trough as well as large tubs. I don't plant them in my garden because you cannot grow strawberries in the same ground indefinitely. By growing them in containers, I can replace the compost when necessary - every couple of years or more often if needs be. Also, by growing in the trough and containers, it keeps the fruit away from ground level and, generally, away from slugs.
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