Growing strawberries in the flower box

Where picturesque blossoms, decorative leaves and bright red fruits captivate the viewer on the balcony, strawberries do the honors in the flower box. In fact, the alluring fruit plants aren't limited to growing in beds. These instructions will familiarize you with all the measures to turn your balcony into a strawberry paradise. From the right location to the perfect balcony box to professional care, you will find out all the important details. A hand-picked list of ideal varieties shows you the way to your personal strawberry snack garden on the balcony.

mounting instructions

The successful cultivation of strawberries in the flowers is based on an interplay of important individual factors. Therefore, please pay attention to all sections of this manual, because sometimes it is just small things that go wrong if the hoped-for harvest does not materialize.

Propagation by seed

Instead of purchasing pre-cultivated strawberry plants, the cultivation for the ambitious home gardener begins with the propagation. Specialist retailers have certified seed available. Alternatively, harvest the fine seeds yourself. For this purpose, dry fully ripe fruits and collect the seed nuts from the outer skin. Until the sowing date in February or March, keep the seeds in a dark, cool and dry place. How to grow strawberries for the flower box yourself:

• Soak seeds in chamomile tea or lukewarm water for 4 to 6 hours
• Fill a seed tray with potting soil and spray with soft water
• Scatter the seeds, press down with a board and sieve thinly
• Cover the seed jar with a transparent lid or cling film

Germination takes between 2 and 6 weeks at an ideal 16 to 20 degrees Celsius in a partially shaded window seat. If the substrate dries, spray it with room-warm water. At the 5-leaf stage, you can transplant the seedlings into individual pots. Until the beginning of the planting season, care is limited to regular watering during dry periods.

Tips for the perfect flower box

For vigorous growth and a rich harvest, strawberries in the flower box need a sufficient volume of substrate. As a rule of thumb, it has proven useful in practice to provide each plant with 25 to 30 cubic centimeters of soil. Therefore, choose flower boxes with a width of 25 to 30 cm. The length can be adjusted to the space available on the balcony. Every garden center is well stocked with 60, 90 or 120 cm long balcony boxes.

When purchasing, please make sure that a flower box has several openings in the bottom so that excess rainwater and irrigation water can drain away. Rounded edges prevent the tendrils of your strawberry plants from snapping. Plant boxes with an integrated watering system are advantageous. Here is a water supply in a separate level, from which your thirsty plants can help themselves. The water level indicator tells you when the supply needs to be refilled.

Substrate – mixing it yourself is trump

Last but not least, growing your own strawberries in the flower box offers the advantage that you later know exactly what the fruit contains and what does not. Pre-fertilized potting soil from the discounter destroys this privilege. By mixing your own strawberry potting soil, you pave the way to a premium quality strawberry harvest. That is how it goes:

• Use organic vegetable soil without peat as a base
• Mix ripe, sifted compost into the organic substrate in a 1:3 ratio
• Add about 100 grams of horn shavings per flower box
• A few handfuls of perlite, expanded clay or lava granules for optimized permeability

If you don't have your own compost heap, you can find ready-packaged products in stores. Alternatively, add an organic long-term fertilizer for berry plants to the substrate, such as the innovative organic fertilizer with sheep's wool from Compo. The nutrients stimulate growth and flowering right from the start. A one-off addition is usually sufficient for the entire season.

Plant

The professional planting technique is based on important aspects such as correct planting depth, appropriate planting distance and preventing water from accumulating in the substrate. When the first warm rays of sunshine begin to beckon in early April, it is time to plant strawberries on the balcony. How to proceed correctly:

• Place the still potted plants in water to soak the root ball
• Spread a layer of expanded clay, gravel or potsherds on the bottom of the box as drainage
• Lay a breathable fleece over it so that the water-bearing layer does not silt up
• Fill in the substrate so that a pouring edge is exposed
• Unpot the strawberries and plant them 20 to 30 cm apart

It is important to note that you measure the planting depth so that the heart bud is just above the soil surface. Press the substrate firmly with both hands for a good ground contact. First carry the planted strawberry box to its location and then water it.

Location

A sunny, warm and air-flushed location on the south-facing site gives you a top-quality strawberry harvest on the balcony. The undemanding plants also thrive in semi-shady places. However, the abundance of blossoms and fruit hanging regularly leave a lot to be desired.

Water and fertilize

One of the key functions in care is an even supply of water. On hot summer days, please check in the early morning and again in the evening whether the soil has dried. Run the water from the watering can directly onto the substrate until it runs out of the bottom openings. Next watering is only done when the surface of the soil has dried noticeably. Field trials of professional strawberry growers have shown that the best time to water is early in the morning between 3 and 4 am.

If you don't want to get up that early, you can take care of your strawberry plants on the balcony before the sun hits the leaves directly. If you follow our recommendation for a nutritious substrate mixture, further applications of fertilizer are not necessary in the first year. Apply a liquid organic fertilizer for berry plants only when the leaves turn light green to yellowish and indicate a lack of nutrients. In the following years, from April to September, you supply strawberry plants on the balcony every 3 to 4 weeks with an organic plant fertilizer, which you add to the irrigation water.

Mulching keeps strawberries clean and healthy

In the flower box, strawberries rarely come into contact with the substrate. Rather, the long tendrils dangle elegantly over the edge. Where there are still points of contact between fruit and soil, lay out a layer of straw mulch. This simple trick keeps strawberries clean and protects them from rot and mold.

Pruning after harvest

Depending on your choice of variety, the harvest will extend into October. When the strawberry season on the balcony is over, cut back the plants. To do this, remove all leaves and tendrils except for the heart bud. With this pruning, you eliminate accumulated inhibitors that could affect another strawberry season on the balcony.

Hibernation - Tips & Tricks

Strawberry plants are hardy, so they thrive in the flower box for several years. Experience has shown that they retain their vitality for at least two to three years before they are exhausted in the fourth year. Since the root balls are in a vulnerable position behind the thin walls of the window box, we recommend this winter protection:

• After pruning, place the flower box in a niche that is protected from the wind and rain
• Place a wooden or styrofoam underlay underneath
• Wrap the jar with bubble wrap
• Pull a coconut mat over the foil, which protrudes 10 cm beyond the edge of the box
• Cover the substrate with leaves, wood shavings or straw

If strawberries in the flower box suffer winter damage, drought stress is the most common cause. Therefore, keep watering the plants to keep the soil from drying out.

Ideal varieties - a selection for the balcony

Wild strawberries and varieties derived from them are perfectly suited for cultivation in flower boxes. In contrast to the majestic garden strawberries, they remain small and compact to give us countless, juicy, sweet fruits. As a special advantage, balcony gardeners appreciate that the following varieties bear fruit several times for a never-ending harvest time into autumn:

Ostara

This strawberry of the month is one of the leading varieties for growing in flower boxes. Its large, red fruits are suitable for both fresh consumption and freezing. By pruning the first two or three flower stalks in spring, you increase crop yield. Thanks to its numerous runners, Ostara offers plenty of material for vegetative propagation every autumn.

• Growth height: 30 to 40 cm

Mara de Bois

The everbearing strawberry variety from France inspires with medium-sized, aromatic fruits. The cone-shaped fruits with their soft flesh are excellent for snacking and for making jam. Home gardeners will appreciate that this strawberry plant does not runner, which reduces maintenance and pruning.

amandine

The new breed draws attention to itself with elongated, red fruits that invite you to nibble. In addition, Amandine proves to be well resistant to fungal diseases. Thanks to its soft consistency, housewives like to use this variety for preserving.

Tuscany

With beautiful, pink flowers, the strawberry plant is a feast for the eyes on the balcony. From July to October, Toscana offers fruity-sweet treats that taste best fresh from the stalk. In a sunny location and cultivated according to these instructions, you can look forward to a harvest of up to 1 kg per plant.

Sperling's punch bowl magic

The variety name reveals that this variety is ideal for a sparkling fruity pleasure. This is not contradicted by the fact that the sugar-sweet, small strawberries end up directly in the mouths of young and old or shine as a tempting cake topping. As a typical monthly strawberry, the variety flowers and bears fruit throughout the summer and does not produce annoying runners.

Mignonette

Try this alluring connoisseur strain for indoor cultivation. The everbearing wild strawberry can be eaten from the comfort of a deck chair throughout the summer. Its bushy habit and enchanting, white-pink blooms set decorative accents on the balcony at the same time.

• Growth height and length: 15 to 20 cm

forest queen

The real wild strawberry has proven to be a classic for growing in balcony boxes and beds. White flowers, healthy leaves and compact growth characterize the premium variety. The small red fruits with the sugar-sweet aroma also find a place in the small mouth of a child.

white fairy

The creamy-white fruits with yellowish nuts catch the eye and harmonize wonderfully with the green leaves and white flowers. This special variety comes from the Hummi range, which conjures up strawberries with a pineapple aroma. In addition, the White Fairy does not necessarily depend on a location in full sun, because it also thrives luxuriantly and blooms in partial shade.

plenary

The ideal strain for gardeners who value ornamental value over crop yield. From May to July, the monthly strawberry dresses in a robe of white, lavishly filled flowers, from which only a few fruits develop. The historical variety is known as the perfect candidate for the authentic planting plan in the cottage garden. Thanks to a growth height of 15 to 20 cm, it not only feels in good hands in the bed, but also in the large flower box.

Rimona

The ideal balcony strawberry from the traditional company Ahrens and Siebertz rounds off the hand-picked list of varieties. As a strawberry of the month, Rimona has everything we could wish for in a strawberry for planting in flower boxes. Compact growth, enchanting flowers, healthy foliage and lots of juicy, aromatic fruits from spring to autumn.

Conclusion

With these instructions, the dream of a strawberry snack garden on the balcony is within reach. A large, 25 to 30 cm wide flower box in a sunny, warm location offers the tempting plants ideal conditions for vigorous, productive growth. A proprietary mixture of organic vegetable soil, compost and horn shavings or natural long-term fertilizer guarantees healthy strawberry enjoyment for the whole family. Care is limited to watering when it is dry, which may be necessary in the morning and evening hours in midsummer. Follow our recommendations for ideal varieties and harvest juicy, sweet fruit pralines well into autumn. A pruning down to the heart bud and a thick winter coat for the balcony box ensure that strawberry plants survive the cold season unscathed.

Learn more about strawberries