Strawberries on the balcony - the perfect replacement for the garden

An apartment or house can be decorated with many plants, but only strawberries on the balcony are the best way to complement the cozy and comfortable atmosphere of any home..

Which variety to plant?

Many are interested in the question of the possibility of growing ordinary strawberries at home. Unfortunately, most of these common varieties produce only one crop per season.

To achieve a good result from growing strawberries at home when choosing it, first of all, you should pay attention to remontant varieties. If you grow such a variety in a container whose volume is fifteen liters, then from one such container you can get up to one and a half kilograms of berries, and this is only in the first year of planting.

If you choose an ordinary variety, then even if there are large outlets for the same period, the yield will be much less. You have to wait for a good harvest from him only next year, and then if the plants survive the cold well. As for the transplant, young plants tolerate it best. You should not resort to transplanting when the plant is already old, so it is recommended that strawberries be grown directly in their “native” containers for two years.

You will be able to see all the positive differences between remontant varieties after several harvests. In fact, strawberries on the balcony can bear fruit from May to December. The cultivation of strawberries on the balcony itself does not have a universal solution to its problems, therefore, in this case, an integrated approach is required.

Of course, the most suitable for balcony seedlings is a remontant variety. In particular, “Elizaveta 2” strawberry is the most suitable option.

Growing structures

To grow good strawberries and have room to grow, you first need three liter containers. Plants are planted in special balcony boxes at a distance of at least twenty centimeters between themselves. If you plant berries in large containers, the volume of which reaches fifteen liters, then three or four plants are enough to fill it. They must be evenly distributed, and holes must be provided at the bottom to drain excess water.

In general, both a hanging pot and whatnot, along with a solid rectangular container, are great for strawberries. As for the hanging pot, it must be secured with small hooks and a rope to the rim and then tied to the ceiling. Three ropes will provide good stability. In addition, in this way you can place the pots one above the other, which can significantly save space.

To create a bookcase, you first need to place a large pot, then a cylinder insert, on which a smaller vessel is placed. In this way, it is possible to create up to five tiers. Up to six plants can be placed on the first tier, and only one will fit on the topmost tier, but nevertheless this design will look unbeatable.

Examples of devices for vertical cultivation of strawberries

The worst way is to fit in solid rectangular boxes. The whole reason is ineffective use of the area, since they take up a lot of space, but one such box holds a maximum of ten bushes.

Agrotechnics

Seedlings with several pairs of leaves and a developed bud are great for planting.You can buy it in a specialty store, or grow it in your own vegetable garden (if you have one).

It is best to use early planting seedlings. For example, the March one. Then, as a rule, it will be usable as early as April. In fact, it is in April that the resulting seedlings are planted on the balcony.

Nevertheless, planting can be carried out at any time of the year, but the later, the less the first harvest will be, but this does not mean that you have to rush. Strawberries on the balcony begin to grow actively in May, as the ambient temperature is still quite low. If the balcony is fully glazed, then planting is recommended only in April.

Of course, some gardeners resort to tricks, like planting strawberries in April and placing them on the windowsill of an apartment in 0.7 liter pots, followed by transplanting into standard balcony boxes in the country. When such inventive gardeners leave their dachas at the end of April, they take the transplanted strawberries with them. This is a good way to grow it. By the way, autumn berries can tolerate frost up to six degrees, therefore, in the case of using the above-described growing method, strawberries on the balcony will delight the gardener with their fruits for the whole autumn.

As for feeding strawberries, all mixtures based on semi-decomposed peat, to which various useful mineral fertilizers are added, are considered the best substrate. If you are not an adherent of mineral fertilizers, then there is an opportunity to prepare the substrate on your own using neutralized high-moor peat, manure humus or vermicompost. The proportions must be observed one to one.

Strawberries are a rather demanding crop to care for. Top dressing of the soil must be carried out once a week, as well as watering. Kemira Lux is an excellent fertilizer. If you are against them, then you will have to use slurry, diluting it in proportions of one to twenty.

When using a substrate of decomposed upper peat, there will be absolutely no problems with determining the amount of water needed for strawberries and the frequency of watering. Water is able to pass through it quite easily, and then exit through the holes in the bottom of the container. But if the composition of the substrate includes too much humus and low-lying peat, then waterlogging cannot be avoided. To exclude such a negative consequence, it is necessary to place small pebbles or expanded clay on the bottom of the container.

When it comes to high-moor peat, there is a problem of lack of moisture. During watering, overdried peat will absorb water very poorly, which will have a detrimental effect on the plant itself. Compensation for this problem can be achieved by placing the strawberry container completely in the water and leaving it there for a couple of hours. If the container is really dry, then it will be on the surface.

Strawberry shelter in winter

In order for the strawberries on the balcony to survive the winter, it is necessary to remove them from the container and bury them in the soil at the surface level, and then water them well. Also, do not forget about the subsequent compaction of the soil around the plants. As for additional protection, then, if necessary, you can use all kinds of shelters.

Of course, the balcony can also become a wintering place for strawberries, but for this you need to cover it with sawdust after the soil is completely frozen. This is done in order to prevent the soil temperature from dropping below five degrees. During thaw periods, strawberries should be properly ventilated, as there is a risk of overheating due to freezing temperatures.

Since in this case the balcony is a shelter for strawberries for the winter, with the onset of spring, the shelter is removed, but at a temperature of eight degrees, they should again cover it.It is also possible to transfer the plant from the balcony to the dwelling on the inner windowsill, but this is provided that such transportation takes place two weeks before the return movement. Otherwise, it is not recommended to do this, as strawberries may suffer from lack of light.

Video "Strawberries on the balcony"

A video from a horticulturist who grows strawberries on her balcony. See what she did and listen to her helpful comments.