Sleeping Strawberries

We ordered some strawberry plants from Dobies. They came in a box with long stringy brown roots and old leaves on the top. That is fine, they are supposed to be dormant at this time of year and will “burst into life” in spring assuming we don’t manage to kill them in the interim.

On the instructions which came from Dobies (which is a very comprehensive booklet on growing all types of soft fruit) it says to “plant without delay”. Until today our allotment was covered in snow so we have gone for the backup option of laying out in a seed tray and covering the roots with moist compost until the ground dries out a bit.

The instructions also state that they prefer a good, loamy, well drained soil rich in humus. Don’t be fooled; hummus goes much better with carrots or pita than strawberries. Humus is well rotted compost.