Old wooden barrels can sometimes be found at grain and feed stores.
Strawberries can be planted around the outside of wooden, metal or even plastic barrels. A 50- to 55-gallon barrel will hold the same number of strawberry plants that would take up a 25-foot row if they were planted in a garden. Be sure to place the planted barrel away from any structures that would shade it. Strawberries require at least six hours of direct sunlight to grow and produce fruit. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Strawberries can be planted in the barrel after the last expected frost in spring.
Remove the lid from the barrel. Wash it thoroughly if it has been used as a storage container. Turn the barrel upside-down. Drill six 1/2-inch holes in the bottom of the barrel with a drill or punch the holes in the bottom with a chisel and hammer.
2. Use the drill with a 3-inch hole saw to cut holes in the barrel for the strawberry plants. Space each hole 8 inches apart around the barrel with the first row 5 inches from the top. Move down 8 inches and over 4 inches to begin the second row so that the holes will not be lined up with the holes in the first row. Continue to drill subsequent rows down the barrel, moving down 8 inches and over 4 inches for each row. Make the last row about 8 inches from the bottom.
3. Mix the fertilizer into the potting soil thoroughly and set it aside. Pour a 2-inch depth of gravel into the bottom of the barrel. Insert the drain pipe into the center of the barrel until the bottom of the pipe rests on the gravel. Make sure the pipe is centered in the middle of the barrel. Pour sand into the drain pipe until it is full.
4. Pour the potting soil into the barrel around the drain pipe just to the first row of holes. Pack it down slightly by hand or with an old broom. Plant the first row of strawberry plants in the bottom row. Fan the roots of the strawberry plant out and gently insert it through the hole into the soil in the barrel. Cover the roots with potting soil. Make sure the stems of the plant are protruding from the hole and there is no soil on the crown of the strawberry plant. The crown is the top of the plant just above the roots.
5. Pour more potting soil into the barrel up to the next row of holes. Use a watering can to gently moisten the soil. Plant another row of strawberry plants. Repeat this process until all of the holes have been planted. Fill the remainder of the barrel up with potting soil to within 1 inch of the top rim of the barrel. Plant additional strawberry plants 8 inches apart in the soil at the top of the barrel.
6. Water the strawberry plants twice each week by pouring water into the drain pipe until it flows from the bottom of the barrel. Feed the strawberry plants once each month with a water soluble 4-8-8 or 6-8-8 ratio fertilizer. Water them with plain water before pouring the water containing fertilizer into the drain pipe.
7. Replace the potting soil and strawberry plants each spring to produce the healthiest, most abundant strawberry crops. Strawberries are highly susceptible to diseases which carry over from year to year.
Tags: strawberry plants, potting soil, drain pipe, barrel with, bottom barrel