What's Going On
We are always trying to come up with different ways to help you get the most out of your garden and to enjoy your trips to henry Street Garden Centre. Whether its Rose Pruning demonstrations in the Spring to our light walk at Christmas here is the place to find out about everything going on at Henry Street GC
Tip of the Day
Planting strawberries
If you haven't got a bed suitable for your strawberry plants, plan where you want to grow them ; a sunny, sheltered spot is ideal. Now mark the area out, remove turf if it's lawn, then dig the soil over adding well-rotted farm manure. If you are planting bare root strawberries soak the plants roots in water for about an hour before planting. Pot grown plants will be happy with a good watering. Set plants in the soil leaving 13-15in (33-38cm) between each plant in the rows and 30in (75cm) between each row. The crown of each plant should be at or slightly above ground level. Firm plants in then water them well. Lay straw or a weed suppressing mulch between the rows. This will help to prevent any mud splashing onto the fruits when it rains or when the plants are watered. It will also keep weeds down, which will mean less work in the long run. Hoe the bed or weed through by hand at least once a week in the growing season. When your strawberry plants have established they will start to produce runners. If you have new plants remove these runners as they appear. Year-old plants will need to put all their energy into establishing themselves and producing good-sized, tasty fruits. Pick the fruits as they ripen. If you leave them too long they will either rot or the birds will have them! There are two other ways to grow your strawberries, which will be helpful to you if you don't have enough space to make a bed. 1 - Plant your strawberry plants in large pots or containers. Three strawberry plants will grow happily in a 20in (50cm) by 20in (50cm) pot filled with multipurpose compost. Because the plants aren't in the ground they will also need watering regularly and some nutrients added. Feed them once a week during the growing season with a high-potash liquid fertiliser such as Tomorite. 2 Strawberries will also grow in grow-bags. These are available from any garden centre. You can fit three strawberry plants in one bag. Just make sure they get watered and fed regularly, as I explained above.