Introduction
My name is Annette from Wanniassa. I’ve lived in Canberra for 65 years now and I love the unique challenges our climate here throws at us for growing plants. My favourite things to grow and my No.1 passion of course is growing strawberries in Canberra!
I started out initially buying 20 strawberry plants 11 years ago to have some fresh fruit straight from the garden because I just love the fresh taste.
From there I got hooked and my strawberry plants now number 400!
Growing From Seeds or From Small Plants?
When I was starting out I bought young plants instead of trying to grow them from seed. I later propagated the runners from these plants. See in the pics below I just bought small plants from the nursery to begin with. Once they were growing nicely I propagated new plants from the runners pictured below right.
Saving Space
The plants went really well but space was a challenge as is probably the case for a lot of Canberrans who don’t have big yards, or may just not want to take up their whole backyard with strawberry plants. To overcome this I started growing them in towers and other containers.
You can find pot towers online at places like Stack n Pots
Fertilising Strawberries
I use a Homemade Soil mix to grow my strawberries in. This consists of soil to which I add Cow Manure, Homemade Compost, Coconut Coir and Vermiculite. I also use a commercial potting mix to create a light and fluffy growing medium.
I once over did it with fertilisers, so I would recommend being careful with this for anyone new to growing strawberries.
It’s best to only fertilise twice a year! Once in the beginning of Spring then at the end of the season in Autumn to promote growth of foliage, roots and flowers, and then at the end of the season in Autumn because they have spent all their energy producing fruit.
Don’t fertilise when the plants are producing flowers or fruit as fertilising then will result in mushy fruit. You can however add Seasol or a similar product every couple of weeks throughout the growing season.
Coconut Coir
If you haven’t heard of Coconut Coir don’t worry, your local nursery operator will have, or you can order it online. Coconut Coir, or Coco coir is an ideal natural growing medium made from coconut husks that offer many benefits for your plants. Coco coir is an organic alternative to peat moss. It offers better aeration and water-holding capacity. It’s sterile, resists compaction and provides a great environment for roots to thrive.
Protecting Strawberries From Pests
Pests are always going to be a problem when growing fruit. Here in Canberra I encounter snails, slugs, and earwigs. I overcome these by using Vegemite Traps and Organza Bags.
Vegemite Traps
To make a Vegemite Snail Trap, simply add a tablespoon of Vegemite to an empty jar and fill with water. Mix until the Vegemite has dissolved. Next, bury the jar to the rim and wait for the snails to arrive! The Vegemite Snail Trap works for slugs as well. People also use beer in the jar. It’s the Yeast that the snails, slugs, and earwigs love! They just end up falling in and away from your plants…
Organza Bags and Netting
I also use Organza Bags, and Netting to keep the birds away and this also works for possums. These are also a must for anyone with a “Food Motivated” doggo!
Strawberries and the Canberra Climate
Canberra Winters don’t pose a problem to strawberry plants at all because they go dormant over Winter – the leaves will die off anyway but the root system is safe under the soil.
The only problem that might arise is late frosts in Spring which may result in Strawberry Blackeye.
Strawberry Blackeye is when the yellow centre of the flower is damaged and turns black or brown. Affected flowers will not produce fruit and should be removed.
Summer heat is countered by keeping plants consistently moist but not waterlogged. I hand water my strawberry plants daily or as required as I sadly don’t have an irrigation system.
Wilted plants are a sure sign that they need water but will soon be revived within a few hours of watering.
Wanniassa Soil
The soil in my Wanniassa garden is mostly clay. It’s a very leafy suburb as anyone who has lived here or driven through knows so the soil is fine for trees, shrubs, and lawns but not so great for growing fruit.
I just bypass my Wanniassa soil for my strawberries. I garden in raised beds, containers and towers and plant them in the homemade soil I mentioned above in the Fertilising section.
Strawberry plants require a free draining and acidic soil with a pH level of about 6.5
Best Results for my Canberra Strawberries
My yearly harvest of strawberries for the last 4 years has been between 50-60kg.
What we don’t eat fresh, is given to family and friends, or frozen for later use in making desserts, ice-cream, yoghurt, smoothies, jam, syrup, and fruit roll-ups etc.
Ongoing Care For Strawberries
- Ensure that plants are spaced about 12″ apart to allow for good air circulation to help prevent disease.
- Remove any diseased, dead or dying leaves to help prevent disease.
- Mulch plants to help suppress weeds, retain moisture and to prevent the fruit coming into direct contact with the soil.
- Remove runners while plants are fruiting or flowering to focus the plants’ energy into producing fruit.
- At the beginning of Winter, trim all foliage back to about 1″ above the crown of the plants to help prevent disease. Strawberry plants are dormant in Winter anyway.
- Fertilise twice a year with a balanced fertiliser at the beginning of the season and at the end of the season.
- Replace plants that are older than 3 seasons as they will become much less productive and be more prone to disease.
Strawberry Growing in Canberra & NSW Facebook Group
For more useful information about growing strawberries, you’ll find a wealth of it on the Facebook Group.
There’s all the guides you need and you can gain or share knowledge with other community members!
Author
Annette From Wanniassa