Container strawberries

[desertgirl]

I planted strawberries two years ago in large containers. They grew kind of so-so, lots of runners, minimal tasty (but UGLY!) tiny strawberries. Last year, same thing.

This year I was going to give up (we hate wating water on things that don't yield here in the desert!), but they have already sprung up, with nice big healthy looking leaves. Now I'm having second thoughts.

I thought I read somewhere that strawberries take a few years to really establish their patch.

Input?Advice?:/

 

[Greenthumb18]

Strawberries do take a few years to produce new runners and to take over an area with all those runners, but they will start producing strawberries the year after planting. I would plant new varieties of strawberries if you don't really like the ones you have .

 

[desertgirl]

Hmmm... anything I can do to beef up the "refuse to die" variety I already have? I'd hate to start all over if I can work with my established plants.

 

[Rosalind]

Do you know what kind they are? Everbearing or June-bearing, what the name of the breed might be?

Generally I'd say if the strawberries they do produce aren't to your liking, you're better off getting new plants. Sometimes strawberries will be flavorless if they are over-watered in a bad rainy period, but that is clearly not the case here. I give mine a little greensand to improve flavor, but it's a fairly subtle difference and doesn't save them if we've had 40 days of rain, sort of thing. If they are a commercial type or just generic "strawberries" from the local hardware store, that is likely the problem.

The berry specialists are mostly sold out for the season, but you could luck out and find some good ones.