Strawberries for growing on the balcony. Growing remontant strawberries - harvesting berries on the balcony and windowsill

Garden strawberries, or remontant strawberries, in last years It is increasingly grown on a balcony or loggia. Such cultivation can be carried out all year round, but in order to grow a productive plant, it is necessary to correctly decide on the choice of variety and strictly follow the growing technology, taking into account botanical and varietal characteristics berry culture.

Features of year-round cultivation

Home gardening is becoming increasingly popular and in demand. Compared to the cultivation of such vegetable crops, like cucumbers and tomatoes, strawberry bushes have the undeniable advantage of compactness and relative unpretentiousness. Berry culture does not need large quantities soil, which allows cultivation on a balcony or loggia using a tiered arrangement.

Balcony growing strawberries all year round does not require too much financial investment. The main costs are associated with the purchase of high-quality seed or seedling material, nutritious soil mixture, special fertilizers and planting containers. It is allowed to use self-made soil. To grow a berry crop from seeds or seedlings, you must follow the recommendations for choosing a variety.

The best remontant varieties

If in late spring and summer periods To grow strawberries, you can use balconies and loggias without glazing, but growing berries in the cool season is possible if you organize a mini-garden indoors. Classic varieties garden strawberries It is not advisable to grow on balconies, because fruiting occurs only once a year. Optimal alternative option for balcony gardening is cultivation remontant strawberries.

Variety name	Description of the bush	Description of the berry	Advantages and disadvantages	Varietal features
"Clery"	Small compact bushes with dark green leaves	Large and beautiful, conical shape, rich red color with shine	Indicators of resistance to diseases of the root system are good, and resistance to white and brown spots is moderate	Most early variety among KSD varieties
"Florence"	Powerful, slightly spreading bushes with many dark green shiny leaves	Large sizes, aligned, cone-shaped, dark red color	Has good winter hardiness and forms a small amount of runners	High yield, suitable for long-term storage
"Geneva"	An ampelous variety with fairly compact bushes	Large or medium size, with a pleasant sweet and sour taste	High resistance to gray rot, fruiting before frost	High-yielding variety, very popular in the middle zone
"Zenga-Zengana"	The bushes are vigorous, tall, semi-spreading, with slight formation of rosettes	Wide conical, angular shape, dark red, shiny	Average winter hardiness and resistance to tick infestation. High risk of gray rot	High yield and universal use of crops
"Home delicacy"	Bushes are spherical, with good level foliage, compact	Very large and dense, beautiful berries with excellent taste qualities	Abundant fruiting from June until the onset of severe frosts	An early-ripening remontant variety, widely used in ornamental gardening

Growing from seeds

Surface seeding seed material on a moistened soil mixture is carried out in early February. With this method of cultivation, fruiting occurs already in mid-August. Can be used for sowing and growing as a ready-made soil mixture, and soil prepared independently:

• mix high-moor peat, turf soil and sand in a ratio of 6:3:1;
• mix high-moor peat, turf soil and humus in a ratio of 1:1:1;
• mix high-moor peat and sawdust in a 1:2 ratio with the addition of a small amount of vermicompost.

Crops must be covered with film to create greenhouse effect. If the temperature conditions are observed, seedlings appear in about three weeks, after which the film coating is removed, and when three or four true leaves are formed, picking is carried out into separate flower pots.

Strawberries on the balcony: planting features (video)

Planting seedlings

Growing berry crops must be done on balconies located on the south side of the house or in the presence of sufficient lighting for most of the day. It is optimal to grow on a glassed-in balcony. When planting seedlings, preference should be given to flower pots. It is also possible to use special balcony boxes. Strawberry seedlings should be planted in such planting containers at a distance of at least 20−25 cm from each other. Any landing containers must have drainage holes to remove excess moisture from the soil.

Strawberry bushes do not like drafts, which should be taken into account when preparing shelving on a balcony or loggia. When growing garden strawberries in a glazed balcony, you can plant seedlings in separate planting containers as early as mid-March. If cultivated berry plant follows on open loggia or balcony, then planting takes place a little later, around mid-April. When planting, it is very important to ensure that the seedling heart is located at the same level with the soil. Planting is done in abundantly moist soil.

Balcony growing of berries does not require particularly difficult care. Cultivation technology involves the following activities:

• timely and relatively abundant watering at least twice a week, in evening hours, “through the pallet” method;
• careful and shallow loosening of the soil at least once a week;
• removal of the first flower stalks, which guarantees the most abundant and high-quality subsequent harvest;
• depending on the varietal characteristics, it is allowed to leave a small part of the mustache with side rosettes, on which a crop is also formed;
• For the purpose of artificial pollination, it is recommended to use a regular art brush with soft bristles.

The first fertilizing of the berry crop should be carried out after the fifth or sixth leaf appears on the plant. Bushes should be fed at least twice a month. Special fertilizers are most often used for feeding, but you can also use self-prepared formulations. Good result gives next type fertilizing berry crops:

• fill a third of a three-liter jar with carefully crushed egg shells;
• add about 200 g of wood ash and fill with settled water;
• leave the fertilizer for at least five days in a dark and cool room;
• dilute the resulting infusion with water room temperature at the rate of 1:3.

You can replace ready-made mineral fertilizers with humus diluted with water in a ratio of 1:20. If cultivation is carried out on open balcony, then on winter period It is recommended to insulate berry bushes with sawdust. In conditions of a glazed balcony with temperature conditions not lower than 2 °C, plants do not need to be covered. Experienced gardeners move containers with strawberry bushes to the cellar or garage. Strawberries can be grown as a balcony crop for no more than three years, after which it is necessary to replace the soil and the plants themselves.

Disease Prevention

When growing berry crops on balconies and loggias, the plants are less in need of using strong preventatives. chemicals. However, garden strawberries require protective measures.

Strawberries: choosing a variety (video)

It is allowed to treat berry bushes with insectofungicides or more gentle means in the form of an infusion of bitter capsicum, horse sorrel and elderberry. The standard three treatments per month must be supplemented with preventive examinations and the immediate removal of all above-ground parts of the plant affected by diseases or pests.

In order to enjoy strawberries not only in summer, they can be grown on the balcony in multi-storey building. Option will do and for those who do not have a dacha, or there is no place for this crop. Strawberries are sold in supermarkets at any time of the year, but their own berries are tastier, more aromatic and much cheaper. In addition, growing strawberries on the balcony is not difficult. You just need to know some features and rules of how to grow strawberries on the balcony.

Cultural information

The real name of strawberries is nutmeg strawberry or garden strawberry. This is a perennial. Compact size bush. It reaches a height of 10-35 cm. In addition to leaves with petioles, the bush has creeping branches-shoots (mustache), strong annual stems (horns), and flower stalks. To find out how productive a given variety is, you need to pay attention to the horns. If there are enough of them, then the variety is productive. Reproduction occurs by tendrils, division of roots, and seeds.

Strawberries on the balcony

Thanks to breeders, a large number of different varieties of strawberries have been developed:

• Albion. This is repairable newest variety, which surprises with its taste. The berries are sweet. Fruiting begins in late spring and continues throughout the summer. Resistant to diseases. The berries are large. The average weight of each is 50 grams. Closed ground is suitable for the variety.
• Queen Elizabeth 2. Self-pollinating variety. Also applies to remontant ones. The fruits are large. Each weight is about 30-50 grams. At comfortable air temperatures (about +20 degrees), berries can grow up to 70-100 grams.
• Tristan F1. This is an unusual hybrid. Purple, deep pink flowers bloom on the bush. There are practically no mustaches. Can be grown as ornamental plant. After the strawberries fade, sweet, slightly elongated berries appear on them. The hybrid can bear fruit all summer. Not afraid of temperature changes, has strong immunity.

Strawberry varieties for the loggia

Today there are no specific varieties that are intended only for growing in an apartment. All varieties of garden strawberries that are suitable for a balcony can also be grown on a personal plot.

Ampel strawberry

Varieties that will bear fruit well and develop at home include self-pollinating remontant ones. They can produce crops with proper care all year round. To save space, it is best to take hanging varieties. They produce a large number of tendrils, directly on which berries grow. Caring for and growing ampelous strawberries on the balcony is exactly the same as regular strawberries. However, it looks the most advantageous. If you plant the plant in pots hanging on the wall, the bushes will produce many hanging tendrils with flower stalks. The mustache will curl, forming a green, lush curtain.

Varieties suitable for home:

• Florina;
• Pink flamingo;
• Homemade delicacy;
• Tuscany;
• Festival;
• World debut, etc.

Florina

A new variety of remontant strawberries. The berries are large. The average weight of one is 40 grams. The taste is sweet. Throughout the entire fruiting period, the berries do not become smaller. Flor has a strong immune system. The variety can grow both in an open garden bed and on a balcony. A greenhouse is also suitable for him.

Pink flamingo

Ideal for growing at home. Pink flamingo strawberries in a flower pot look very impressive. The mustache with peduncles stretches up to a meter in length. The variety resembles a liana. One of the advantages of this strawberry is its huge red berries. The weight of each can reach 70-90 grams.

Homemade delicacy

This climbing variety. The plant must be planted in hanging pot. Its greenery will curl beautifully and go down to the floor. This variety is easy to grow. Berries average size. The taste is sour-sweet.

Homemade delicacy

Tuscany

An ampelous remontant variety. It continuously bears fruit and blooms in the garden throughout the summer and part of autumn. If strawberries are grown in pots at home, the berries are collected before winter. The peculiarity of the variety is its fragrant lilac-violet flowers. The berries are medium-sized, red.

Festival

The variety is productive and self-fertile. 0.5-1 kg of berries are collected from the bush. The berries have an average weight of 25-50 grams. The taste is sweetish with sourness.

Festival

World debut

This variety will decorate a green corner in the apartment with its rich colors. pink flowers. They exude a fruity-floral aroma. Experienced gardeners recommend planting World Debut in flowerpots. This way the variety will look decorative and unusual. Fruiting is long lasting. The berries are large - about 30-45 grams.

How to grow strawberries on the balcony

Cultivation of garden strawberries is possible if the apartment has an insulated, glass balcony. If the balcony is very ordinary, then this is also not a problem for planting juicy berries. An insulated loggia is suitable for producing berries all year round. You can plant strawberries on an unglazed balcony in the spring and enjoy them all summer long. Thus, a vegetable garden will appear right in the high-rise building, and you will not need to leave the house to harvest the crop.

Important! The very first thing before turning your balcony into a strawberry corner is to decide on the appropriate varieties.

Culture containers

Garden strawberries on the loggia can be grown in a variety of containers. For hanging varieties, it is best if the strawberries are in a pot; in this case, growing them will bring aesthetic pleasure to the owner of the apartment.

Also, seedlings are placed in large bags, flower pots, and boxes. A five-liter bottle will do plastic bottle, Plastic container. It is recommended to use a plastic box. The main thing is that there are drainage holes at the bottom of the container. This is the only way to prevent the strawberry roots from rotting.

Note! In addition, craftsmen fix a pot or several directly on the walls of the loggia. The main thing is to place the containers not too close to each other. It is recommended to maintain a distance between pots of about 20-40 cm.

Can be used vertical method growing. Vertical beds are built for it. They are made from wide, large bags. The bags are divided into several tiers. Holes are cut out on each tier. Bushes are planted there. The stores sell special structures, which are also divided into tiers for planting plants. Such designs save space.

To save space, experienced gardeners are engaged in growing strawberries in a structure, the basis of which PVC pipe. Holes are made in the pipe for strawberry bushes. Drainage holes are drilled on the bottom. Plugs are put on the ends of the pipe. But you can do without them. Then the ends of the pipes are simply wrapped with bags and tape. The pipe can stand either horizontally or vertically. According to reviews, most often there are strawberries in pots on balconies; growing them is almost the same as growing flowers.

Note! Despite the fact that strawberries can be planted in any container, one main condition must be observed: one plant should not be in a container whose volume is less than 3 liters. Otherwise, the roots will not be able to develop normally.

Land for planting

Strawberries love fertile, loose, light soil that allows air to pass through. Soil mixture for containers for garden strawberries is sold in specialized stores. Its price is low. However, if you need to plant more than ten bushes, it will be cheaper to prepare the mixture yourself. For this you will need turf land, peat, humus, sawdust, river sand. The first three ingredients should be in equal proportions. Sawdust should make up only 10-15% of the total soil mixture, sand - 5-8%. Everything is mixed and poured into prepared containers.

Next, a nutrient solution is prepared. It is made from 1 teaspoon copper sulfate and 6 liters ordinary water. It is also recommended to add 350-400 grams of mullein. This cocktail is used to spill containers with soil. With the help of this solution the land will become more fertile. It will contain enough potassium, phosphorus, and organic nitrogen for good growth culture.

Additional Information. Strawberries should not be planted in soil in which flowers previously grew. Garden strawberry seedlings are too capricious and may not take root in such soil. Planting should take place in fresh soil mixture.

Suitable timing

It is preferable to plant strawberries in the spring months or September. If the balcony is closed and insulated, then planting takes place in March and April. You can plant garden strawberries in September. If the balcony is ordinary, then all work on arranging a home mini-vegetable garden is carried out after warm weather sets in.

Step-by-step landing instructions

1. Before planting, the soil mixture, spilled with a nutrient solution, should stand for several days. Only then are holes made in each pot or container. It is important not to thicken the plantings. If the bushes are planted in a potted container designed for several plants, then the distance between the strawberries should be 20 cm from each other.
2. The seedlings must be of high quality and healthy. It is best to buy it not at the market, but at specialized retail outlets. Plants take root faster if each bush has 4-6 strong leaves.
3. The holes are made shallow. The main thing is that the position of the roots is straightened, and they have enough free space. They should not be allowed to peek out of the ground or be too deep.
4. Drainage is placed at the bottom. They can be pebbles or brick particles.
5. It is recommended not to fill the containers completely with soil. You need to leave 2-3 cm of space to the edge.
6. After planting, the plants are watered with water with the addition of growth stimulants. You can use Heteroauxin or Kornevin. This way the strawberries will take root faster.

Kornevin

Basic Rules

The owner of the apartment should provide warmth to the plants. Optimal temperature on the balcony - +18...+21 degrees in the daytime and +14 in the evening.

When winter comes, plants located on an uninsulated balcony need to be stored. Wintering takes place in boxes in which containers with strawberries are placed. Take several boxes, they should be different sizes. A layer of sawdust is poured into a large box. A smaller box is placed on them. Containers with strawberries are placed in it. Strawberry containers are lined with rags and foam. Before the balcony strawberry plot is sent to winter, the bushes and branches on which the fruits are ripening are cut off.

Important! Be sure to ventilate the room 2-3 times a day. But it is better to do this in a calm time, since young bushes are very sensitive to drafts.

Care

The main measures for caring for a balcony garden are:

• Pollination;
• Watering;
• Removing mustaches;
• Feeding.

Pollination

Self-pollinating varieties still need help with pollination. Even if the street on which the house is located is surrounded by greenery, you should not wait for pollinating insects. Pollination is carried out by the owner of the apartment. During flowering, install a fan on the balcony. It is taken out in the morning for several hours and in the evening. This way, air currents will help the pollen get to the right place for fruit to set.

Pollination

Watering

So that your family can eat all the time juicy berries, it is important to water the soil correctly. This is done every other day. However, water stagnation should not be allowed. In addition, you need to spray the leaves of the plant with water.

Removing a mustache

Whiskers are removed as needed. These shoots should be removed so that the plant spends nutrition on the formation of fruits.

Removing a mustache

Top dressing

A crop that is grown at home needs more feeding than its garden brothers. Experienced summer residents It is advised to fertilize garden strawberries on the balcony once every 15-20 days. For this purpose, nutritional complexes are used mineral mixtures, which contain phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen. They are alternated with humus and fly ash.

Problems with balcony strawberries

Often people who are just starting to grow strawberries encounter problems. For example, the bushes did not take root. This happens due to improper landing. The soil mixture was too clayey and infertile. And the bushes turned out to be too deep into the ground. It is important that the roots are completely hidden underground, and the foliage and buds are on the surface.

Note! The dissatisfaction of the apartment owner can be caused by a meager harvest of berries, which was produced by an ordinary variety of garden strawberries. In this case, the gardener is advised to grow remontant varieties. Then the household will be able to eat the bushes an unlimited number of times.

Another problem may be a delay in plant development. This situation usually occurs in low light conditions. It is best for the balcony to be on the south side of the house. The loggia is also equipped with additional light sources.

Strawberries on the balcony will be great decorative element apartments, and will also provide the owners with a sweet dessert. However, people who are just starting to grow berries on a loggia are advised to start small. It is best to buy a few bushes and try to grow them. If everything works out, then in a small area with the help different designs you can create a whole strawberry mini-garden.

Photo
In order to grow strawberries on the balcony, you must first choose the right variety. Small varieties, hybrids of garden and wild berries, are best suited for the balcony. The height of such plants is only 25 cm, and the berries have a special aroma. Also suitable: early variety “Clery”, mid-season “Darselect”, late-ripening “Florence”. If you combine them correctly, you can get vitamins on your own balcony from May until autumn. Strawberries also grow well on the balcony. It begins to bloom in April. Small varieties of wild strawberries or hybrids of garden and forest strawberries are ideal for the balcony.

If you want to get a harvest of berries this year, you should start working no later than the second half of January. If you are interested in obtaining seedlings, you can do this in March.

Next important point: Strawberries on the balcony must be correctly positioned in relation to the sun. The optimal balcony is on the south side or one that is illuminated by the sun in the afternoon. On such balconies, strawberry bushes will bear fruit until the first frost appears, and strawberries - until the end of the year. It is best to arrange flower boxes and pots by hanging them from inside balcony, because these plants do not like wind. In order for strawberries to constantly bloom and bear fruit, it is necessary to feed them with regular fertilizers. The soil should be rich in humus.

Containers suitable for growing strawberries on the balcony:

1. Hanging flower pots measuring (for each seedling) no less than 15*15 cm.
2. Balcony boxes with a width of 20 cm and a depth of 15 cm.
3. Baskets.
4. Multi-tiered pots.

How to grow strawberries from seeds?

You can prepare seeds for planting yourself from berries collected in August: you need to cut them upper layer pulp, grind and dry in the sun. The dried mass is rubbed with your fingers, clearing the seeds from the pulp, pouring them into a paper bag. When to start sowing?

If you want to get a harvest this year, you need to start work no later than the second half of January.

To obtain just seedlings, sowing begins in March. To sow seeds, you will need high-quality soil for seedlings (sold in gardening stores).

Growing strawberries from seeds is a guarantee of the desired variety. There is no such guarantee when buying a seedling from someone else.

A large box (at least 15 cm high) is half filled with soil and watered thoroughly. Strawberry seeds are laid out on the surface without covering them with soil! The box is covered with polyethylene or glass and placed in a warm, ventilated place (balcony or sunny room). The soil must be constantly moistened. After the first shoots appear, the polyethylene or glass is removed and the box is placed in the brightest place (for example, on a window). If you want to grow strawberries in separate pots, seedlings are planted in pots when the first leaves appear.

Further care is as follows:

1. The 3 lower leaves of young shoots are plucked off. And when the plant reaches 10 cm in height, the top is pinched off.
2. Flowers can be pollinated with a regular cotton swab.
3. It is also necessary to remove excess tendrils from the plant, fertilizing it after each removal.
4. Once every two weeks, strawberries need to be fed with a special fertilizer.
5. Strawberries need to be watered regularly and generally kept well-groomed.

How are strawberries grown on the balcony?

Choose the variety you like. Prepare the soil: mix turf, sand and black soil in equal parts. You can buy ready-made land, but one that does not contain peat will do. Peat dries out quickly, and strawberries cannot tolerate a lack of moisture, but also do not like waterlogging. Plastic boxes from cakes or salads are suitable for germinating seeds. We fill the bottom with a layer of expanded clay or vermiculite, then a layer of earth, about 5 cm thick, and on top - a 3 cm layer of snow. Compact it. We scatter the seeds evenly over the snow, cover with a lid, then put the box in a cold place (on the balcony or in the refrigerator, but not in the freezer) so that the snow does not melt, leave for 2 days. Then we move it to a place that is a little warmer, but cool, so that the snow melts gradually. After a week, you need to remove the lid and stretch cling film over the box to create a greenhouse effect. Next, the box is put away in a dark, warm place. The soil must be constantly moist. If drops form on the film, shake them off.

There are many remontant varieties strawberries and strawberries suitable for potting. These are both bush and hanging varieties.

After the seeds have hatched, the box is moved to the windowsill, but not with sunny side. Watering can be done using a small rubber bulb. When the seedlings have 3 leaves, they are transplanted into separate containers, which are suitable for plastic cups 200 g each. Children's juice packs are not suitable, because... their inner coating contains substances that slow down plant growth. Before transplanting, the soil is moistened abundantly. Each seedling is carefully removed with a fork; it should have a long white root. If it breaks at the tip, don’t worry, the main thing is not to damage the side roots.

Caring for seedlings after transplantation

1. Timely watering is required.
2. Do not place in direct sunlight.
3. In the evenings you can add more light fluorescent lamp(it doesn't get very hot).

When 5 leaves appear on each bush, the seedlings can be fed with fertilizer. Fertilizer for strawberries: fill a three-liter jar 1/3 full eggshell, add 1 glass of wood ash, add water, leave in a dark place for 6 days, drain the solution and dilute it with settled water in a ratio of 1:3. We water the seedlings. This fertilizer is also suitable for indoor plants. You need to feed strawberries with fertilizer once every 2 weeks.

In June, the grown bushes can already be planted on the balcony. For this, just like for strawberries, ordinary flower pots or hanging flower containers for balconies are suitable. Remontant strawberries begin to bear fruit at the end of July and before the cold weather. The soil in pots should be fertile and well drained. Strawberries in a pot strewn with flowers or berries are a great gift idea!

You can prepare the seeds of your favorite strawberry varieties yourself, just like strawberry seeds. Already in May, expensive but very early berries are on sale in the markets (imported store-bought products are not suitable for preparing seeds). Taste it. If you like it, you can prepare the seeds using the method described above for the next season. Growing strawberries using self-harvested seeds will guarantee that they will grow desired variety. Purchased seedlings do not provide such a guarantee.

But also strawberries. At first it may seem that this is a finicky plant that is difficult to grow on the balcony, but this is not so. If you plant and care for strawberries correctly, you can pick strawberries all year round on your own balcony!

Strawberry varieties for growing on the balcony

In principle, you can grow any variety of strawberries on your balcony. But for growing on the balcony, remontant strawberries are more often used - they bear fruit throughout the growing season and the harvest appears immediately. But strawberries of other varieties can bear fruit either twice a year - in spring and autumn, or once - in spring.

In addition, such varieties often do not bear fruit in the first year, often only after the first wintering. But remontant strawberries can bear fruit even in winter if you move them indoors and provide them with sufficient lighting.

The best variety is “Queen Elizabeth”. Strawberries of this variety give out large fruits and in large quantities, especially in the second year. This variety produces mustaches.

But the “Bolero” variety does not produce them, but bears fruit from May to November - this is also good option for strawberries on the balcony.

Fruit of the “Bolero” variety

You need to buy seedlings and seeds in specialized stores; also be sure to consult with specialists in order to have wonderful harvest and don’t spend all your time and energy caring for strawberries.

Fruit of the Queen Elizabeth variety

Selection of pots

If you decide to grow strawberries on the balcony, then you need to start by choosing containers. They must meet the following requirements:

• One plant requires a container of three liters (it needs a lot of space to grow).
• If you plan to place several seedlings in one large container, then its volume should be about 15 liters for 3-4 plants.
• Strawberry seedlings need to be placed at a distance of at least 20 centimeters from each other, so large containers you need to choose an elongated shape.
• There must be holes at the bottom of the pot to drain excess liquid.
• It is best to use to save space vertical structures(for example, shelves) or hanging containers, since they can be placed one above the other, while elongated pots take up a lot of space, and there can be no more than 10 seedlings in it. You can place such elongated pots on top of each other - this is also acceptable option.

Design for growing strawberries on the balcony

Planting strawberries

The next stage is choosing a planting method. There are two options: purchase strawberry sprouts already or grow them yourself from seeds. The second option will take more time and effort, but is less expensive in a material sense. But the first option is very convenient, but costs more.

If you want to grow strawberries yourself from seeds, then you need to do this sometime in May, so that by April you already have sprouts ready for transplanting into the soil. You can plant ready-made strawberry sprouts or late spring(late April and May), or early autumn (September).

The main requirement for a balcony is good natural light (the sun should be on the balcony at least 6 hours a day).

Video:

Here are some basic requirements for planting strawberries:

• the seedling must be placed not too deep (then new leaves will not grow), and not too on the surface (the rhizome will dry out);
• when planting, the seedling must already have at least 5 leaves;
• for better rooting, experts advise treating seedlings with heteroauxin (dilute one tablet of heteroauxin in five liters of water and pour this solution over the seedlings);
• it is necessary to mulch the soil with the onset of hot weather (mulching means covering the soil with special artificial materials or natural type sawdust and straw, this helps preserve moisture in the soil and prevent overheating and drying out of the soil);
• the soil should be fresh and no other plants should grow in it;
• The soil itself can be prepared as follows: mix neutralized high-moor peat and vermicompost in a 1 to 1 ratio.

Strawberry care

The main thing is to make sure that the soil is moist, but there is no water in the pan. There should be just enough moisture so as not to dry out the plant or flood it.

Strawberries need to be fertilized twice a month, best minerals. Further, as the plants take root and grow, you can fertilize less frequently.

Strawberries should be sprayed with plain water two or three times a week; this will refresh the leaves of the plant and allow the strawberry fruits to acquire the correct beautiful shape.

As soon as “antennae” appear, they need to be removed. Otherwise, they will fill the entire space, which will not allow each seedling to take root well. You can also pick off the first (only the first!) flowers that appear - then the seedlings will begin to produce twice as many of them.

A– Removal of antennae.
B– Cutting height of old leaves.

With the onset of winter, strawberries need to be removed from the containers and placed in the soil and watered thoroughly, and then the soil around the plants must be compacted.

There is also an additional measure - shelter. After the soil has completely frozen, it must be covered with sawdust. During the thaw period, it will be necessary to ensure the soil is ventilated to avoid heating.

Pros of growing strawberries on the balcony

Undoubtedly, the first plus is that the plant will always be in your field of vision. You won’t need to go anywhere to water and look at the condition of the strawberries. Thus, you can always notice in time any deterioration in the development of the plant.

In addition, you can grow strawberries on the balcony all year round (if, of course, the balcony is glazed and insulated).

It is also convenient that the harvest will arrive on your table in the freshest form.

There is only one small disadvantage of growing strawberries at home - restrictions on planting them. Of course, the balcony area is unlikely to allow you to plant as many strawberries as. You can read how to make glazing with extension to increase space.

If you want to grow something unusual, beautiful and, at the same time, edible on your balcony, pay attention to strawberries. This berry can be cultivated with equal success both in garden beds and in balcony boxes. And at the same time reap good harvests!

Ordinary strawberries bear fruit only once a year - at the beginning of summer. Agree, this is not at all serious: grow seedlings, plant 2-3 bushes and pick a glass of berries in June. The game is not worth the candle! Therefore, such strawberries are not grown on balconies. Exists great alternative- remontant strawberries, which grow a dense bush and bear fruit without interruption throughout the season. From late spring to late autumn, every day you can pick a handful of fragrant berries from your balcony plantations. Isn't it a miracle?

Remontant strawberries are grown from seeds, which you can easily buy in a store or order by mail.

When to sow strawberries for seedlings?

Once you have the seeds in your pocket, you can start sowing. Planting of remontant strawberries, in fact, can last from early February to August. But the sooner you do this, the more likely it is that fruiting will be achieved in the first year of the growing season. That's why optimal time planting February-March. Remember that seedlings of remontant strawberries “swing” for a long time and, if the seeds are planted in March, the first berries will appear only in July-August. However, there is no need to be sad about this! Remontant strawberries are not annual, their lifespan is 2-3 years. Therefore, in the second year of the growing season, the overgrown bushes will give you lush flowering already at the end of spring you can pick berries right up to frost.

Ampelous remontant strawberries will decorate the balcony no worse than decorative flowers

Selecting soil for strawberries

There are special soils on sale that were originally created for growing strawberries and other berries. The traditional composition of such soils:

• river sand
• perlite or vermiculite
• vermicompost
• mineral fertilizers

All components are wonderful, except for the last one – mineral fertilizers. Still, I want the strawberries on the balcony to be an environmentally friendly product. It is so? If you agree, then start preparing the soil yourself. The substrate can be made using the above “store-bought” method, excluding fertilizers from the list, or using the following “recipes”:

• high peat + turf soil + sand (6:3:1)
• high peat + turf soil + humus (1:1:1)
• high peat + sawdust (1:2)

Any of these substrates can be made more fertile by adding vermicompost. This is a waste product of Californian worms, which can successfully replace any expensive mineral fertilizer. It contains: humus, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, humic acids, etc. The introduction of vermicompost into the soil promotes high survival rate and better growth of strawberry seedlings, as it provides the plants with a supply of nutrition for a long time.

Planting strawberries for seedlings

Sowing strawberries for seedlings is carried out superficially. Strawberry seeds mixed with calcined fine sand are placed in a seedling container on moistened and disinfected soil. The crops are covered with film or glass.

Further, some experts advise stratifying seeds. Stratification is the keeping of hard-to-germinate seeds in a humid environment at low temperatures. If you want to adhere to the manufacturer’s recommendations, then place the container with the crops in the refrigerator, closer to the freezer, where the temperature is quite low - 3-5°C. Stratification of strawberry seeds is carried out within 3-5 days, after which the crops can be placed in a warm and bright place - on a windowsill or balcony.

To some extent, cold stratification can be replaced by crops on snow. To do this, a layer of snow is placed on the soil in a planting container, on which strawberry seeds are sown. The snow will gradually melt, the seeds will fall to the ground

Despite the high popularity of stratification, we will not recommend it as a mandatory means for germinating strawberry seeds. In practice, it has been proven that seeds of remontant varieties germinate remarkably well even without this manipulation. Therefore, most lovers of balcony strawberries ignore the rules, sow the seeds in a planting container, cover them with film and immediately place them on the windowsill.

Strawberry seedlings from seeds can hatch either after 3 days or after 30. Therefore, do not worry if after a week the seeds lie on the ground in their original form. Wait a little longer. If even after a month there are no shoots, most likely the seeds are not viable.

Strawberry seedlings grow for a long time, from sowing to flowering it takes about 5-6 months

How to grow strawberry seedlings: basic rules for caring for sprouts

Raising immunity, adaptation

Young strawberry seedlings from seeds need high humidity and plenty of light (but not under direct sun rays!). Therefore, as soon as the shoots appear, hurry to open the film on landing container It’s not worth it, the sprouts need to gradually get used to air with normal humidity and changing temperatures. Open the film a couple of times a day. The first time a minute is enough, then gradually increase the time of “walks” and, in the end, remove the cover for good.

Greenhouses with strawberry seedlings need to be regularly ventilated

Picking strawberry seedlings

When the seedlings have 2-3 true leaves, they are transplanted into separate cups - they are picked. Carefully, along with a lump of earth, the sprouts are transferred to new containers. Strawberries react painfully to root damage and recover poorly, so picking with damage to the central root when growing remontant strawberries is not practiced.

When replanting, it is very important not to deepen or cover the root collar (the place where the rosette branches come off) with soil. This action leads to rotting and death of the plant.

Strawberry picking is carried out after growing 2-3 true leaves

Transplanting into pots, baskets and boxes

Good harvests can be obtained from balcony strawberries only if the bushes receive sufficient nutrition from the soil. Therefore, you can plant ready-made seedlings in any container, but so that each bush has at least 2-3 liters of soil. To regular balcony boxes seedlings of remontant strawberries are planted at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other. You can plant 3-4 bushes in large flowerpots, pots and buckets (10-15 l).

In boxes and flowerpots where strawberries will grow, you need good drainage. Floods are destructive for this berry.

Containers for strawberries must have drainage holes and good layer drainage (expanded clay, pieces of foam plastic, shards, etc.), 3-5 cm thick.

Caring for strawberries involves regular application of fertilizing, preferably organic. will allow it to develop faster, quickly grow a lush bush, bloom and bear fruit profusely.

Wintering remontant strawberries

As already mentioned, remontant strawberries do not die after the first year of life. If she creates optimal conditions for wintering, it will begin to bear fruit next spring.

Leaving strawberries to winter in an apartment is not the best option. On a dry, warm windowsill, the plant will begin to hurt, there is a high probability that it will catch it. Wintering strawberries should be cool! It is optimal if you take the bushes out to a glazed balcony (insulated, where the temperature in winter does not drop below 0°C) or to a window in the entrance as early as November. Water it moderately, only after the soil has dried out two phalanges of your finger; there is no need to feed it. In the spring, strawberries will produce new shoots, begin to develop intensively and produce new leaves. The first berries after a cold winter appear in May-June.