Jake wrote:
IME, strawberry plants don't produce runners until much later in the
year, not before the first fruits have ripened and whilst flowers are
still developing. But checking today, I noticed one little plantlet
developing and then delving into the foliage a bit more, ended up
chopping 15 little runners off. I don't want runners as these are all
1st or 2nd year plants.

So if you want plants to put energy into fruiting rather than
reproducing, you might want to check the patch or planters over in
case yours are also running early.

As long as plants don't throw out too many runners it's not going to
noticeably affect next year's crop. My strawb plants have started to
produce runners, and I will happily take 2 runners per plant, without
worrying about next year's crop. Giving the plants a good feed after
cropping is just as important if you want a decent crop next year.