Hi
I'm looking for advice on building a strawberry bed on my allotment.
It is usually mega ridden with slugs - so I don't want to encourage
them! I have a plot marked out of 7' x 5', and strawberries on the way
- where to next?
nellie

"nellie" wrote ..
I'm looking for advice on building a strawberry bed on my allotment.
It is usually mega ridden with slugs - so I don't want to encourage
them! I have a plot marked out of 7' x 5', and strawberries on the way
- where to next?

Strawberries seem to attract weeds IME so the best method I've come across
is to make 1ft wide flat topped humps in rows, cover completely with a good
horticultural membrane, cut holes for your plants at the sides of the humps
alternating each side of the flat top and plant through the membrane. The
black membrane will heat up the soil underneath quicker, will improve
ripening of fruit, will keep the fruit clean, will stop most of the weeds.
Three years down the line you start it all again on a new plot with new
young plants you have grown from runners, but you should be able to use the
membrane again if you are careful.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"nellie" wrote ..
I'm looking for advice on building a strawberry bed on my allotment.
It is usually mega ridden with slugs - so I don't want to encourage
them! I have a plot marked out of 7' x 5', and strawberries on the way
- where to next?

Strawberries seem to attract weeds IME so the best method I've come across
is to make 1ft wide flat topped humps in rows, cover completely with a
good horticultural membrane, cut holes for your plants at the sides of the
humps alternating each side of the flat top and plant through the
membrane. The black membrane will heat up the soil underneath quicker,
will improve ripening of fruit, will keep the fruit clean, will stop most
of the weeds.
Three years down the line you start it all again on a new plot with new
young plants you have grown from runners, but you should be able to use
the membrane again if you are careful.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden


Sounds like a great idea. I'm going to try that on my everbearers, if I can
find them in the grasses that keep overtaking them!!

Kase

On 23 Feb, 22:56, "Bob Hobden" wrote:
"nellie" *wrote ..

I'm looking for advice on building a strawberry bed on my allotment.
It is usually mega ridden with slugs - so I don't want to encourage
them! I have a plot marked out of 7' x 5', and strawberries on the way
- where to next?

Strawberries seem to attract weeds IME so the best method I've come across
is to make 1ft wide flat topped humps in rows, cover completely with a good
horticultural membrane, cut holes for your plants at the sides of the humps
alternating each side of the flat top and plant through the membrane. The
black membrane will heat up the soil underneath quicker, will improve
ripening of fruit, will keep the fruit clean, will stop most of the weeds..
Three years down the line you start it all again on a new plot with new
young plants you have grown from runners, but you should be able to use the
membrane again if you are careful.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

Excellent advice - many thanks