Growing Strawberries in Hanging Baskets: a Complete Guide (2023)

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Growing juicy berries can be tricky in beds, but you’ll have a bounty in hanging baskets.

Fill drainage baskets halfway with quality potting mix blended with compost. Add slow-release fruit fertilizer too when planting. Plastic baskets are smarter than terra cotta since they hold moisture better and won’t shatter if dropped.

Then enjoy those ruby jewels! Baskets let you easily move plants for protection from weather swings.

Harvested strawberries mean summery desserts to share.

Growing strawberries in hanging baskets utilizes small spaces while allowing the freedom to reposition plants.

So try containers for effortless berries that invite community and nourish your family.

Best Strawberry Varieties for Hanging Baskets

You’ll find day-neutral and alpine strawberry varieties are your best bets for growing strawberries in hanging baskets. Day-neutral types like Tristar, Tribute, Mara des Bois, and Evie produce sweet, juicy berries spring through fall without requiring a chilling period, making them ideal for containers.

For a more compact choice, look to alpine strawberries such as Mignonette, Rugen Improved, and Yellow Wonder – their tiny, flavorful fruits excel in partial shade and their runners don’t take over. With the right varieties and care, you can enjoy homegrown strawberries in hanging baskets all season.

Day-Neutral Varieties

Tristar, Tribute, Mara des Bois, and Evie are prime picks for everbearing fruit in your hanging strawberry patch. Their day-neutral nature means they will keep producing sweet berries from spring through fall.

Tribute boasts large, conically shaped berries with great flavor. Mara des Bois is an exquisitely flavored small French variety. And the compact Evie and Tristar yield abundant crops of berries all season long when cared for properly.

Alpine Varieties

Enjoy sweet ‘n’ dainty berries from spring through fall by planting compact alpine strawberries like Mignonette in your hanging baskets. Alpine varieties produce petite, sweet, fragrant berries all season long. Though small, these berries pack big strawberry flavor into tiny packages.

And their tidy, compact size means alpines are tailor-made for hanging baskets and small space gardens. Go for Mignonette, Rugen Improved, or Yellow Wonder, and you’ll be picking sweet berries come rain or shine.

Selecting Planters and Supplies

After choosing varieties suited to hanging culture, it’s time to prep your baskets. Opt for 12-15 inch deep wire baskets with drainage holes. These will give roots ample room while allowing excess moisture to escape.

Line baskets with coir or peat to retain moisture and provide nutrients. Then, fill with fertilized, soilless mix – avoid moisture retaining potting soil.

Plant closer than in the ground, about 10 inches apart for day-neutrals. Alpine strawberries only need 4-6 inches between plants.

Once planted, water daily and feed monthly until blooming to get your potted strawberry plants off to a vigorous start.

Planting Strawberries in Baskets

C’mon, let’s get those strawberries planted up in the baskets to maximize your vertical space! Carefully place your strawberry plants in the prepared baskets, spacing them about 10 inches apart for day-neutrals and just 4-6 inches for alpines.

As the season goes on, you’ll need to refresh those hanging baskets with a new round of plants every 2-3 years. But for now, nurture this first batch by watering daily and feeding monthly. And be sure to position your baskets where they’ll bask in at least 6 hours of warm sunlight.

That sun-kissed care will keep your container strawberries vigorous and productive all season long.

Before you know it, those hanging baskets will reward you with a bountiful cascade of fresh fruit.

Getting the Most Fruit Production

You’ll need to promptly remove runners to conserve your strawberries’ energy for maximizing fruit production in those hanging baskets. As those dangling delights start producing, keep a keen eye out for runners emerging from the mother plants.

Carefully snip these off as soon as you spot them to channel all the plants’ resources into growing big, juicy berries rather than forming new plants.

This sacrificing of runners is essential for realizing your strawberries’ full fruiting potential in containers. Day-neutral varieties like Tristar and Tribute will reward your diligent runner removal with an extended harvest of plump, rounded fruit.

And by denying those runners, you ensure your strawberry hanging baskets will deliver optimal yields to satisfy even the most voracious sweet tooth.

Protecting the Fruit Harvest

You gotta promptly pick those luscious berries once ripe to maximize your harvest and keep ’em safe from critters in those suspended planters. Letting those ripe beauties dangle too long in their lofty perches makes ’em susceptible to mold and rot during rainy spells.

Pick when the weather’s windless before an incoming stormy spell and you’ll get the jump on insects looking to infest your crop. Harvest in the coolest part of the day during extremes of heat so your berries don’t bake on the vine.

Leave caps on and gently place in a shallow container. Refrigerate promptly to stop ripening and let those hanging basket babies keep their just-picked perfection longer.

Caring for Plants in Winter

Protect tender hanging strawberry plants from winter’s chill by moving those baskets inside before the first hard freeze hits. Come early spring, set your strawberry baskets back outside in a spot with partial shade to ease ’em into stronger sun exposure after sheltering indoors.

Fragaria spp. need protection from harsh winter cold to avoid die back of crowns and roots.

Transition them slowly once winter passes for renewed flowering and fruit set. Provide regular fertilization when hanging baskets are back outside and be patient for a delayed harvest compared to in-ground strawberries.

With proper overwintering care, your hanging strawberry beauties will reward you with a bounty of sweet, blushing berries on the vine.

Growing Alpine Strawberries

Mignonette and Rugen Improved make great choices when pickin’ alpine strawberries for hangin’ baskets. These compact alpine varieties produce tons of sweet, fragrant berries from spring through fall’s first frost when grown in ideal conditions.

• Give ’em bright light, not direct sun—around 4 hours daily does the trick.
• Use a top-notch potting mix and water regularly to keep their roots moist but not soggy.
• Feed with a balanced fertilizer monthly until they start pumpin’ out blooms.
• And be sure to promptly pluck off runners so your plants devote energy to fruit production, not spreading.

Follow those pointers and you’ll be rewarded with a pretty hanging basket brimming with petite, flavorful alpine berries perfect for snacking.

Maximizing Vertical Space

Take advantage of precious vertical real estate by lettin’ your strawberry plants climb skyward in hangin’ baskets. You’ll reap a big harvest of juicy berries without takin’ up precious ground space.

Hangin’ baskets prevent waterlogged soil and maximize air circulation, perfect for tiny yards or small spaces. Don’t let a lack of acreage limit your strawberry patch – take advantage of compact varieties that thrive in containers.

Guide those runners up instead of out for optimal fruit production. Lettin’ your strawberries hang enables growin’ food and enjoyin’ homegrown flavor even in cramped quarters.

Consider goin’ vertical with hangin’ baskets this season – those berries will be happy explorin’ the skies!

Tips for Success

Y’all ensure substantial water, regular feedin’s, and sufficient light for bumper berry crops in them hangin’ baskets.

• Pick a compact variety like Tristar or Evie that thrives in containers
• Use a sufficiently deep basket with drainage holes, quality soil mix
• Position for 6-8 hours of direct sun daily

Targetin’ success with hangin’ strawberries takes the right materials and care. Focus on providin’ consistent moisture, monthly feedin’s, and maximizin’ sunlight exposure. Choosin’ a compact variety suited to hangin’ habits prevents overcrowdin’. Prioritizin’ proper soil, basket depth, and drainage sets up an easy target for a single big early-summer crop from a sheltered, compact harvest area.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)