Who doesn’t love picking a ripe strawberry straight from the bush and gobbling it down like there’s no tomorrow? Back in spring, the Growhampton team planted strawberries in one of the busiest areas of the University of Roehampton’s campus - outside the union bar. I was warned I had no chance of ever harvesting any strawberries which would succumb to the fingers of passers-by.

This is exactly what I wanted to happen! All along I viewed these irresistible little berries as a sacrificial crop that I encouraged people to sample and I often gave them away as tasters. You see; if people sneak a little berry from the patch, at least they are engaging with the Growhampton project and showing interest in food and how it’s grown. My hope is they might then ask ’so what else have you got growing?’ It is there the journey then begins of course...

If you, or your neighbour, or your local edible campus has strawberry plants growing right now propagating new plants for next year couldn’t be easier. Around this time of year strawberries send out new shoots (runners) that quite simply just need to touch some soil and they will start to produce new roots and away you go!

Top tips for strawberry production and propagation:

  • Plant a mixture of early, mid and late maturing varieties. This way you can be harvesting strawberries from May right through to October. Right now we have flowers and ripening berries all over our late producing ‘Buddy’ variety.
  • Apply Potassium to the plants once they set fruit – this helps to size up and sweeten the developing berry.
  • Secure the runners down to ensure soil contact then wait for rootlets to develop. Once little white roots and new leaves are growing, cut the runner off the mother plant and transplant the daughter plant.
  • The tip of the runner can also be placed on a sunken pot filled with potting compost. Once the baby plant has rooted and removed from the sucker, the pot can easily be transplanted.
  • Once you have sufficiently propagated plants or if the plant is still fruiting, be sure to remove and discard any other runners as they will waste the plants energy.

Finally, if you haven’t voted for our Hive Café in the soil association organic awards, then please do so at the link on the right hand side of the page.

Joel
Joel Williams is the Grower for the University of Roehampton Students’ Union’s Growhampton project