“Over the fence—
Emily Dickinson, The Complete Poems of Emily Dickenson
Strawberries— grow—
Over the fence—
I could climb— if I tried, I know—
Berries are nice!”
Can there be anything more exciting than seeing baby seedlings crying out to be cared for and planted?
That happened to me this year. And back in April, strawberry plants outside my local Co-op beckoned to me with their sweetness. Resistance, for me, was futile, because I love strawberries.
I imagined having my own, organic strawberries growing this year on my front porch. I could already picture myself biting into the succulent fruit, its sweetness dripping along my throat, its vibrant redness tempting me.
They were selling Jewel and Earliglow strawberries. I knew nothing about them except that I had recently read about growing strawberries in pots, and I grabbed the plants to try the experiment.
Joyful and eager to plant them in pretty pots, I set to work soon after returning home. I reread the article on container strawberries, and it was then I realized those two varieties—Jewel and Earliglow—are June-bearing strawberries—wonderful and popular for the kind of strawberries produced, but not so wonderful for containers. These are best planted in the ground. Darn.
This became a challenge for me because I don’t have the ground space, nor would any of the rabbits or deer around me allow for a beautiful strawberry harvest.
Undaunted, I planted each of them in two separate pots.
Thus far, my experiment this year has been mildly successful to me.
I first planted them April 9. (See the video)
As of May 22, each plant had produced a strawberry here and there. The Jewel strawberries I transplanted in a different container, and I have yet to see the effect this has had. But, although we’re eating one strawberry at a time, there is such pleasure in knowing it’s from a plant I’ve been taking care of and working hard to keep the birds and critters away from feasting on my hard work.
Jewel strawberry flowers 
Earliglow strawberries
One not so difficult challenge was making sure to keep them warm. We experienced a couple of nasty frosts this spring—several days of bitter cold—and those were the times or evenings I took the plants inside to stay warm.
Again, the process requires patience. First year perennial growth is usually the weakest and by the third year of growing, the plants have acclimated to their environment and produce more, almost too much, sometimes! So I don’t expect an abundance of fruit, especially in containers. However, it’s still early and those June-bearing strawberries might bring more surprises!
Quick planting tips:
- Choose containers that drain well
- Strawberries spread out, so choose containers that are wide or a similar planter to the blue one shown in the image
- Strawberries love lots of sun, so keep that in mind with your placement. But, the containers dry out quickly, so check the soil daily to make sure it’s moist (but not drenched).
Fun facts:
- Earliglow strawberry plants resist disease, according to Better Homes and Gardens. They also grow earlier than June in some of the warmer zones, like mine (Zone 7b)
- Jewel strawberries are popular for their sweetness
