Secrets of truck farmers: growing strawberries in a barrel

What do not come up with inventive amateur gardeners. The irrepressible desire to plant as many plants as possible on a tiny plot of land leads to original solutions. One such is the cultivation of strawberries in a barrel. This design can stand not only in the suburban area, but also on the balcony of the city apartment. In addition to the practical purpose of obtaining berries, such a "garden bed" will also delight the eye with its beauty.

Ways to grow strawberries

Sweet, all favorite strawberries grow on almost every dacha or garden plot. They grow it both in greenhouses and on the open ground.

I always want to get a good harvest, a lot of berries, so that I can eat fresh, and prepare for the winter. To optimize the use of useful space, the most unexpected solutions are being invented for the organization of beds. Growing strawberries in a barrel has already firmly established itself in the dachas of Russians.

But this is not the most exotic method. There are even more original options: for example, growing strawberries in a pipe. The location of the pipe itself can be vertical and horizontal. An excellent option that allows you to save a lot of space, and in some cases (horizontally suspended pipe) does not take up any fertile soil or place on the site.

In a barrel

Growing strawberries in a barrel is convenient and practical. To do this, use a variety of barrels in volume. It is not recommended to use containers containing chemicals or fuels and lubricants.

The system is simple: several holes with a diameter of no more than 5 cm and a distance of 20 cm from each other are made in the barrel. Usually in a staggered manner. From the bottom it is necessary to retreat centimeters 20 and make a drain so that the water can leave. In the holes are planted strawberry bushes.

For irrigation inside the barrel, a pipe with many small holes is inserted in the center. The plug from below does not allow water to flow out, it under the pressure of its own weight gradually moistens the soil.

Care for strawberries is the same as in the usual cultivation: watering, pest treatment, harvesting.

In the pipes

Growing strawberries in the pipe allows you to significantly increase the total plantation area for a crop. Horizontally, the pipes can be arranged in several rows and tiers. The vertical variant, in addition to yielding a crop, will help make a picturesque and unusual hedge.

When equipping such "beds", it is necessary to take into account the strawberry's love for the sun and the poor tolerance of drafts to the berry. Bury the pipe will be at least 35 cm, be sure to provide a watering system, it is about the same as in the barrel.

In boxes

There is another option - strawberries in boxes. Growing practically does not differ from ordinary beds. You can make several tiers of very different shapes: from ordinary steps to the pyramid, as far as imagination and hand skills are enough.

Such "beds" can be installed anywhere in the suburban area or placed on the walls of outbuildings. Multi-tiered structures will allow you to collect a larger crop from a smaller area.

It is quite a real option, when the city balconies grows strawberries in boxes. Cultivation is not burdensome, quite possible for any hostess. On the wall, you can strengthen several rows of small boxes, it is better if it is the southern side of the house.

Benefits

Growing strawberries in horizontal pipes has its positive aspects:

• Berries do not come into contact with the soil, respectively, are less susceptible to decay, they do not need to be freed from parts of the earth;
• Takes up little space, 1 m ² can accommodate up to 100 bushes, and not up to 15, as on a normal bed;

• High yield from 1 m ^{2 -} up to 10 kg (for comparison: on the ground, remove up to 2 kg);
• Small rodents and pests can not reach the crop;
• Because the "beds" are located above the ground, there is no need to constantly bend down to harvest berries or their processing;
• In the closed ground do not fall seeds of various weed plants;
• Such plantations do not need to weed;
• Except for practical tasks, such plantations bear and aesthetic load, especially if you put such pipes, wrapped in greenery, along the fence.

disadvantages

But not everything is so cloudless and simple. As in any case, here are some nuances. Growing strawberries in a pipe requires the solution of the following problems:

• Strawberry bushes need to be fed at least once a week;
• The soil in vertical pipes and a barrel quickly dries up, watering is done every 3-5 days;
• Initially vertical "beds" need to be made mobile and for winter time to remove them in a warmer place, wrapping does not save you from the complete freezing of the soil;
• As practice shows, strawberries can be grown in a barrel for one year, then they will have to plant new seedlings;
• Wooden barrels are short-lived and quickly rotten.

There is another disadvantage, which significantly affects crop yields. Growing strawberries in a barrel shows that the lower bushes rot from an excess of moisture. The upper, on the contrary, suffer from its lack. An even yield is obtained from bushes located in the middle part of the structure.

Growing strawberries in the soil allows each grower to choose from a wide variety of varieties. The main thing is that they should be zoned to a certain climatic zone. You can pick a variety for both a greenhouse and an open ground.

Growing strawberries in a barrel requires a more careful approach to choosing a variety of berries. The optimum option will be varieties of repair strawberries. They are more resistant to unfavorable conditions and get better.

The best grades are those like Albion, Lubava, Queen Elizabeth, Giantella Maxi, Corona, Kimberly, Brighton and others. Very suitable for this method of cultivation and winding strawberries.