Wintering Gutter Strawberries

Strawberries especially the tender new growth and crowns can sustain frost damage during prolonged cold spells or unusual cold snaps.

Wintering gutter strawberries.

In time we decided we just preferred the june bearing so we ripped out all of the ever bearing. Remove winterizing mulch in spring as growth resumes. Overwintering strawberry towers or winterizing strawberry plants planted in gutters or pipe systems is more difficult. Move strawberry jars into an unheated garage for winter.

Rain gutters can be mounted to the side of decks or vertically to the side of your house or shed to create a strawberry wall a rain gutter about 4 and a half feet long is enough to grow 3 4 strawberry plants depending on plant size. Container grown strawberries benefit from a little winter protection. If the strawberry towers or gutters pipes can be moved into the garage or other similar shelter they will often do better than if left suspended above the ground and exposed to all the harshest weather winter can throw at them. To winterize strawberry plants in a pyramid apply mulch 6 to 8 inches deep.

Michael drilled holes in the gutter towards the bottom every 1 1 2 or so for proper drainage. These rain gutters not only keep pests away but they make for much easier gardening. Measure and mark 27 inches from either end of the gutter to find the center. Consequently the soil can get too hot in the summer in many places and too cold in the winter.

For regions above zone 7 winter care for strawberry plants should include mulching. Apply the covering spread a 2 3 inch layer of mulch after the first significant frost. This past winter which was our strawberry plants first as new plants was particularly brutal. These climate conditions in addition to the shallow metal gutters in such close proximity to the roots of the plant really did them in.

Regions above zone 7. Multiple blizzards and dangerously low temperatures. Wrap large strawberry pots or barrels with burlap and or bubble wrap and stuff the top opening with straw 6 to 8 inches deep. Gutter planted strawberries have no such natural insulation.

Make two more marks 9 inches from each end of the gutter to mark the appropriate spacing for planting three strawberry.