Overwintering Strawberries In Gutters

Here s how i did it.

Overwintering strawberries in gutters.

Container grown strawberries benefit from a little winter protection. With some scrap wood i made a support system for the two gutters one gutter holds water and the other holds soil. Multiple blizzards and dangerously low temperatures. 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.

One of the best ways is to place the container in a bigger container and then insulate the space between with leaves or straw. Can i overwinter the potted strawberries in our unheated garage. Likewise soil warmed prematurely in the late winter or early spring can induce plants to leave dormancy too early and then suffer cold injury with sharp rapid temperature shifts downward. We have tried growing strawberries out in our garden with all kinds of problems.

So it couldn t blow anywhere. This past winter which was our strawberry plants first as new plants was particularly brutal. 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. The garage has a window and also glass panels along the top.

A section of rain gutter about 4 1 2 feet long is enough to grow three strawberry plants. I decided to build hall s self irrigating gutter let s call it a sig to grow strawberries. October 16 2017 at 11 49 am. Our heating system is located there which probably helps keeps the garage temp reasonable unless we get an unusually long bitter cold spell in which case i could temporarily bring the pots into the house if necessary.

How did you keep the straw on top of the strawberries during the winter time from the wind blowing them out. Personally our strawberry bed has a framed hardware cloth cover. We are busy this year already harvesting our spring strawberries. Cut a piece of gutter 4 1 2 feet long using tin snips for metal gutters and a pvc handsaw or circular saw.

These climate conditions in addition to the shallow metal gutters in such close proximity to the roots of the plant really did them in. Overwintering strawberry towers or winterizing strawberry plants planted in gutters or pipe systems is more difficult. These rain gutters not only keep pests away but they make for much easier gardening.