How to Plant a Strawberry Container Garden

Strawberries are trailing plants, which means that they trail down from containers, even containers like a pair of old rain boots! Your home garden will be "boot-i-ful" with this fun project.

Excerpted from Ready, Set, Grow! by DK BooksDorling Kindersley
Filed under: Fruit Plants, Container Gardening, How To

Strawberry plants need insects to pollinate their flowers, so make sure they are put in a place sheltered from the wind, but in full sun. Windy sites prevent insects from reaching the plants. The best soil is well-drained, rich in nutrients and slightly acidic. The plants will produce fruit within 12 weeks.

Materials Needed:

rubber boots
craft knife
3 strawberry plants per boot
crushed eggshells

tomato fertilizer
vaseline
tomato
garden netting (optional)

1. Drill some holes in the sole of a boot.

Use the craft knife to cut two holes the size of each plant's root ball into the sides of the boot. Fill the boots with newspaper before cutting the holes and then remove afterward.

2. Add some gravel.

Fill the boot with a little gravel for good drainage. Make sure it also goes into the toes. Then fill with potting soil up to the first hole.

3. Add the first plant.

Gently insert a plant through the hole by holding the root ball. The top of the roots (the "crown") should be level with the soil surface. Continue to fill the boot with soil and put in the second plant. Loosen the roots by brushing off the soil before inserting.