If you want to arrange a mini-garden on your balcony, you should think about growing strawberries. After all, it is an irreplaceable source of vitamins and essential minerals. In addition, from an aesthetic point of view, during the flowering and fruiting period, remontant strawberries are not inferior to flowers.

Today there is a huge choice different varieties strawberries, but not all of them are suitable for cultivation at home. For cultivation on the balcony, it is best to try remontant varieties. Remontant strawberries grow well and look attractive on the balcony and windowsill, photos of samples of which you can see in the gallery of this article.

Blooming bush on the balcony

This crop bears fruit all year round. In addition, the variety of colors and shapes of flowers, sizes and colors of berries are impressive. Properly selected bushes will sooner or later become the subject of admiration for your guests. Most suitable for balcony growing The following varieties are traditionally considered:

1. Sarian. It is rightly considered the best for home breeding. Rarely susceptible to disease, frost-resistant and not afraid of heat. That is why it is suitable for both glazed and open loggias. It bears fruit with large and quite pleasant-tasting berries. True, the amount of harvest will not impress you - only a couple of kilograms per plant.
2. Homemade delicacy. The name speaks for itself. Its main advantage is its relatively small root system and ease of cross-pollination. For such a plant it will not be difficult to choose a container; it feels great in the smallest pots. The bush is small-fruited, however, a bountiful harvest can be harvested from it.
3. Supprim. Self-pollinating and high-yielding species. One of its main advantages is its ability to bear fruit throughout the year, even in autumn and winter. The berries are medium size, very sweet. Requires maintaining a stable temperature throughout the cold season. Because of this, this variety can only be grown on glazed and well-insulated balconies.
4. Kama. Perfect for a loggia. The harvest is abundant, several times a year. Brightly colored large berries attract attention and are perfect for preservation. The fruits are stored for a long time and do not lose appearance during transportation.
5. Queen Elizabeth. Record holder for productivity. The fruits are large with a pleasant sweet and sour taste. Such a bush truly requires royal care– the capacity for the plant must be at least forty-five liters, and it will have to be fertilized a lot and in a variety of ways. Owners of small balconies should avoid growing such strawberries. But on a medium-sized loggia you can successfully arrange huge boxes with bushes of this variety and small hanging pots with other small-fruited crops.

It must be said that growing strawberries on the balcony from seeds (after all, this is how remontant berries are grown) will give you a lot of positive emotions. Seeds for planting today can be bought at any specialized store or ordered online.

Seeds for growing berries at home

Choosing the right soil

The key to the success of any event is proper preparation. necessary conditions for its implementation. In our case we need to turn Special attention for soil selection. Since strawberries are not a typical plant for home cultivation, the approach to the matter must be special. Special fertile soil for growing remontant strawberry crops must necessarily consist of the following elements:

1. Biologically active humus.
2. Peat.
3. Sand. It's better to take a river one. It, unlike quarry, contains more nutrients.
4. Perlite or vermiculite.
5. Mineral fertilizers. It should be remembered that the most environmentally friendly of them is ash.

If you have no previous gardening experience, then the right decision will purchase already ready mixture along with the seeds of the desired crop.

Choosing a place for the plant

Strawberries need sunlight. Therefore, it is important to arrange the plantings so that they receive the maximum heat and lighting they need. Balconies that face south will be a suitable place for growing berries. Sometimes it is enough to provide good lighting after noon. If you follow these simple rules, strawberry bushes can bear fruit until late autumn. It is advisable to hang flowerpots with plants inside the balcony rather than outside. Excessive draft and strong wind disastrous for them.

First ripe berries

Planting seeds in prepared soil

Many people are interested in how to grow strawberries on the balcony from seeds.

When you have made your choice planting material and bought the soil, you can proceed directly to planting. To do this, you need to mix the seeds with pre-disinfected sand (it is enough to calcine it in the oven). Seeds can also be stratified if desired. This is done as follows: a few days before planting, place the seed material in the refrigerator for three days. In this case, it is necessary to maintain a stable temperature, but no more than three and no less than five degrees Celsius below zero. The soil should not be dry before planting. We plant the grains shallowly, only lightly dusting them with soil on top. To protect the crop, it is better to cover the planting plastic film or any other material that retains moisture inside.

It is better to cover the strawberries with film

A mini-greenhouse is also ideal for such purposes.

Planting bushes in a permanent place

Abundant fruiting can be achieved only if the sprouts receive all the necessary nutrients from the ground. This means that the seedlings need to be transplanted into containers where there will be enough space for the development of the root system. As a rule, this is a box with a volume of at least three liters. When planting several bushes in one flowerpot, you need to take into account that the distance between them should be at least fifteen centimeters. Pay attention to the selection of containers for planting plants.

The seeds have sprouted

Firstly, the volume of such a pot must correspond to the variety that you have chosen. Secondly, drainage must be ensured. To do this, the bottom of the vessel must have holes so that it does not stagnate. excess moisture. It is very important not to forget to line the bottom of the pot with pebbles or gravel. This will help excess water to freely leave the container when watering.

Place it on the drainage layer fertile soil. It is worth noting that the soil for planting must be warm. This will help the plant adapt and promote the development of the root system.

When picking sprouts of remontant strawberries, it is not recommended to shake off soil from the roots, since even minor damage can lead to the death of the bush. If replanting with a lump of earth did not work out, it is worth trimming the root system a little before planting. When exposed to air, the ends of the roots begin to die. You need to have sharp garden shears on hand. It is also advisable to try not to damage the root collar when transplanting, and make sure that it does not end up underground.

Proper care of seedlings

Before flowering, plants need close attention and careful care. This is the key to future harvests.

Ripe strawberries

If the volume of the flowerpot is insufficient and the loggia is poorly ventilated, the development and growth of seedlings slows down. Therefore, it is worth regularly spraying the bushes with special fertilizers. This measure is also good as a preventive measure. Thus, the plant additionally receives the minerals and nutrients necessary for strengthening from the outside. It is worth adding that such actions are carried out no more than once a week.

Constantly appearing mustaches need to be removed promptly and systematically. With this action you help the bush to form correctly. All the energy of the plant will go into the ovary and leaves, and not into the growth of the mustache.

Here are a few useful tips for abundant fruiting:

1. To speed up the rooting process of strawberries, the inflorescences that appear first should be destroyed. As soon as garden culture new leaves will appear in sufficient quantity, subsequent flowers do not need to be touched anymore.
2. The process of ovary and fruiting can be accelerated if foliar spraying is carried out regularly with growth stimulants. You also need to feed the bushes with organic and mineral fertilizers. However, you should strictly follow the instructions for use. Otherwise, you can achieve the opposite effect, or even kill the plant.
3. For correct formation The ovary and root system of remontant strawberries need fertilizing with iron ions. You don't have to purchase it to do this. special drugs. It will be more effective to immerse the pieces in the soil with the plant. rusty metal. During the oxidation process, all the necessary elements will immediately enter the soil.
4. Strawberries can be pollinated by hand. Any small soft brush or just a piece of cotton wool will do for this.

Caring for plants in the cold season

The main advantage of remontant strawberries is that they are not an annual crop. Consequently, like all perennials, it will delight you with its flowering and harvest for many years. This means that you need to take care of creating a suitable habitat for the plant to overwinter.

It is better for garden crops to survive the winter in a cool place. Ideal option there will be a well-insulated and glazed balcony. At this time, strawberries are in extreme demand moderate watering. Feeding should be temporarily stopped. The air should not be below zero degrees Celsius, this must be monitored.

In mid-October, all leaves and inflorescences should be removed from the plant. If desired, you can divide the bushes and replant. Trim the roots and treat them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

With the onset of spring, strawberries will once again delight you with fresh sprouts, lush flowering and abundant foliage. If all the above conditions are met, then by the end of spring you can harvest the first harvest.

As you can see, the technology for growing remontant strawberries at home on the balcony is quite simple. You should not experience any particular difficulties in choosing the variety that is suitable specifically for your balcony, and in the subsequent care of the crop. This activity will bring a lot of pleasure to everyone in the household.

Strawberries on the balcony are a very real idea. Grow berries in the city, having available small balcony, anyone can do it. The strawberry itself is an unpretentious plant. If you follow simple rules and strictly follow technological recommendations, you will soon have strawberries on your balcony all year round! Start small - a couple of plant bushes are quite suitable for trying your hand at it. Be sure to take bushes different varieties- this way you can quickly determine which berries you like.

Strawberries on the balcony: varieties

Strawberries come in three types:

1. Ripens in spring.
2. Ripens twice: in spring and autumn.
3. Fruits are available from early spring and until late autumn (remontant varieties).

Is it possible to grow strawberries on the balcony and get a harvest all year round? Of course! If you choose remontant varieties, insulate the balcony and provide decent care to the plant, you can enjoy fresh berries all year round! Another advantage of these varieties is that fruiting begins in the first year after planting, while some other varieties will bear fruit only after a year.

Experts advise paying attention to remontant strawberries of the Queen Elizabeth variety, since the berries are large and there are quite a lot of them. In addition, this variety throws out mustaches, which is favorable for fruiting. Another variety, “Bolero,” although it does not produce a mustache, bears fruit well in “balcony conditions” from May to November.

If it will be difficult for you to harvest all year round, choose early ones or, conversely, late varieties. For example, “Festivalnaya”, “Roxana”, “Beauty of Zagorya”, “Rusanka”, “Desnyanka”, “Ekaterina the Second” are very good and unpretentious varieties that even a beginner in gardening can handle.

You need to purchase strawberry seedlings only at specialized points of sale and only after mandatory consultation with the seller! You shouldn’t buy strawberries at the market secondhand - you might end up buying something that’s not what you want.

Strawberries on the balcony: what kind of soil and pot volume is needed

You can use any container as a pot for strawberry seedlings: either specialized boxes, or plastic containers, or plastic pots. Or you can even take plastic bags. Experts say that bags are the most suitable material for cultivation, since such conditions are close to natural. Take bags with a diameter of 20 cm and a length of 200 cm. In this case, the film thickness should be 0.3 mm. Do not “scatter” the bags too thickly - no more than three bags per 1 sq. m.

The soil in which you will grow strawberry seedlings is very important, since these berries require loamy soil. It is quite possible to make such a mixture yourself - you need to mix earth - black soil, peat, humus, sawdust and sand in a ratio of 10:10:10:3:1.

1. Peat. A substrate that holds water well. It is advisable to mix clean peat with ash.
2. Humus. An excellent product that adds soil fertility. Humus is obtained from organic decomposition.
3. Sawdust. They loosen the soil well. Before use, sawdust must be soaked in urea (for 10 kg of sawdust - a liter of water and 2 tablespoons of urea) and left for several hours. Then add a glass of chalk and mix everything thoroughly.
4. Sand. Choose sand that does not contain clay. Coarse-grained is best.

By mixing all the ingredients described above, you will get excellent soil that is suitable for growing strawberries.

Sprinkle the earthen mixture into the containers that you have prepared for the seedlings and fill with this useful solution: mullein (1 tbsp.), copper sulfate (0.5 tsp.), water (3 l.).

Now you have definitely done everything to ensure that your strawberries grow in the best conditions!

How to plant strawberries on the balcony

1. Strawberry seedlings need to be planted late spring or early autumn.
2. Strawberry seedlings can be purchased or grown from seeds. The second method is more time-consuming, but economical in material terms.
3. Seedlings should not be planted very deeply so as not to disturb the growth of new leaves. At the same time, make sure that the roots are not exposed, otherwise they may dry out.
4. When planting seedlings, sprinkle the rhizome with soil so that both leaves and buds are on the surface. In this case, there must be at least five leaves.
5. Experts advise: for better rooting, plants need to be treated with heteroauxin. The preparation is prepared as follows: dissolve 1 tablet of heteroauxin in five liters of water. After planting, it is necessary to water the seedling.
6. The surface of the soil in the pot must be mulched.
7. Make sure the soil is moist and does not dry out.

   You should not plant seedlings in the same soil where plants (flowers or vegetable crops- doesn't matter).

8. Strawberry seedlings are very capricious (until they begin to grow): they can begin to get sick in poor soil, so the plants need fresh soil.

Strawberries on the balcony: growing

1. In order to get a harvest, you need to make a lot of effort and create conditions suitable for this. This includes: lighting, heat, watering, fertilizers, etc.
2. The distance between strawberry bushes should be at least 20 cm.
3. One seedling must have at least three liters of substrate.
4. After covering the seedlings with soil, provide them with complete rest until they take root.
5. Lighting for strawberries should be at least 14 hours, so it is advisable to set additional source light (optional - lamp daylight) or reflectors.
6. You will need to pollinate the strawberries yourself. Every morning opposite flowering plants You will need to install a fan to help pollinate the flowers.
7. Watch out for water: strawberries love moisture. Not damp, but moderate humidity. It is desirable to have uniform, constant watering.
8. Strawberries need to be fed with fertilizers twice a month.

How to grow strawberries on the balcony: vertical method

1. Plastic bags can be placed on the balcony vertically hung on beams or hooks.
2. Strawberry seedlings will occupy the entire volume of the bag, which means the harvest will be larger, there will be no rotting, and the balcony will be decorated with interesting designs.
3. Growing strawberries in this way is practically no different from the one described above - the bags are simply not placed horizontally, but drainage is laid out at the bottom.

This method will allow you to plant many more plants!

Strawberries on the balcony: care

1. A rooted plant sprouts “mustaches.” They will also take root, after which the strawberries will be able to encircle the entire area in which they grow. That is why the “whiskers” must be removed - plucked off. In this case, the seedlings will not be engaged in rooting, but in “throwing out” flowers from which berries will form.
2. It is for this purpose that it is also necessary to tear off the first flower stalks - the seedlings, having lost the first flowers, will begin to reproduce new ones with redoubled force.
3. Fertilizers must be applied at least once every two weeks, then the frequency must be reduced. It is best to feed plants with minerals.
4. Strawberries should be sprayed with regular spray two to three times a week. clean water– this will help form large and beautiful berries correct shape.

Strawberries on the balcony. Photo

Strawberry season is coming soon - happy summer residents They will carry the ripe berries home in buckets. What can city residents do - look with envy at their neighbor’s harvest or buy crumpled berries at the store? There is always a way out - you can grow it on your balcony or windowsill. I take one berry, look at another, and the third is just being poured. Of course, the harvest will be small, but it will be your own, environmentally friendly.

The agricultural technology of growing crops in open ground and in a residential building is strikingly different - this article contains all the nuances home grown strawberries

Strawberries at home: choosing a place

First you need to figure out where you plan to grow strawberries. You can cultivate berry bushes in ordinary flower pots, based on the calculation: for 1 bush - 3 liters of soil mixture. Pots should be placed on a well-lit windowsill; east and west windows are ideal.

It is allowed to grow strawberry bushes in balcony boxes. In this case, the distance between plants should be at least 15-18 cm, and deep boxes should be purchased. If the balcony is oriented to the north side, you should refuse to grow cultivated strawberries - the plants cannot develop harmoniously without sunlight. It will not be possible to get a harvest on a windswept loggia - strawberries do not tolerate drafts.

Excellent results are observed when planting strawberries in hanging pots - this way you can save balcony space by using it for growing flowers or miniature vegetables.

Multi-tiered floor vases- here is another option for growing berries on the balcony, but such a structure can only be installed on spacious balcony- after all, when caring for plants, you need to approach the flowerpot from all sides.

You can try growing strawberries in plastic pipes, which are installed vertically or hung horizontally. When the pipes are arranged horizontally, the structure takes up little space, especially when hanging near a wall.

Learn more about some ways to grow strawberries in the room and on the balcony.

Growing strawberries in pots and boxes

You can plant strawberry bushes in separate pots, because the room is warm, the sunlight becomes more intense, under such conditions there is an opportunity for normal development berry bushes.

The pot should be made of ceramic or plastic; broken shards, expanded clay or pieces of foam should be placed on the bottom - drainage is necessary to drain excess irrigation water. The volume of the pot is at least 3 liters per plant, but pots that are too large cannot be used - the root system will not be able to quickly weave around the earthen ball. When watering, the soil will take a long time to dry out, which can cause the development of fungal diseases.

You can buy soil for planting at a flower shop, or you can make it yourself using the following recipes:

1. Mix humus, sand and leaf soil in a ratio of 5:2:3.
2. Prepare soil mixture for planting berry bushes from peat, sand and humus, .

Before using any soil substrate, it must be disinfected by steaming at high temperature.

The bushes are planted in a pot so that the living heart rises somewhat above the surface of the soil. Water the plants carefully, trying not to get water on the young leaves.

When growing strawberries in balcony boxes, you should start this procedure no earlier than mid-April - after all, frosts can occur on the balcony (especially an open one).

Boxes are picked from high walls so that the strawberry root system can develop freely. You cannot plant many bushes in short boxes; the ideal distance between the centers of planted plants is 15-18 cm.

The bottom of the box should be drilled in several places if it does not have factory drainage holes. A drainage layer is laid at the bottom, then the box is filled with prepared soil, the plants are planted and watered.

Growing strawberries in hanging pots and horizontal pipes

It is best to plant cascading varieties of strawberries in hanging flower pots. To hang pots with plants, you should immediately provide reliable fastenings, because the weight of the pot with soil and berry bushes will be quite significant. Otherwise, the procedure is carried out in the same way as when planting bushes in pots.

Plastic pipes are quite convenient - the balcony does not become cluttered, because the entire structure is suspended near the walls.

The technology for making a container from pipes is simple - holes are cut along the horizontal part for planting bushes, they can be individual or one common one. The side parts are closed with plugs. Several holes are made at the bottom for water drainage. The pipe is filled with soil, and drainage must be laid down. The structure is hung from the wall and strawberry bushes are planted.

Also, do not forget that you can purchase hanging pockets and phytomodules for planting strawberries on the balcony. This is an ultra-convenient design that is inexpensive and saves a lot of space.

Varieties for balcony growing

When choosing strawberry varieties for growing on a balcony or windowsill, it is worth remembering the timing of the crop’s fruiting. In total, there are three types of strawberries, which bear fruit at a certain time:

1. Varieties that produce one harvest in midsummer.
2. Varieties that bear fruit twice a season, in spring and autumn.
3. Remontant varieties, these strawberries bear fruit all the time.

To get a harvest throughout the summer, you should opt for varieties of remontant strawberries, among which there are many hanging varieties (ideal for growing in hanging baskets).

Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth 2, Albion, Alexandria, Baron Solemacher, Ampelnaya and other varieties.

Caring for strawberries and strawberries

Containers and pots dry out quickly, especially on hot summer days, so it is necessary to set the watering regime to 2 times a week. In extreme heat, watering is carried out as needed.

Bushes develop better when the roots are supplied with oxygen - the soil in the pots should be loosened periodically, being careful not to damage the roots. It is best to schedule this operation once a week.

This will help the plants not to waste energy on the harvest, but to become even stronger.

Whiskers are removed only if the balcony has insufficient lighting. If the sun's rays caress young bushes from morning to mid-day or from lunch to evening, the mustache can be left. Flowers develop on the tendrils, which turn into selected fragrant berries. One bush can support no more than 3-4 mustaches.

Particular attention should be paid to pollination of strawberry flowers - without this operation, done with a regular watercolor brush, the harvest may not appear, because insects have access to closed balconies difficult. Carry out cross-pollination, transferring pollen from one flower to another with a brush - this is the key to a rich harvest.

Top dressing

The first feeding of strawberry bushes is carried out in the phase of appearance of the fifth true leaf, using special fertilizers for strawberries. At the beginning of summer you can fertilize nitrogen fertilizers, payment terms are set once every 15 days. In mid-summer, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are used.

Stop feeding in the first ten days of September.

Wintering

Unglazed balconies cannot protect strawberries in containers from frost. The boxes are completely covered with sawdust and insulation materials, and sometimes the pots are placed in a polystyrene box.

Storing pots with plants on the balcony cannot guarantee the safety of the root system in very coldy, so it’s best to take the plants to the garage or cellar and leave them there for winter storage at temperatures from -2◦C to +2◦C.

Disposal

Plants can grow well in container culture and bear fruit for up to 3 years; after this period, the bushes are replaced with new ones and the old ones are destroyed.

“There are special varieties for indoor growing, but there is one for open ground” - this is a fundamentally incorrect statement. All strawberries are the same and they are not divided into any special groups. But, like all plants, it can be capricious in terms of conditions, pollination, temperature, and diseases. One requires only a ventilated room (for pollination), a lot of space for the root system, organic fertilizers, while the other grows anywhere and anyhow, but only produces less yield. It is much easier to grow plants that pollinate themselves. Let's look at varieties with the most suitable ratio of unpretentiousness to living conditions and yield.

1. Supreme. This is a remontant variety (which produces several harvests per year and bears fruit constantly). It can be safely called the No. 1 berry for indoor growing. It also grows in open ground, but has many advantages for planting on balconies. Firstly, Supreme pollinates itself, so all the difficulties that arise with fertilization indoor plants, are missing here. The second reason why it is suitable for the room is its high yield throughout the year. You can enjoy berries even in autumn and winter, the main thing is to ensure the temperature is not lower than 14 degrees, and bountiful harvest provided for you. Up to 2 kg from a bush can be collected without problems.
2. Queen Elizabeth 2. This variety of remontant berry is known to every gardener and gardener, as it produces record yields in open ground. Its only disadvantage (or advantage, depending on which side you look at) is its large root system. In a pot, the yield is much smaller, but if you place it in a 50-liter container, you will be satisfied with the number of berries on the bush - up to 4-5 kg ​​per season. It bears fruit constantly. Requires a lot of fertilizers, in particular phosphorus and nitrogen for stem development. The fruits are large, 3-4 times larger Supprima, but in terms of sweetness they are inferior to it - they have sourness.
3. Homemade delicacy. It cannot be said that the variety is the most successful; in many ways it is inferior to its competitors when grown in open ground, but it is perfectly suitable for a windowsill. Cross pollination It is produced quite easily with the help of wind or insects, the root system is very compact, a 3-liter container is enough for 1 bush, even with a reserve. The berries are small, of course, but they bear fruit abundantly, You can collect up to 25-30 ripe berries at a time.
4. Kama. Used by many gardeners for planting in open ground, but also good for a balcony. If you provide it with a lot of light and warmth, it will delight you with a harvest, and more than once a year. It can bear fruit even in winter, which is unusual for many types of strawberries. The berries are the same in size as Elizabeth, only have a dark, even very dark color. The berry is very good for making jam, it lasts a long time and is easily transported.
5. Sarian. One of the best “indoor” varieties that is not afraid of cold, diseases, and drought-resistant. Its only disadvantage is its low yield, since it is almost impossible to get more than 2 kg per bush over the entire season, even in open ground. The berry is very sweet and large in size.

You can plant absolutely all varieties of strawberries on the balcony, even those that were previously grown only in open ground, but you will have a lot of problems caring for them. If you plant conditionally indoor berries, they will grow almost on their own, but you won’t get a big harvest from them.

Preparing the soil and planting seedlings

The first thing you need to take care of when you decide to grow such exotic plants for your room is quality soil. Simply adding fertile soil will do very little. You will need to do the following:

1. Install drainage. With its help you can eliminate excess water from the vessel that will contain the soil for the plant. To do this, you need to take a container and drill several holes in it through which water will seep into the plate. It is important that at the bottom of the vessel there is crushed stone, gravel, round stones or other objects with a diameter of at least 20 mm. They are poured to the very bottom.
2. Make fertile soil. To do this you will need: 1 hour of peat, 1 part of sand, 3 parts of black soil, 1 part of fertilizer (mullein) and loam. Mix all this and pour it on top of the drainage layer.
3. Fertilize with active elements that will act immediately. In order for the bush to take root well, it needs to be given a quick start. To do this, you can use any growth stimulants. This is only the first 2 weeks, then you can not use stimulants and get by with neutral fertilizer so that the stems do not grow too large.
4. Find a convenient location in a bright and warm place so that the plant can carry out photosynthesis and form organic substances throughout the day.

Seedlings are planted only in pre-prepared soil, mainly in warm soil, so that the roots take root better. Before doing this, you need to trim the roots a little, as they begin to die from the tips while they are in the air. Cutting off 3-4 centimeters will be enough. This must be done with a sharp pruner or knife.

When planting in a pot, it is necessary to thoroughly fluff up all the soil, even that which is out of reach of the root system, so that the roots can grow freely to the sides. After planting, fill with water and place in a ventilated place with a temperature of at least 20 degrees, then the temperature can be reduced to 14 degrees.

Aftercare of bushes

Growing strawberries on the balcony requires special care, especially before the bush begins to bloom. In a small container and with low room ventilation, the bushes will grow very slowly, so it is necessary to use periodic foliar feeding. Any will do universal remedy, it will be enough to dilute 10 g of stimulant in 10 liters of water and periodically spray the leaves (doing this every 6-7 days is not recommended more often). By this action you compensate for the lack of space for the development of the root system and the possible lack of necessary elements in the soil.

Particular attention should be paid to the antennae, or rather their removal. They take a lot of energy from strawberries. The sooner you remove them, the more energy the bush will have to form berries.. You need to start plucking 2-3 weeks after planting, so be careful. Some varieties, for example Queen Elizabeth 2, form many flowers, of which only half are left. On the balcony it will be very difficult to cope with such a load of berries and it is better to take them in quality rather than quantity. The fewer you leave, the larger the berries will be.

In order to make it convenient to collect strawberries, as well as to care for the bushes later, it would be best to place a pot located in hanging planter, into a large flat vessel, similar to a plate. The fact is that when ripe, the berries will hang down very much. If there is a lot of fertilizer and the fruits are large, they may break the branches and fall off. This requires a structure that will support the crop that emerges from the pot. Varieties that have very small fruits, don’t have such problems - you just leave them hanging and collect them later.

If the strawberries are on the windowsill and not in hanging pots, then you can leave everything as it is - the fruits will go down to the windowsill and lie on it until ripe.

Pollination

The hardest part is pollinating the flowers. As you know, strawberries, in most cases, are a dioecious plant, but even if there are monoecious ones, conditions are necessary for high-quality fertilization. Often it is wind or water. Let's look at the most popular methods of fertilizing flowers.

1. Wind. During flowering, pollen is released, which must fall on the queen of the flower. Thus, pollen enters the generative organs and fruit set begins. Is there any wind on the balcony? This is not a problem, we will do it. The simplest option: open the side and front windows to create a kind of draft - this should be quite enough. The only negative is that it cannot be done in winter time and at temperatures below 15 degrees, as the color may simply fall off. That's why we make a warm wind. We take the fan out onto the balcony, turn it on to the minimum speed and leave it until the strawberries bloom. If you're lucky, it's a few days. If the color is constant and the berries are formed continuously, then we take out the fan every 2 days for 4-5 hours.
2. Water. To do this, you need a good sprayer that can be used to constantly irrigate the plants. But the method is not always effective, since it will, on the contrary, wash away some color. It is best to irrigate at the beginning of flowering when the pollen is very close.
3. Insects. It is very poorly suited for a balcony, but you can still try it. It is especially good if you live on the first floors. You just need to open the windows and wait for bees, flies, bumblebees and other insects to run around the flowers. When growing strawberries outside, on large areas, from 1 hectare, often a beehive is installed for more efficient pollination. Of course, this is not suitable for a balcony, and the neighbors will not be too happy when they go out onto the balcony to get some air.
4. Manual method. A little labor intensive, but most effective. You need to take a special brush, slightly moisten it and move it over all the flowers. On a pollinated flower, you can tear off the outermost leaf so that after an hour you won’t get lost as to which flower remains unpollinated. Thus, in a couple of hours you can easily fertilize up to two dozen bushes. Of course, this is not the most easy option, but if you want to grow strawberries all year round in indoors, then it's worth the effort.

If pollination is carried out on time, this guarantees big harvest, but it is worth noting that not all flowers bloom at the same time, they have up to 10 or more stages, so it is better to combine fertilization methods.

Methods of planting on balconies

Over the years, gardeners have developed a variety of ways to place strawberries indoors to save as much space as possible. Let's look at the most common methods.

1. Hanging pot. Using rope and hooks, you hook the pot to the rim and tie it to the ceiling. Just 3 ropes are enough for good stability. You can make holes in a plastic container with a hot nail. Thus, the fastening will be much more reliable than in the case of hooks. The advantage of this method is that the containers can be placed one above the other, saving a lot of space.
2. Whatnot. A large pot is placed, then a cylinder insert and a smaller vessel is placed on it. There are usually up to five such tiers. In the largest trough you can place 5-6 plants in a circle, in medium vessels 3-4, and the smallest pot can accommodate 1 bush.
3. Solid rectangular. A container is placed on the entire windowsill in which up to 10 bushes are planted; the same can be done on the floor. The only problem is that it will be very inconvenient to pick the berries and pull out the tendrils, since after 3-4 weeks you won’t be able to find anything there. You can plant fewer bushes, but then effective area will be walking.

In conclusion, we can summarize that strawberries are a plant that is suitable for growing in any conditions, regardless of its type. With proper care, you can even grow remontant varieties at home, and in terms of productivity they will be in no way inferior to those that were planted in open ground and had a lot of fertilizers. At correct landing, watering, care and pollination, you will get an excellent harvest that will be the envy of all your neighbors!

But also strawberries. At first it may seem that this is a finicky plant that is difficult to grow on the balcony, but this is not so. If you plant and care for strawberries correctly, you can pick strawberries all year round on your own balcony!

Strawberry varieties for growing on the balcony

In principle, you can grow any variety of strawberries on your balcony. But for growing on the balcony, remontant strawberries are more often used - they bear fruit throughout the growing season and the harvest appears immediately. But strawberries of other varieties can bear fruit either twice a year - in spring and autumn, or once - in spring.

In addition, such varieties often do not bear fruit in the first year, often only after the first wintering. And here remontant strawberry can bear fruit even in winter if you move it indoors and provide it with sufficient lighting.

The best variety is “Queen Elizabeth”. Strawberries of this variety produce large fruits and large quantities, especially in the second year. This variety produces mustaches.

But the “Bolero” variety does not produce them, but bears fruit from May to November - this is also a good option for strawberries on the balcony.

Fruit of the “Bolero” variety

You need to buy seedlings and seeds in specialized stores; also be sure to consult with specialists in order to have wonderful harvest and don’t spend all your time and energy caring for strawberries.

Fruit of the Queen Elizabeth variety

Selection of pots

If you decide to grow strawberries on the balcony, then you need to start by choosing containers. They must meet the following requirements:

• One plant requires a container of three liters (it needs a lot of space to grow).
• If you plan to place several seedlings in one large capacity, then its volume should be about 15 liters for 3-4 plants.
• Strawberry seedlings should be placed at a distance of at least 20 centimeters from each other, so large containers should be chosen with an elongated shape.
• There must be holes at the bottom of the pot to drain excess liquid.
• It is best to use to save space vertical structures(for example, shelves) or hanging containers, since they can be placed one above the other, while elongated pots take up a lot of space, and there can be no more than 10 seedlings in it. You can place such elongated pots on top of each other - this is also acceptable option.

Design for growing strawberries on the balcony

Planting strawberries

The next stage is choosing a planting method. There are two options: purchase strawberry sprouts already or grow them yourself from seeds. The second option will take more time and effort, but is less expensive in a material sense. But the first option is very convenient, but costs more.

If you want to grow strawberries yourself from seeds, then you need to do this sometime in May, so that by April you already have sprouts ready for transplanting into the soil. You can plant ready-made strawberry sprouts either in late spring (late April and May) or early autumn (September).

The main requirement for a balcony is good daylight(the sun should be on the balcony at least 6 hours a day).

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Here are some basic requirements for planting strawberries:

• the seedling must be placed not too deep (then new leaves will not grow), and not too on the surface (the rhizome will dry out);
• when planting, the seedling must already have at least 5 leaves;
• for better rooting, experts advise treating seedlings with heteroauxin (dilute one tablet of heteroauxin in five liters of water and pour this solution over the seedlings);
• it is necessary to mulch the soil with the onset of hot weather (mulching means covering the soil with special artificial materials or natural ones such as sawdust and straw, this allows you to preserve moisture in the soil and prevent overheating and drying out of the soil);
• the soil should be fresh and no other plants should grow in it;
• The soil itself can be prepared as follows: mix neutralized high-moor peat and vermicompost in a 1 to 1 ratio.

Strawberry care

The main thing is to make sure that the soil is moist, but there is no water in the pan. There should be just enough moisture so as not to dry out the plant or flood it.

Twice a month, strawberries need to be fertilized, preferably with minerals. Further, as the plants take root and grow, you can fertilize less frequently.

Strawberries should be sprayed with plain water two or three times a week; this will refresh the leaves of the plant and allow the strawberry fruits to acquire the correct beautiful shape.

As soon as “antennae” appear, they need to be removed. Otherwise, they will fill the entire space, which will not allow each seedling to take root well. You can also pick off the first (only the first!) flowers that appear - then the seedlings will begin to produce twice as many of them.

A– Removal of antennae.
B– Cutting height of old leaves.

With the onset of winter, strawberries need to be removed from the containers and placed in the soil and watered thoroughly, and then the soil around the plants must be compacted.

There is also an additional measure - shelter. After the soil has completely frozen, it must be covered with sawdust. During the thaw period, it will be necessary to ensure the soil is ventilated to avoid heating.

Pros of growing strawberries on the balcony

Undoubtedly, the first plus is that the plant will always be in your field of vision. You won’t need to go anywhere to water and look at the condition of the strawberries. Thus, you can always notice in time any deterioration in the development of the plant.

In addition, you can grow strawberries on the balcony all year round (if, of course, the balcony is glazed and insulated).

It is also convenient that the harvest will arrive on your table in the freshest form.

There is only one small disadvantage of growing strawberries at home - restrictions on planting them. Of course, the balcony area is unlikely to allow you to plant as many strawberries as. You can read how to make glazing with extension to increase space.