Overwintering Potted Strawberries?

Thunder Chicken

I have a strawberry pot that put off a lot of runners this summer. I planted each of the nodes of the runners in a small pot to propagate the plants. I now have about 10 potted strawberry plants, and winter is fast approaching.

I don't want to put these plants in the ground until next spring as I am having some landscaping done in the area the beds that I want to put them into will be. What is the best way to keep these plants viable over winter? I was thinking of putting the entire pots into soil or mulch and covering them with a light layer of mulch, and digging them out in the spring. Any better ideas?

First hint of wet snow is forecast for Tuesday of this week.

creeper

Hi Potato Pal
Hi was going to suggest just burying the whole pot into the garden, until I finished reading the post and realized you thought about the same solution. That is your best bet

Its done all the time around here. ..Hostas divided into smaller pots....buried ..dug up and set out for sale in the early spring.
Or a particularly pretty hanging basket that has perennials.

Doing it this way is the only way I can think of getting a perennial to overwinter. If the pot is left above ground it will not survive the freeze -thaw cycles. It needs to stay dormant

Thunder Chicken

Cool. I'll cover them up and flag them, then dig them out next season. I know through my landscaping days that they store trees like this.

I suppose I should think of something for the strawberry pot itself. It isn't big enough to overwinter well. We had a mild winter last year and so it was OK this last spring, but it looks like we're in for a harsher winter this year. I might be able to dig a ditch, put it in and backfill with mulch and leaves.

I also have to arrange for a screen for these guys when spring rolls around - had lots of plants and fruit but the critters kept beating me to them. I was thinking of building something like a tall cold frame with a hinged screen door top. That will be one of my winter projects.

creeper

I always lose one or two plants over the winter. Even in last years mild and relative snowless winter. In fact a lot of people complained they lost more stuff than usual, because of the lack of insulating snow.

sdsester

A cold frame you could open and close would be a nice project. It is too bad the critters got even to the fruit in your strawberry barrels.

I would set them out and mulch them as you have suggested. Just try to get seasoned mulch without diseases and things. Frost is your real enemy. Snow is actually a reasonably good insulator.

Strawberry plants are often sold as a little more than dried stubs in sterilized mulch, straw, etc. in mesh or plastic bags. You might try a few this way, stored in the basement. Just bring them out into the light of day as soon as you can.

Deciding what to do with container plants in winter climates is always a tough call. And with things like strawberry pots the roots get entwined and the potting soil in the pot becomes root bound after a season or two. One hates to loose productive plants though.

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Thunder Chicken

I spent a nice cool November day cutting in a new bed around a tree in the yard and generally preparing for next spring. I divided my older rhubarb and put the potted strawberries in the soil where they will go next season (like I planted them, but with the pot still on). I decided just to rake out the leaves and leave things clean so there shouldn't be any disease problems. We're getting frosts most nights now.