On Monday I picked the first two homegrown strawberries of the year. The one on the right is from a plant I picked up last year from the Silverlake Farmers' Market, and the one on the left is from a plant I got last weekend at OSH.
I always have a hard time deciding exactly when to pick my strawberries. I want them to get as dark red and ripe as possible, but if I wait too long they get mushy or--worse--eaten by birds. Happily, I chose a good time to pick these two because they were both firm, sweet and delicious.
With my two new OSH-purchased plants, I now have four strawberry plants growing in pots in the backyard. I'm not sure I'll ever get a substantial harvest of fruit, but they should keep providing us little treats for the next few months. Before last year, I never would have thought strawberry plants were so easy to grow.
Turns out, they're pretty simple and low-maintenance. Plus, since strawberries are perennials, the same plants provide fruit year after year. If you've never grown them before, you really should. Just plant them in a wide pot with soil and compost, put the plants in a sunny (but not too sunny) spot and water frequently. Wait a few weeks and enjoy some sweet berries straight from the plant.
oh those make my mouth water. we have not planted strawberries since we left kansas. this post has made me want them again -- badly.