But over in the UK, strawberries go with cream and with Wimbledon, which started last week. The Grade I Kent berries are picked the night before and arrive at 5.30am before going on sale at 10am for between £1.60 and £2, for an average of 10 berries.
Strawberries are one of the garden’s little miracles. They are the only fruit to have their seeds on the outside, they have more vitamin C than most other fruits, are low in calories and bursting with health-giving antioxidants. And they’re gorgeous.
You don’t need a lot of space to grow them. You can get a rewarding crop from even just a few plants.
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Planting
Strawberries like good-quality, well-drained soil and plenty of sunshine. It is best to renew the plants after three or four years; the older the plant, the lower the yield. Older plants also attract a wider range of pests and diseases. When buying, look out for certified virus-free stock. In their first year, plants will give a moderate crop, increasing over the next two or three years.
Try to avoid planting strawberries where potatoes or tomatoes have previously grown as there is a greater risk of disease. When planting, keep the crown of the plant level with the surrounding soil to avoid rot and disease.
Space your plants about 16-18in apart and always leave a minimum of 2ft between rows. If you can’t do this it’s worth growing them in pots or even growbags. This helps to keep them clear of slugs and snails. In smaller gardens they can be grown in raised beds.
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Feeding
During the growing season I use a liquid tomato feed from time to time to encourage the plants to set fruit. This slows the growth of leaves and also helps to bring out the full potential of the strawberry’s flavour.
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Propagation
The traditional way to propagate strawberries is to use runners from the parent plant. This is done as the crop comes to an end. You can obtain well-rooted runners by pegging down the strongest ones from your best stock plants from the end of June and into July. Make sure they have good contact with the soil.
Each plant can provide four or five runners. It’s important to let them establish before transplanting. A handy tip is to bury some 3in flowerpots in the ground, fill them with soil or good-quality compost and allow the runners to root into these so that they can be removed later without disturbing their growth. It takes up to four or six weeks for a good root system to develop. Once transplanted, it’s essential that you water the plants well.
Varieties of strawberry include:
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‘Cambridge Favourite’: This is a strong-growing strawberry, which is really ideal for light soils. The fruit is large and has a good flavour. It is a mid-season variety, the fruits being an attractive salmon-red colour. Though it is not the best-flavoured variety, it always produces a heavy crop.
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‘Elsanta’: One of the most popular varieties, the shiny red fruits have a good flavour. They are always large and firm. This variety has excellent resistance to mildew. Elsanta has superseded Cambridge Favourite with commercial growers.
‘Cambridge Late Pine’: An excellent sweet flavour and a wonderful aroma. The fruits are dark red, sweet and juicy, although the crop is not as good as some. When buying, make sure that the stock is certified disease-free.
‘Pegasus’: Noted for being disease-resistant.
It’s a heavy mid-season cropper with large shiny-red fruit producing a good flavour.
‘Symphony’: Bright orange-red fruit with excellent flavour. Noted for being vigorous with good resistance to disease, it crops well.
‘Royal Sovereign’: My favourite, but not widely available. It is very prone to disease and should not be propagated continuously as the plants become weakened by viruses which can spread. But if you’re prepared to grow it in an isolated spot or in a coldframe, you will be rewarded with exceptionally delicious strawberries.
Dermot O'Neill’s articles are archived on his website, www.dermotoneill.com