Adapted from “Vertical Gardening with Strawberries” by Al
Myers and Andy Hough
Vertical gardening greatly increases the amount of plants
you can grow in a small space. In a research project done at the Hidden Mesa Research
& Demonstration Orchard, they were able to plant 1,500 strawberries in 25
vertical tubes. This took up approximately 13.3% or less of the space that
would’ve been needed to plant them in the ground. The methods discussed here
can be scaled up or down depending on your production goals!
When growing strawberries, regardless of method, you need to
consider which type of strawberry you want. The three types considered for this
project were:
·
June Bearing: produces a major crop but
only in spring, usually in June
·
Everbearing: produces a major crop in
June and another in late summer
·
Day Neutral: produces a large flush of
fruit in June, slows production for approximately six weeks and then produces a
more consistent harvest throughout the remainder of the growing season
It’s important to know what your goals are for growing any
plant. Knowing when you want, and potentially how much fruit you want, can help
you choose which type of plant you want to grow. “Day Neutral” varieties were
planted for this project because they produce throughout most of the growing
season.
Two different methods were tried, and both have pros and
cons. PVC tubes held more plants, hold their shape, and require less potting
soil than the fabric tubes. However, the initial cost is higher if using PVC.
Also, because they hold less potting soil, the plants run out of fertilizer
much quicker. Fabric tubes cost less and can be watered through the sides if
needed. These tubs need significantly more potting soil and tended to lose
their shape as the soil settled toward the bottom.
If you want to grow strawberries in vertical tubes, the
number of plants you will be able to plant depends on the diameter and height
of the tube. A 6” diameter, 5’ tall PVC pipe was predrilled to hold up to 100
plants. Spacing for holes in the PVC pipe is 2.5” between each vertical row and
4” between holes in a row. The holes drilled in the PVC pipe were 1.5” in
diameter. In the fabric tubes, there is 4” between each vertical row and 8”
between the holes in the row. A 2” horizontal slit was cut in the fabric for
each hole. A 12” diameter, 5’ tall tube held about 72-75 plants.
 |
| Signs of insufficient nutrient levels |
You will need to provide support for your tubes regardless
of the type of tube you use. The fabric tubes used in this project were
reinforced at the top and bottom of the tubes with high-tensile fence wire then
secured to an overhead support structure with bailing wire. The PVC pipes were
also attached to the overhead support structure in a similar manner. These were
all in a greenhouse, so if you have your tubes outside in an unprotected area, support
may have to be stronger to hold up to wind.
Since potting mix is used in these tubes, they should be
treated like a house plant container. This means they should be watered
frequently and adequately. A micro-sprinkler was installed above each tube and
place on an automatic timer so water percolated down through the tube.
Fertilizing is also critical and was done on a weekly basis for the fabric
tubes because of the high volume of plants and limited soil quantity. Liquid,
foliar, or time-release fertilizers can be used and may alter the fertilizing frequency.
You will have plants that die for a variety of reasons, however strawberries
produce runners that can be used to replace plants lost. If you are growing
your strawberries in a climate-controlled environment you can keep them from
year to year if you make sure they are watered throughout the winter and don’t
freeze. There are other season-extending methods you can use to try and keep
your plants from year to year as well, like a mini hoop house or Agribon row
cover cloth to hold in heat and moisture.
Initial costs can be high when purchasing the tubes, plants,
and planting media, but once this type of system is set up, it requires a very
low amount of maintenance. Weeds will be virtually nonexistent, harvest is
easy, and since the strawberries are up off of the ground, there is less
cleaning and fungal growth on the fruit which can happen if the fruit gets wet.
To reduce costs every season, try to overwinter your plants or collect runners that
you can plant and grow during winter to plant again in the spring.
The Hidden Mesa Research & Demonstration Orchard in
Franktown, CO planted over 500 varieties of fruits and nuts, along with dozens
of types of lavender, herbs, and annual vegetables. Their goal is to explore
what food crops can be grown in the Front Range Climate and what cultural methods
can be used to overcome the extreme climate challenges here. They also provide
options for scalable agriculture, edible landscapes, gardening, and community
gardens and orchards.
To learn more about the work being done at Hidden Mesa,
please visit: https://www.douglas.co.us/government/departments/open-space/hidden-mesa-research-demonstration-orchard/
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