A basket full of
strawberries
Try growing alpine strawberries
in a hanging basket somewhere
in the shade to pick tasty
mouthfuls as you walk past
– just remember to keep well
watered.
of flavour. Regular picking will keep the crop growing. They
don’t produce runners and are perennial, so you can divide
plants in the spring and spread them round the garden.
They are very much at home lining a path or walk way.
In fact, they are only strawberry that is regularly started
from seed, and are a day neutral cultivar that makes an
excellent ground cover with headily fragrant blossoms and
very tasty red or white strawberries.
These little strawberries are delicious simply served with
cream or yoghurt, or to use as decoration on a dessert.
They freeze better than ordinary strawberries, can go
in fruit compotes with other fruit, and make delicious
tartlets. Alpine Strawberries, the only strawberries regularly started from seed-
and which also make excellent ground cover.
Country Gardener’s pick of the varieties
Asparagus Alpine Strawberries
Mary and Martha Washington – These ‘Alexandria’ fruit does not tend to be
old stand-by dioecious varieties deep scarlet colour when fully ripe.
(female or male) are rust-resistant. It is a dark red typically. This variety
While these are out-produced by the has produced the most fruits and the
modern male hybrids varieties, they highest total weight for the season.
are still tasty and reliable plants. The plants don’t runner, space the Alexandria
Jersey Giant, Jersey Prince, Jersey
plants at least 18” apart or use a
Knight – These male hybrids are rust-
very large container for maximum
and fusarium-resistant. Because they
Jersey Giant
production.
don’t seed out, you won’t have to ‘Mara des Bois’, need a couple of years
worry about seedling plants sprouting to crop well, but will produce plenty
throughout your vegetable plot and of fruit from young plants. They need
potentially spreading disease. full sun and crop in spring and in
Melissa’s Purple Asparagusis
autumn, with fruit the size of a normal
Purple Crush
distinguished by its deep burgundy
English strawberry. They’re resistant to
spears and is bred for its unusual
powdery mildew, a common problem
colour. When cooked it frequently
with many summer-fruiting varieties.
turns green and it’s often eaten raw, Regina’ is the European standard for
or very lightly blanched. commercial production and for home
Martha Washington
Connovers Colossal-this variety has
gardens. The fruit is red and the plants
received the RHS Award of Garden
are vigorous.
Merit (AGM) as it is an outstanding Pineapple Crush’ has a hint of pineapple
Regina
variety. It is open pollinated, with flavour as its name implies. The fruit
both male and female plants, slightly seem to be more yellow than some of
bigger purple tipped spears and the other yellow varieties. When the
produces a huge yield for a non fruit is ripe the seeds have a light green
hybrid variety. colour but tend to darken as they dry.
The fruit is tasty and “melts in your
mouth” when fully ripe.
Connoves Colossal
Mara des Bois
Country Gardener
13
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