Did you know there’s a trick to growing mountains of sweet, juicy strawberries that aren’t bothered by slugs or birds, and in very little space? I’ve just trialed a new method to overcome these issues and get perfect berries, and I’ll show you how you too can grow loads of succulent strawbs, even if you’re short on space…
All Power to the Tower!
Growing vertically makes it possible to grow several times as many strawberries in the same area, and by raising plants up off the ground it makes finding and picking the berries easier.
Some vertical growing solutions are quite extraordinary, towering tall and piling up the pickings to head height and beyond! Then there are the simpler, but still very productive alternatives, like stacking up progressively smaller pots and planting the gaps around the edges to create a cascade of strawberries. You can buy dedicated strawberry pots, which are pretty, but the pockets can dry out fast so you need to be very disciplined about your watering. Raised troughs, deep guttering and window boxes can open up even more possibilities for strawberry growing.
![Greenstalk vertical planter]()
This handsome Greenstalk vertical planter is perfect for growing strawberries
But I’ve opted for a tiered vertical planter by GreenStalk, because it’s super-simple to set up and includes an integral watering system that will make upkeep of the tower a lot simpler – all while turning my patio into a berry-producing powerhouse!
Tiers of Joy
My Greenstalk planter has five tiers, each of which comes with six planting pockets. That gives a total of 30 pockets – so 30 plants, and potentially hundreds of strawberries!
To fill each tier use a good quality all-purpose potting mix. Don’t be tempted to use garden soil, which won’t work in containers like this, though it can work as part of a mix for standard, single pots. Mix a tablespoon of a general-purpose, slow-release organic fertilizer (for instance blood, fish and bonemeal) into each tier too. This should help the young plants to establish quickly, with vim and vigor!
![Tiers of a Greenstalk planter before stacking]()
Each Greenstalk planter tier is designed to stack up
Planting Up a Strawberry Tower
Planting strawberries feels like peak gardening – the epitome of growing your own fresh, delicious produce! And with strawberries you never have to wait long before those first tempting berries to begin swelling and ripening.
You can start with strawberry plants sold in pots, or with bare-rooted plants. Bare-root plants always look a bit shocking when you get them but very quickly bounce back into leaf, ready to rocket away.
It’s a good idea to choose a few different varieties that fruit at slightly different times to spread out the harvests, and so you’re not putting all of your eggs in one basket. If one variety suffers from any problems, the others should still perform, so you’re always likely to get some plants that produce well.
To plant, scoop out a suitable-sized hole in the potting mix then pop in the strawberry, taking care that the crown of the plant (where the stems grow from) sits just above the surface of the potting mix. We need to get that just right: too shallow and the plant will rock about and dry out, but too deep and it could rot. Gently firm the plant into place, and water to settle it in.
Don’t stack the tiers straight away. Keeping them unstacked for the first couple of weeks means you can more evenly water them at this early stage.
![Watering into a Greenstalk planter reservoir]()
The clever reservoir on top makes watering the Greenstalk planter easy
Stacking Up Your Greenstalk Planter
A really useful addition to the Greenstalk planter is a spinner base, which enables you to rotate the tower from time to time. That’s great for getting a more equal amount of sunlight to each plant, so they grow more evenly and some aren’t left to struggle in the shade.
The kit comes with watering disks, which will help to deliver a more even distribution of water across all of the tiers, even when stacked. Pop one onto each tier, taking care that the little holes line up with the pockets.
To stack the tiers, make sure that the feet of the uppermost tier perfectly align with the tier below and then push it down to lock it into place. The tiers are designed so the pockets alternate, which should ensure each plant gets enough light.
To finish, top the tower with the reservoir. Pour water into the top and it will trickle down through the center into each of the watering disks. From there, the water will slowly seep out into the pockets. That will save so much time watering and ensure less water is wasted.
Fill the reservoir until you can see water draining out from the bottom of the tower. If your potting mix isn’t damp and plants are still establishing, you may need to water the individual pockets as well to help things get started. Then all you need to do is check on the reservoir every day or two to top it up, especially in warm weather.
![Ben with his Greenstalk planter]()
Slug-free strawberries - yay!
Caring For Your Strawberries
Strawberries love sunshine — at least six hours a day — so place your tower in the sunniest spot you can, and be sure to rotate the tower every now and then to get consistent growth and ripening. Check on the potting mix regularly to ensure it’s kept moist but not soggy.
If you’re starting with smaller, less well-developed plants, snip off the first few flowers to give the plants time to settle in and put down strong roots and leafy growth. You’ll lose a few of the earliest berries, but the plants will be much more robust, which will mean more berries later on.
In just a few weeks your plants will fully leaf out, flower, and then those delicious strawberries won’t be far behind. And the best part? No bending, no weeding, no sprawling mess, no slugs – just a compact, beautiful tower of tempting berries!
