Grow Your Own Delicious Strawberries – A Guide from Jesson Garden Center
There’s nothing quite like the taste of freshly picked strawberries straight from your own garden. Sweet, juicy, and full of flavour, strawberries are a rewarding and surprisingly easy fruit to grow—perfect for gardens, patios, and even small balconies around Dublin.
At Jesson Garden Center, we love helping customers get started with growing their own fruit, and strawberries are one of the best places to begin.
Types of Strawberries
Choosing the right type of strawberry plant can make all the difference to your harvest. Here are the main varieties to consider:
1. June-Bearing Strawberries
These produce one large crop per year, typically in early summer. They’re known for their excellent flavour and are ideal if you want a big harvest for jams, desserts, or freezing.
2. Everbearing Strawberries
As the name suggests, these produce fruit multiple times throughout the growing season—usually in early summer, mid-summer, and early autumn. Great for a steady supply of fresh berries.
3. Day-Neutral Strawberries
These varieties fruit continuously from late spring until the first frost, as long as temperatures remain mild. Perfect for gardeners who want a consistent harvest over several months.
4. Alpine Strawberries
Smaller but intensely flavoured, alpine strawberries are ideal for edging paths or growing in containers. They don’t produce runners, which makes them easy to manage.
Benefits of Growing Strawberries
Strawberries are not just delicious—they bring plenty of benefits to your garden and lifestyle:
Fresh, Homegrown Fruit
Enjoy unbeatable flavour and freshness compared to shop-bought strawberries.
Space-Friendly
Strawberries grow well in containers, hanging baskets, raised beds, and traditional garden plots—ideal for Dublin homes of all sizes.
Cost-Effective
Once established, strawberry plants can produce fruit year after year, making them a great long-term investment.
Family-Friendly Gardening
They’re easy to grow and fun to harvest, making them perfect for getting kids involved in the garden.
Pollinator Support
Strawberry flowers attract bees and other pollinators, helping support local biodiversity.
How to Care for Strawberry Plants
With a bit of care and attention, your strawberry plants will thrive in Dublin’s climate. Here’s how to get the best results:
1. Choose a Sunny Spot
Strawberries love sunlight. Aim for at least 6–8 hours of sun per day for the best fruit production.
2. Prepare the Soil
Plant in well-drained, fertile soil enriched with compost or organic matter. Avoid areas where water tends to sit.
3. Watering
Keep the soil consistently moist, especially during flowering and fruiting. Avoid wetting the fruit directly to reduce the risk of rot.
4. Feeding
Use a balanced fertiliser in early spring, followed by a high-potash feed during the growing season to encourage healthy fruit development.
5. Mulching
Place straw or mulch around the plants to keep fruit clean, retain moisture, and prevent weeds—this is where strawberries get their name!
6. Managing Runners
Strawberry plants produce runners (long stems that create new plants). Remove them if you want the plant to focus on fruit production, or allow a few to grow if you’d like to propagate new plants.
7. Protect from Pests
Birds love strawberries as much as we do! Use netting to protect your crop, and keep an eye out for slugs and other pests.
8. Winter Care
After the growing season, tidy up plants by removing old leaves and adding a layer of mulch to protect them through colder months.
Final Thoughts
Growing your own strawberries is one of the most satisfying gardening experiences. With just a little effort, you’ll be rewarded with delicious fruit and a garden full of life.
Visit Jesson Garden Center in Dublin to explore our range of strawberry plants, containers, and gardening essentials. Our team is always happy to help you get started—so you can enjoy the simple pleasure of homegrown strawberries all season long.
