Jennie,

Though i'm relatively new to growing strawberries, i'll take a shot at some of your questions.

Yes, you can grow strawberries in containers. They actually make pots specifically for that. They are kind of tall and have holes in the sides. I've never grown strawberries in these containers, though I know many have and have had success. I planted a bed with Albion everbearing strawberries last season and i'm looking forward to our first full season of strawberries...if I can keep the birds away that is.

As far as potatoes are concerned...you can grow them in lots of containers; trash cans, bags, or you can build your own bin for them. I'm growing our potatoes in a bin for the first time this season. Google "potato bin" and you'll find loads of info. I've seen lots of whiskey (that's what you meant above right?) barrels at garden stores like lowes home depot and TLC. They shouldn't be too hard to find.

I'm looking forward to getting into canning this season also. I'm going to can as much as I can (no pun intended) of the stuff that I grow and whatever I can get through the food coop and farmers market. It's a whole other arena to explore.

Hope that helped.

-Matt

You can grow them in containers and they make containers specifically for them called strawberry jars. (You can grow them in any well-drained container though.)

Strawberries are one of those things that everyone wants to grow and which relatively few people have great success with. Strawberries are somewhat labor intensive and need close attention paid to their soil, pest problems, disease prevention, watering needs and berry theft prevention.

If grown in well-drained, rich humusy/composty soil, they can grown and bloom quite well but you mut water carefully to ensure they have enough water but not too much.

Everything and everybody loves strawberries, including pill bugs and sow bugs, birds, mice, possums, human beings walking down the sidewalk past your berry plants, etc. etc. etc. Plan for this up front and take precautions (like bird netting, screening or floating row covers) or you won't get many (or any) berries to show for your hard work because the berries will disappear before they're ripe enough for you to pick. The more rural your location, the harder you'll have to work to keep the 'varmints' from getting your berries.

One reason to grow your own strawberries is because commercially-grown non-organic strawberries are treated often (sometimes more often than once a week depending on the circumstances) with chemicals in general and with fungicides in particular. However, be advised that it is hard to prevent disease in strawberries because they are very prone to fungal diseases.

Variety selection is very, very important because strawberries bred for Michigan or for winter-growing in Florida will not do well in our summer heat and humidity, so pay careful attention to variety selection and choose only varieties recommended by OSU.

If your goal is to grow enough strawberries to feed your family so you won't have to buy any commercially-raised, please note that OSU recommends 125 strawberry plants for a family of four.

I've linked the OSU Fact Sheet on growing strawberries for you.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Strawberries in the Home Garden

Although I generally think it is safer buying from large commercial operations than from farmers markets or less-regulated sources, strawberries are something I don't like to buy in stores because of the reasons Dawn mentioned. They are too difficult for me to grow thus far, though. I let my parents do that.

I had very good luck keeping the birds out of the strawberries with stones painted red.

Just spread them around the patch the birds start to think that the red things over there are no good. You have to keep the ripe ones picked or they may catch on.

Of course my patch is not that big.

If you grow them in a pot you might try hanging a few small Christmas bulbs around the pot.