That is awesome. When did you plant the strawberries and were they from seeds? My wife would love to do this next year. I'm in eastern pa so not too far from Ohio. Thanks

The berries came from Indiana Berry as bare-root plants. I planted them in the gutters the second week in April. We had our first berries in early June and have had almost constant picking since then. The nursery recommended these varieties (everbearing--day neutral) as best suited for a tunnel. They are really thriving, and we love not bending over to pick.....and no weeds! We pick every morning, so no berries make it to the kitchen :)

Marc, You can over winter those berries in my sunny upstate NY loft! ;) Actually, I have been thinking of designing a hanging system around a large skylight and incorporating strawberries since before we signed our lease in April, will likely use the gritty mix or a larger particle hydrotype set-up, are those everbearing organic varieties by chance? I am trying to keep my home grown edibles as organic as possible... kudos to you on the awesomely back friendly and space-saving berry barracks; feel free to flesh out the details of your design so anyone researching similar construction in the future can glean insights from your experience/problems encountered/solutions devised- what in the world is this "tunnel" you speak of? a pop-up greenhouse?

marc

can't they overwinter in the tunnel? After all - strawberries overwinter in ground ?

Hi

Since strawberries are temperate plants they require a cool/cold rest period

I grow them during winter but find some varieties will make it through summer they tend to be very unproductive the second year Since you have a definite winter you might be able to keep them where they are ?? If it doesn't get too cold of course lol Above ground like that would suspect it would be too cold?? I'd bet your local ag school would give you some advice?? ggary

Irene, your skylight plan sounds interesting. Not sure what you mean by organic varieties, though. The high tunnel is simply a large cold frame: a frame structure covered in greenhouse plastic. It extends both ends of the growing season, as it traps solar heat very well. However, as it is not heated, there is no protection from the chill of winter nights. With so little mix surrounding their roots, the berries would not survive there during our winters.

For those of you looking for more details on the gutter design, see photos below. Note the gutters ends, simply cut out of blue insulation board, glued on with Great Stuff foam. Save a lot of money instead of buying the commercial ones. The cradles are designed so that the gutters do not drip into the gutters below (they are offset). Each gutter has three 3/8" drain holes. I have 50 feet of gutter--100 plants. To make fertigation easier I set up a drip system with emitters every 6 inches. I open the valve for about 6 minutes every day or every other day. I also utilize a Dosatron injector to add fertilizer and acid to my well water at an exact ratio of 50:1. This is a fantastic tool, but I probably couldn't justify the expense if I weren't starting hundreds of native hardwoods in the tunnel each spring. It is much better than the little siphon units.

You can probably find sections of rain gutter for free. Keep it as simple as you want. It's a very rewarding project.

What a great idea! I grow mine in window boxes on the ground. I would prefer not to have to bend over to harvest and to weed.

marc

thank you for posting photos. Very good set up you have there.

Is there a chance of keeping the plants in the tunnel and just adding some insulation below and around the gutters-maybe keeping them on ground on some straw...? I don't know how hardy strawberry plants are, but they should be able to overwinter with some extra protection? (I understand that planted in so little soil is probably not enough...)

marc,

Are you still out there? How did this work out for you? How far apart would you recommend spacing the gutters? How far apart would you recommend spacing the plants?

Thanks.

Rina, Isoh...sorry for the delay in responding... haven't been here in a while. For overwintering, I put them in a cooler I built set at 35 degrees. Should be OK in there with other potted plants. But if I had kept them in the tunnel they would have needed to be nestled on the ground in a lot of straw. They are hardy in the ground, but up in the air I think they wouldn't make it here in zone 5-6.

I planted mine 6" apart in the gutters. The gutters are not far apart--maybe 8". They are slightly staggered. As long as they are facing south, they could be stacked up more closely. The system worked out great for me. The berries really thrived, and with the exception of the hottest part of the summer, they bore steadily until frost. I pruned off the runners, replanting some in trays. I also let some establish in the ground under the gutters. They look green, even now in the winter! It will be fun to see how they do--along with the re-positioned gutters--this spring. I have seen photos of giant commercial setups using this plan, so I think you will see more of it. Not one weed! No squatting to pick!

Marc

Thanks. That was helpful.

That sparks another question. The runners must be hanging in space. Can you successfully cut them from the mother plant and then root them, in that order?

Thanks

Marc

Hope you'll post photos later in spring - thank you for updating!

Rina

Isoh, yes, I cut them as they "hung" in space. I waited until the runners were more "mature" and had the beginnings of tiny roots. Then I placed them in trays where they seemed to take root very well. Can't remember if I used 5-1-1 or Pro-Mix or even my mix of pinebark/compost.

Marc

Thanks. I'm planning on trying your approach this year. (Won't get berries until next year.)

Are the gutters aluminum? Any health concern about growing food in aluminum?

The gutters are plastic--free from a contractor who was replacing gutters on a job. I don't know if there are concerns about growing in aluminum containers. No worries with plastic.

By the way, the berries are now in their third season after over-wintering successfully again in a cooler/warm room. They are blooming heavily. I'm tempted to replace half of them next year with June bearing berries as an experiment.