Twrios, last year I planted 50 Albions in rain gutters in a hoop house. I began picking in a relatively short time. However, throughout the summer and into the fall, while I had regular picking the yield was rather meager. I attributed this to the everbearing day-neutral variety. Yield picked up a bit as temperatures dropped in late summer, but still no big crop like the June bearers. I overwintered my plants by moving the gutters to a cooler, and the planted survived nicely. Again, I had early picking, but only perhaps 5 or 10 berries each day. Now at the end of a hot June the crop has shut down. I expect more blossoms in the fall.

I have been experimenting with fertilizer, trying to keep the leaves green, but not over using N, which can suppress blossom production. I am not an expert, but this is what I have read. 80-100 ppm N in fertigation seems about right. Recently I have begun using a high P fertilizer, hoping for more blossoms. I also have 50 Sea Scape....same production.

Next year I may try June bearers in my gutters. Please keep us informed on your efforts.

Marc

Thanks for your comments Marc. I think I'll later be ripping these 'Albion' out, plants are big and healthy, though flower production remains very weak and skimpy. Normally, in my northern climate, newly planted runners establish themselves in their first season and really go to town in year two! I don't think I'll bother with using any fertilizer, as mentioned above, 'Jewel' is currently doing well, both flowering and fruiting and I'll also go back to growing the very reliable 'Kent'. I'll attempt to update this thread later on in the season. Again, thanks Marc :)

Twros, do you think Kent would be a good variety for my hoop house/rain gutter setup? And is it delicious? Is it the typical June bearer that has a big flush in June and that's it? Would I get any fruit the first year? I am new to strawberries, and this hoop house setup is an experiment. I don't know how long they can survive in rain gutters. I was surprised to see they survived into the second year. I wonder if your cooler climate would result in different outcomes than in my zone 5b/6a.

It's interesting that we both planted 50 Albions last year!

Thanks for any ideas and best of luck.

Marc, I doubt 'Kent' would produce much of anything in the first season, though the following year it certainly would carry a very heavy June crop and a sprinkling of berries in autumn. 'Kent' is highly rated and for good reason including flavor. Though, if I were you, I'd be more inclined to select an everbearer, maybe you'd wish to ask around to find out what variety is best suited for your particular growing set up. Similar to in ground plantings, strawberry plants come into peak production in their second and third years and afterwards the old mother plants decline and require to be replaced with new runners.

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Okay, after three years of growing 'Albion', I will be working them under. Although, the plants were robust and had flowered well throughout the spring and summer, never were we able to harvest any significant amount of fruit from the now 20 x 10 ft patch, I mean I wasn't even able to get my belly full! Possibly, this variety doesn't like the very long day length of my northern location and had only really kicked into higher gear in late summer when frost was just around the corner. I don't recall the name, though a friend had given us a few plants of another ever bearing variety that have preformed much better in comparison.