Growing Strawberries in Pots, Planters, & Containers

How to Choose the Right Strawberry Pot

There are many guides (including this one) that will claim that strawberries need pots of a certain size and depth in order to survive. The dirty little truth of strawberry gardening is this: with the right care, strawberry plants can thrive in almost any container! You're really only limited by your imagination. I've grown strawberry plants successfully in tiny 4" terracotta pots on a windowsill and in a large in-ground beds with 1,500 plants.

The trick is to figure out what "the right care" means for your strawberry plants. At the end of the day, what strawberries really need to thrive is good sunlight and damp (not wet) nutrient-rich acidic soil. Regardless of your pot size, it is up to you, the grower, to ensure that the needs of your strawberry plants are met. For example, small strawberry pots may be aesthetically pleasing, but they will require you to water and fertilize your strawberry plants more frequently. Large pots allow for better plant spacing, soil health, and moisture retention, but they can also have issues with drainage and soil-borne disease. Here are a few things to consider when choosing a pot for your strawberry plants:

Container Size:
Up to a point, there is a correlation between plant size and container size. Strawberry plants grown in small pots will have smaller root systems than those grown in larger pots. Now, that doesn't mean strawberries grown in mega pots will grow into mega plants. If space were not an issue, gardeners give strawberries about 10-18" inches of space between plants and about 8-12"inches of soil depth. With that in mind, look for a container that's no smaller than 4" inches in diameter and 6" inches deep.
Drainage:
Strawberries have relatively shallow roots which aren't the best at growing through hard, rocky, clay-like soil. Even the best potting soil can become a clumpy wet mess without adequate drainage. Look for a pot with drainage holes, one made out of a porous material (such as terracotta), or a container that you can add drainage holes to. Consider adding a mesh cover (wire mesh or cheesecloth) over the drainage holes to prevent soil loss from frequent watering.
Container Material:
There are a few things to consider about the type of pot you select for your strawberry plants. First, some planters and pots are more porous than others. Terracotta pots, for example, are porous and result in faster moisture loss than plastic or ceramic pots. Secondly, different colors and materials retain heat better than others. For example, black plastic pots and stainless steel planters heat up quickly in direct sunlight. On the other hand, ceramic, stone, and terracotta pots remain cooler longer. Choose a material and color for your strawberry pots that works best for your growing conditions.
Overwintering:
A well cared for strawberry plant will continue to produce good harvests for up to four years. However, they will need protection from extreme heat and frost. For mild climates, this could mean adding a heavy layer of mulch onto the plants during the winter months. For more extreme climates, strawberry plants must either be grown as annuals or need to be brought indoors for protection. Consider this overwintering process when selecting a container as heavier containers may be too difficult to move.

Popular Strawberry Planters

Hanging Strawberry Pot:
Hanging strawberry planters are a popular choice for porch, balcony, and vertical gardeners. As strawberries mature, the ripe berries hang down from the mother plant for easy harvesting. Strawberries can be grown in almost any hanging planter with adequate drainage. Be sure to hang your strawberries in a sunny location that you can easily reach for routine maintenance.
Strawberry Window Box:
A sunny window box is the ideal indoor or outdoor container location for strawberries. Growing strawberries on a windowsill is simple; just find a long, narrow planter that fits snugly on a windowsill and plant your berries as normal. It is also a good idea to add a layer of mulch in window box beds to prevent rapid moisture loss. Window boxes behind glass windows may need to be watered as often as daily during sunny periods.
Strawberry Flower Pots:
Strawberry plants can be grown individually in small flower pots with a little extra effort. Small pots require high-quality soil, frequent fertilizing, and good water management. Start with an organic potting soil blend, keep a berry food fertilizer on hand, and consider installing an automatic waterer in each flower pot to ensure that your strawberry plants never dry out.
Vertical Strawberry Planters:
In addition to hanging strawberry planters, strawberries can be grown vertically in other ways as well. Some of the most creative vertical strawberry planters I've ever seen were made of recycled materials such as pallets, crates, PVC pipes, and concrete blocks.
Raised Garden Beds:
A raised garden bed is a fantastic location for a perennial strawberry patch. Large raised beds allow for bigger strawberry root systems, bigger plants, and bigger patch sizes. Junebearers can be planted in large raised bed patches and allowed to propagate in the additional space. If you have the space, consider planting your strawberries in a raised garden bed.