Hi, all....

Up here in the cold midwest it's actually springlike!  We had highs in the 60s today, so needless to say I am eagerly planning my garden.  I would like to grow strawberries, but in an "alternative" or "creative" way.  Last year (I've since moved) I had a HUGE strawberry patch that was weedy and VERY work intensive, and the most I ever got was a palmful of berries.  This year, I'd like to try growing berries in some type of hanging grow bag, strawberry tower, or other creative way to keep them from taking up a lot of space.  I have a VERY small yard now and will be "containering" as much as possible.

If anyone has any strawberry growing plans, things I can make myself, containers I can repurpose, etc, I would LOVE to hear them.  Go ahead and add in your frugal, space-saving ideas for other garden items, too.

 Thanks!

You can get those strawberry jars to grow them in. They are pottery.

I've never done this, but I've seen it done where you make a raised bed and border it with logs or something that looks natural, then build tiers within that so you wind up with sort of a pyramid, then plant strawberries rather closely on each level. I just have a handful of strawberry plants and last year they did exceptionally well for the first time. I don't know why so I can't tell you, though! 

our strawberries are in raised beds .  they did really great last year  but the wild strawberries up on the mountian did great .  hopefully we will get a good batch this year ... 

Another option I've seen (and my mom is planning to do this year) is to grow them in a kiddie wading pool filled with dirt. It apparently helps keep the weeds down to a  minimum and is also helpful for keeping the bunnies out. (Not so sure about that aspect, considering how determined the rabbits are around here, but it may help a bit.) 

I second the suggestion of the pyramid style strawberry planter.

I met a woman last year who had one with a base of 6 ft. sq. and the next level was 4 ft. sq with a top level of 2 ft. sq.

She said it was easy to water and maintain the plants (runners were easy to deal with) and that the picking was very nice because you didn't have to bend over for it all.

lene:

Another option I've seen (and my mom is planning to do this year) is to grow them in a kiddie wading pool filled with dirt.

This is exactly what I do.

I actually use kiddy pools for all my garden.    Our soil is extremely rocky and clay, so I purchased 3 kiddy pools.

Make sure that you drill holes into the bottom for drainage.

mom4,

What did she use to retain the raised beds?Also, how deep were the layers?