Ripe, ripe, strawberry ripe

(A touch of Wimbledon, without the price)

If ever a fruit had "eat me" written all over it, it must surely be the strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa).

Our love affair for the taste of this small soft fruit has been happening for centuries and shows no sign of abating. But the taste of a home grown strawberry, picked warm, when perfectly ripe is a world away from the chilled mass produced pap available to us on any given day of the year in supermarkets. Strawberries are one of those food items we now take for granted. They are one of the easiest fruits to grow, and good way introducing children to the joys of growing your own. 

Ours live in the borders of a small fruit cage, easy to pick and importantly protected from blackbirds who devour any united fruits (cherries are another of their favourites). 

You can buy young plants, either bare root in the autumn and spring, or in pots later on in the year. Then it's just a case of planting them out, watering them in and waiting. 

You won't get an abundance of fruit in the first year as the plants are still establishing. But like all good things, it's worth the wait. White daisy like flowers appear in spring followed by the fruits. 

Strawberries reproduce by runners; the parent plant sends out little plantlets that root into the soil, producing the new - and free - plants. You can help this process along by pegging the runners down with staples made from wire, thus encouraging rooting. Once rooted in the autumn, these can be cut from the parent plant. 

(Peeking out from their hiding place)

Strawberries can suffer from viruses, so it's best to replace your plants every three or four years (just use the runners). 

If you have the ground (and foresight) you can establish a new bed using runners, so that by the time the parent plants have become unproductive, the new bed is up and running. Strawberries even do well in hanging baskets and large pots, you can even buy special terracotta strawberry pots. 

There are many varieties to choose from: 'Cambridge Favourite' is a reliable, heavy cropper. 'Aromel' has excellent flavour and 'Albion' is a new introduction that is said to be a good choice. 

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