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Protecting Strawberries during winter

#1 · 5th December 2021, 10:47 am

Hi Lee

I have strawberry plants in a trough outside. What can I do to protect them in the winter months?

Thanks Lorraine ?

#2 · 8th December 2021, 7:53 am

Hi Lorraine,

Great to hear from you.

Strawberries are a perennial plant so come back year after year. They're also super tough and here in the UK they don't usually require winterizing or protecting over winter. A lot of the 'winterizing strawberries' guides online are for the USA where certain states get long hard frosts.

Given your strawberries are in a trough they are already raised above ground level so any frost will sink first. If they were in the ground then frost can damage them but this is more in the springtime when their flowers form.

Winterizing strawberries in the UK:

My top tip is to give your strawberries a light mulch in Autumn to help give them a feed after a year of fruiting. I then leave mine uncovered for the winter unless we get -5 or a blizzard.

Then in Spring I usually use some fleece once they start to out on new growth to protect against April or May late frosts here in the UK.

Dividing Strawberries to keep them healthy:

Another tip is to divide your strawberries every 3 years. I do this by taking those little offshoots or runners that hang down and pinning them into a pot of compost. Once they have rooted sever the stem that is connected to the mother plant. This helps keep the strawberries vigorous.