Getting started
Choose a sunny, well drained area for your strawberries.
Plant 5 strawberries for every person in the family, this should ensure you have enough berries for all to enjoy.
Strawberries can be planted alongside flowers, herbs and vegetables in the garden or in pots and grow bags as they do not need much room to grow.

Planting
Prepare the soil in the garden by digging it over with a fork or trowel to the depth of 30cm.
Next make mounds for the strawberries to be planted on. This improves drainage and prevents the spread of disease.
Dig a hole twice the size and depth as the rootball of the plant. Half fill the hole with Tui Strawberry Mix. Place plant in the centre and fill in with Tui Strawberry Mix. Pat gently and water well.
Tui Strawberry Mix is specially formulated with essential nutrients to ensure strawberries have the best possible start. The initial fertiliser encourages fast establishment and healthy plant growth after transplanting, while the slow release fertiliser sustains that growth and the added potassium promotes fruit and flower development.

Maintenance
The main pest your strawberry plants will face is birds. Protect your crop from being eaten before you get the chance by covering the crop with netting.
Apply Saturaid to soil surrounding plants; this will draw water to the roots where it is needed most.
Protect your plant's delicate roots and the surrounding soil by mulching and soil conditioning the natural way with Tui Pea Straw Pelletised Mulch. Made from 100% organic products, this product helps suppress weeds and keeps fruit off soil.
Water regularly throughout the growing season.

Fertiliser
Get the best out of your strawberry plants by fertilising regularly with Tui Strawberry Food. The high potassium and iron content encourage more and better tasting fruit!
Side dress with 75g (1/3 cup) per metre of row every four weeks until fruit are ripe.
Water in well.

Harvest
To ensure you get a good crop of berries each year the first season’s runners should be removed so that the plant’s energies go into producing fruit rather than foliage. The second seasons plants can be left to form runners that are removed and re-planted for the next season’s fruiting.
Harvest once berries are bright red and look ripe, as they tend not to ripen once picked. Remove any blemishes with a soft cloth. Avoid washing with water as it can bruise the delicate fruits. Serve at room temperature; cold berries straight from the fridge have less flavour.