A strawberry tower not only looks stylish, it’s also perfect for any small balcony. This means that even strawberry lovers without a garden of their own can plant strawberries in the smallest of spaces and enjoy them during the summer months. In this DIY article you’ll learn how to build one of these towers yourself.
You need:
1 clay pot Ø 60cm
1 clay pot Ø 46cm
1 clay pot Ø 30 cm
50 l bag of humus-rich soil
10-15 strawberry seedlings
several clay fragments
A strawberry tower can be built in different ways. In this DIY article we will explain how to build a stair-shaped strawberry tower from three clay pots.
The staircase shape has many advantages: the strawberries have more space, which promotes continual growth. The sun warms the pots and the heat radiates directly onto the strawberry plants, which means that the strawberries are ready for harvesting more quickly.
Strawberry Tower Instructions
- It is important that no waterlogging occurs in the pots, so first fill the pots with broken clay. These will act as drainage and prevent too much moisture from accumulating in the pots which could ruin the plants and damage the pot.
Tip: If you like, you can also put fabric over the shards so that the soil does not mix with the drainage. This will only help to a limited extent, as the strong roots will work their way through the fabric during growth, making replanting difficult should you choose to do so.
- Fill all three pots with plenty of soil and pick the location of your strawberry tower.
- Place the second pot at the back edge of the lower pot. Don’t leave any space between the lower pot rim and the next pot — this allows you to create the shape of the stairs and will enable the sun to shine evenly on all the strawberries.
- Now place the third pot at the back of the second pot, once again, there should be no space between the pots. Now the desired decorative staircase shape should be visible.
- Finally, plant the strawberry seedlings in all three pots with enough space between them.
- Water all tiers, and you can start to look forward to enjoying your strawberries soon!
Three pots are ideal for a plentiful harvest. The more pots you use, the smaller the tiers will be and the strawberries will not have enough space to grow to their full potential.
Care
Water the strawberries regularly. The soil should always be moist, but not soaking wet. The clay pots also store moisture and help you to regulate the water balance of the strawberry tower.
Cut back the leaves a little when they grow quickly. This allows the berries to grow better and get more sunlight.
Wintering the Strawberry Tower
The self-built strawberry tower can be wintered on site without any problems. Make sure that it is protected from heavy rain and frost. To protect it efficiently from the winter cold, wrap it with coconut fibre mats and cover it with some fabric. This way you can look forward to your own strawberries the following summer and enjoy them on your own balcony.
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