- 1). Line the laundry basket with screen to keep the soil in and still let the excess water out. With some narrow-weave wicker or plastic baskets, you can skip this step.
- 2). Fill the laundry basket two-thirds full with potting soil. Use a well-draining commercial mix. Mix a balanced 10-10-10 or 14-14-14 fertilizer into the potting soil before planting. Check the package label to determine how much to use.
- 3). Form the soil into mounds spaced 6 to 8 inches apart. Bring the mounds up to 1 to 2 inches below the top of the laundry basket.
- 4). Spread out the roots on a strawberry plant and place the plant over one of the mounds. Add enough soil to hold it upright. Continue planting and filling in until all the strawberry plants are placed properly.
- 5). Add additional potting soil until it comes up to the crown area. The crown is where the strawberry plant is divided into roots and stems. Ensure you bring the soil right up to, but not above, the crown area.
- 6). Water the newly planted strawberries until water starts to drain out of the holes in the side of the laundry basket, and place it in a sunny spot on a patio, deck or porch.
- 7). Check the soil by sticking your index finger into the top half inch. When it feels dry, soak the laundry basket with water. In cool weather, this might be as little as once a week -- but in hot, dry weather, you might need to water up to twice a day to keep the strawberry plants from drying out.
- 8). Start harvesting strawberries as they ripen naturally on the plants, usually about three months after planting. Clip the stem right above each fruit with a pair of clippers.
- 9). Cut runners as they form. Strawberries self propagate by sending above-ground runners along the soil. These form new plants. Cut them off the parent plant to direct more energy into making strawberries rather than new plants.
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