Raise your own plants-
If you decide to raise your own plants, simply sink a 3-in pot of good growing compost into the ground by the parent plant where the plantlet on the runner cab be bent down. Hold the runner in place with a stone or ‘hairpin’ of galvanized wire and pinch out the tip of the runner to prevent further growth. At the end of July the new plant can be separated from its parent and a week or two later lifted and replanted.
As soon as picking is finished, cut all the old leaves off with shears and deal with any weeds. In early autumn rake in ½ oz. Per. Sq. yd. each of sulphate of ammonia and sulphate of potash and put down a mulch of well-rotted farm or stable manure or garden compost (about 5 lb. Per sq. yd).
Care of strawberries-
Weeds must be kept down in the strawberry bed but any hoeing must be very shallow to avoid root damage: It is better to use paraquat/diquat weed killer whenever possible, being very careful not to let it touch the leaves of the strawberry plants. When the berries begin to swell take steps to prevent soil-splashes spoiling them. There are three ways, the traditional one being to spread a little clean straw over the soil and beneath the fruit trusses. Alternatively buy proprietary strawberry mats and lay one of these round each plant, or put down black polythene tucking it into the soil or weighting it down with stones to prevent the wind getting beneath it. Never put straw or other mulches down too early as they may increase the risk of frost damage to open flowers.
Quite early in the season summer fruiting strawberries start trying to propagate their kind by producing runners, cord like growths on which tiny plants develop. These should always be cut off as soon as seen unless you wish to raise new plants. Unless you are very sure that your strawberries are quite free from virus disease infection (to which they are extremely prone) it is wiser to leave propagation to the experts and buy new plants as required. It is never advisable to keep a strawberry bed for more than three seasons.
Your strawberry choice-
Summer-fruiting varieties- Cambridge vigour (first early); very early in maiden year, thereafter mid-season. Good for cloching in first year. Good flavour. Cambridge rival (first- early): good for cloching. Erect foliage suits wet land. Good flavour. Cambridge favourite (second-early): good for cloching. Very very cropper. Little flavour. Gorella ( second-early): very heavy cropper. Very heavy cropper. Berries large but uneven shape.