The strawberry pot is a container with the capability to hold several different types of herbs, flowers, or strawberries all in one location. As an herb pot, it can be brought inside when the weather turns cold to continue supplying fresh culinary ingredients.
A strawberry pot can be a great place to plant a crop. One trick is to prepare some type of filler for the bottom of the which eliminates excess dirt and makes the pot easier to move, especially if you want the pot to be as mobile as possible. Place plastics, Styrofoam chips or broken clay pots in the container before adding the soil.
You can add a water reservoir to outdoor garden pots to eliminate water waste and ensure the plants get enough to drink. A two-quart plastic milk jug is a great place to start, but any type of plastic container with a small neck opening will work. The water container needs to be conducive to the size of strawberry pot you are using. Make sure to poke holes all over the container, including the bottom.
Discard the cap and attach a piece of garden hose that is 18″ to 24″ long. A piece of PVC pipe or other tubing will work too. The garden hose is smaller and more flexible, which allows it to be less conspicuous in the pot.
Ideally, the hose should have a female end still attached to it. If you leave a female end on the hose, you can attach your garden hose to it and fill the reservoir you have made. This is not a very big holding tank so fill it slowly, with little pressure or you may blow the top out and possibly burst the jug.
The hose should be inserted three inches into the jug, at the neck opening and secured with duct tape. It is important to make sure the opening to the jug is completely closed. This will be your watering device. Complete a test run before inserting your water jug into your plant pot. You can do this by pouring water through the hose (use a small, spouted watering can) into the jug. The purpose of the holes in the jug is to leak the water out into the pot at a slow rate that will keep the roots moist but not swimming.
Place the pieces of broken clay pot in the bottom of the strawberry pot to ensure the drain hole in the bottom isn’t covered and any excess moisture has a place to go. Place the water jug into the pot, hose attached. Now center the jug in the pot, start adding soil. As dirt is placed into each opening in the pot, gently insert the roots of the herbs into the holes of the pot from the outside. Secure them in place with dirt and then add dirt to the next level of openings. When the dirt reaches the top of the water jug, angle the hose to one side for easy access and continue with the process of adding dirt and herbs.
Planting Rosemary or chives on the very top works well or if you prefer, add a few annual flowers. To add color you can include Pansies, Nasturtiums or Johnny-Jump-Ups all of which are edible as well. When choosing herbs and where you are going to place them in the pot, pay close attention to which herbs trail, spread, are compact or invasive. Some mint plants will try to sprout from all the openings.
This kitchen herb garden fits very nicely on a deck, patio, or sunny spot in your kitchen. If you are in an area that freezes, you should bring the pot inside when the first frost approaches. These pots are not built to shield your plant roots from frost and if they are left outside, you run the risk of losing your plants.
Robin Nichols is the founder of RTN Publishing and the publisher of MyGardenAndGreenhouse.com.
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