Here are a few tips to help your strawberries thrive next year.

Once your strawberry plants have finished fruiting for the year there are several things you can do to help your crops for next year…

Firstly, remove the straw mulch spread below the strawberry plants to protect the fruit from soil splash and from any pests like slugs which could be hiding!

Next, remove any dead or dying leaves, this frees room for new leaf growth. If it looks like any of your plants have died completely remove them. This will help create plenty of space around the plants which make for ideal growing conditions.

Another good idea for late summer, early autumn is planting new strawberries into the beds. You could propagate from your best plants and pop in a pot of compost, then plant once rooted.

Always bear in mind strawberry plants generally only crop well during the first three to four years…Happy growing!