In My Seed Box For 2023 - Strawberries

I've not tried Strawberries for a few years, and when I have tried growing them in the past the slugs, snails and squirrels get more of them than I do. 

This time I decided to buy 12 Strawberry Malling Centenary which are bred in the UK by East Malling Research, this new variety was chosen to mark the 100th anniversary of the research station in 2013 and is considered to be the British strawberry of the future! 

Bred for the supermarkets but with the aim of putting flavour back into the berry, it has a unique combination of outstanding taste, heavy yields and good shelf life. 

The fruits are very juicy, and the eating quality is consistently good with high sugar levels and an excellent strawberry flavour. 

Pomona Fruits were selling Malling Centenary Strawberries at £17.05 for 12 plants including P&P when I ordered them. 

Pomona Fruits think that Malling Centenary also has great potential as a garden variety - Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr. was certainly impressed with the flavour when he was filmed tasting the fruit for the BBC's Great British Food Revival and the variety was shortlisted for 'Plant of the Year' at the 2013 Chelsea Flower Show.

I have two of these PARKSIDE Raised Planter with Cover. Greenhouse effect thanks to its semi-transparent cover for sheltered growing. Adjustable vents for regulating temperature and humidity. Size 795mm long 394mm wide and 880mm high. 

I'm thinking of placing one either side of the Plot 1 shed door, so they are in sunlight all day.

The Malling Centenary Strawberry plants arrived yesterday, they are available for delivery mid-October to Late November as fresh dug plants, and then again in March as coldstored plants. Their season is early Summer June to early July  

I could not get to the allotment today or over the weekend, so I trimmed the roots and planted the 14 Strawberry plants into a module tray. Yep they sent me two additional plants!   

Then I watered them in and put them in the space saver greenhouse until I can get them taken to the allotment and transplanted into the two Lidl raised planters and cover with mini hoops and debris netting to keep the squirrels out. 

In My Seed Box For 2023 - Index.