Options for vertical beds for strawberries, soil composition for filling them

Lovers strawberries and garden strawberries, when growing berries, they always come up with something new to obtain a decent harvest and to improve the quality of the berries. Some cover the beds with black lutraxil and plant berry bushes in small holes in it; others cover the rows with roofing felt or other material to prevent the mustache from growing. And someone came up with the idea of ​​arranging the rows of strawberries vertically. Vertical beds for strawberries have their advantages, but they are also not without some disadvantages.

Content:

• Pros and cons of vertical strawberry beds
• Making vertical beds with your own hands in a vertically fixed plastic pipe
• Setting up a multi-tiered vertical bed for planting strawberries
• Soil for vertical beds for planting strawberries

Pros and cons of vertical strawberry beds

For those who are planning to build vertical beds, it is better to immediately warn about the disadvantages of this method of growing berries. Disadvantages of vertical beds:

• the main disadvantage is soil freezing in regions with harsh winters
• soil in containers is subject to faster drying
• additional feeding is required
• costs of purchasing materials for making beds

If these disadvantages do not frighten you, then it is worth talking about the advantages of creating a vertical berry bed. Pros of vertical beds:

• saving space in small garden plots
• minimal physical effort when cultivating the soil
• aesthetic appearance
• almost complete absence weed
• pest protection
• mobility, some designs are easy to move
• convenient to harvest
• large selection of options

To reduce the negative aspects to a minimum, you need to think about insulation in winter, arrange a watering and fertilizing system, and choose a vertical bed design with a sufficient volume of containers so that the strawberry roots can develop and allow the above-ground part to develop.

If the site is located in a region with mild winters and sufficient rainfall in the summer, then this is another plus in favor of vertical beds. We will try to consider several options that are suitable for growing a crop such as strawberries.

Making vertical beds with your own hands in a vertically fixed plastic pipe

For such a bed you need to purchase two pieces of plastic pipes of the same length. The diameter of one is small, several times smaller than the second pipe. Let's call the thin pipe a sprinkler. The role of this pipe is to supply plants with water. To do this, you need to make holes in it along its entire length using a drill. The diameter of the holes is about 0.5 cm. To prevent them from clogging soil, the pipe must be wrapped in burlap or any non-woven material. Close the lower end of the pipe hermetically to prevent water from escaping.

In a wide pipe, a plug must be installed at the lower end. Step back 10 - 15 cm from the lower end and make three rows of holes. The diameter of one is 5 - 6 cm. The arrangement of the holes is staggered. The distance between them is 15 cm. One side of the pipe remains intact. This side will be turned towards the support and secured to it.The support can be a fence or wall of any building.

You can install and secure such bed and on the cross. Now it is important to install the narrow pipe exactly in the center into the wide pipe. After this, you need to start filling the pipe with soil. First of all, a drainage layer is poured. Its height is equal to the height of the pipe up to the first row of holes.

After this, the pipe is filled with special soil, its composition will be discussed a little below. The inner tube is filled with water. The entire structure is fixed to a support. It is important to face the pipe towards sunlight. You can have one such design or install several such pipes nearby. There is an option for installing a house, when two rows of pipes are installed in such a way that the upper ends touch and the lower ends are spaced apart.

Setting up a multi-tiered vertical bed for planting strawberries

For such a bed you will need either several pieces of fairly wide plastic pipe or several wooden boxes. Plastic pipes are cut in half lengthwise. The ends of the pipes are closed with plugs. From half the pipe, a peculiar, rather deep trench is obtained.

It is advisable that the depth be at least 30 cm. Make drainage holes in the bottom side to prevent water stagnation.

Now the prepared gutters or boxes made of wood, also 30 - 35 cm deep, need to be secured in tiers. But it is important to ensure that the upper tiers do not obscure the lower ones. Here you can consider a suspended option, when containers are suspended on beams fixed to the top. For example, to construct three tiers you need three beams spaced at some distance from each other.

You can hang it on ropes or wire, choosing a certain length for each tier. The second fastening method is more suitable for wooden boxes. They are fixed on wooden posts installed at an angle. After this, a layer of drainage material is poured into the container and filled with soil. Planted in prepared containers seedlings strawberries

Multi-tiered vertical beds can be arranged using more readily available materials. Bags filled with soil from under construction and other materials are also suitable for this. It is important to correctly assess the resistance of the material for vertical beds to natural factors, because strawberries may have to be grown in these containers for three to five years. Separately, it is worth mentioning the soil in which strawberries will grow when planted vertically.

Soil for vertical beds for planting strawberries

To create vertical berry beds, you will definitely need a hydrogel. This is a special polymer substance whose granules accumulate and retain moisture. Strawberries get the opportunity to use this moisture gradually.

The second required component of soil for vertical beds is small pieces of polystyrene foam. They practically remain unchanged for many years and prevent the soil from compacting and preventing it from caking. The soil also needs to be filled with mineral and organic fertilizers, although in the future the plants will have to be fed, a nutritious dressing is important for future strawberry harvests.

When arranging vertical beds, you may have to spend money and effort at the first stage, but in the future you can get a return on an excellent harvest of berries. To keep costs to a minimum, you can arrange vertical beds in improvised devices, for example, in old furniture cabinets or using car tires.

Video about vertical beds: