Strawberry fields forever? Not quite. As summer gets underway, strawberry season arrives too. Late June into July is peak season for many strawberries, but once early-summer varieties finish fruiting, the patch can soon look past its best.
Tangly runners, worn-out leaves and old straw that’s gone damp around the crowns are all normal after cropping. It doesn’t usually mean anything’s gone wrong. It’s just a sign that the patch needs a little tidy-up.
A little care now will help strawberry plants recover after cropping and give them a stronger start for next year. These are the simple jobs to tackle first.
1. Clear old straw, weeds and debris
Once the summer harvest's finished, give the area around your strawberry plants a good clean-up to let in sunlight and fresh air.
Remove any mushy, unpicked fruit, pull off yellow or spotted leaves and clear away old straw. It's best to weed by hand around beds and patio pots, so you don't scrape the shallow crowns or disturb young runners you want to keep.
Don't leave damp leaves, rotting fruit or old straw sitting around the base of the plants. This kind of crowded debris can encourage grey mould, a fungal disease that causes soft fruit to decay and covers plant tissue in a fuzzy, grey-brown growth. It can also give slugs and snails a cosy hiding place.
The RHS advises clearing away old straw after fruiting, or by autumn, because damp straw can become a breeding ground for fungal diseases, slugs and snails. Getting it out of the way keeps the patch cleaner and healthier for the rest of the growing season.
Strawberry 'British Grown Wimbledon Collection'Fragaria x ananassa
Strawberry 'British Grown Wimbledon Collection'Fragaria x ananassa
2. Remove old foliage and excess runners
Once the ground around your strawberries is clear, give the plants a gentle tidy. A light trim after harvesting helps open up the bed before winter, letting air move more freely through the leaves.
The RHS advice is simple: "Remove excess runners. Remove old foliage when fruiting is finished." There's no need to cut plants right back. Just remove tired, yellowing or damaged leaves.
If you'd like free plants for next year, let the strongest runners root into the soil or small pots, then move them to their new spot. If your patch is already full, snip off the extras to keep the bed neat and easy to manage.
Take care around the crown at the centre of each plant. When you’re mulching later in the season, leave a small gap around the base. As the RHS warns: "Mulch can cause rotting if it’s placed over the crown, so leave a slight gap around the base of your plants."
3. Know when to renew your strawberry patch
Strawberry plants don't crop well forever, so good aftercare means knowing when an old patch is past its best. A strawberry bed usually stays healthy and productive for up to four years, but replanting every three or four years helps avoid disease build-up and keeps crops strong.
You can use free plantlets to replace older plants, but choose carefully. Don't propagate from weak or sickly stock.
The RHS warns that several viruses can infect strawberries, causing poor vigour, low yields, mottled or crinkled leaves, yellow spotting, vein banding, distortion and stunting.
Only take runners from your healthiest plants. If your patch looks tired or disease-prone, it’s safer to buy fresh plants from a reputable supplier so you’re starting with clean, vigorous stock.
4. Keep feeding and watering after cropping
Just because the harvest is over doesn't mean you can ignore the plants. They still need water and nutrients to build up energy for next spring.
The RHS advises watering new plants regularly while they establish, and watering all strawberry plants during prolonged dry spells in the growing season. This is especially important for patio growers, as plants in containers and hanging baskets can dry out quickly.
For nutrition, your soil quality dictates the next step. Strawberry plants growing in decent, regularly mulched soil are unlikely to need extra feeding. However, if this summer's harvest was disappointing, the RHS recommends applying a high-potassium granular fertiliser in spring.
Plants in pots, containers or growing bags need a little more attention. Feed them fortnightly during the growing season and keep the compost evenly moist, as roots can’t take up nutrients properly in dry soil. The aim is simple: fertile, moist but well-drained soil in full sun.
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