Grow 10 pots of strawberries on the balcony, and you'll have more fruit than you can eat

Many gardening enthusiasts like to grow a few plants on their balcony, but quite a few are torn about what to grow. Today I'd like to recommend a fruit that is very easy to care for, and it's both ornamental and gives you fresh fruit to eat. Why not give it a try!

The fruit we're talking about growing in a pot is the strawberry. Strawberries are rich in nutritional value and are known as the queen of fruits. They are packed with various vitamins, folic acid, iron, calcium and other nutrients. Eating strawberries regularly can help protect eyesight, ease night blindness, and also aid digestion and prevent constipation.

Having said so much about the benefits of strawberries, let's now talk about how to grow them. The best time to plant strawberries is in spring and autumn. For the container, choose a breathable ceramic pot with drainage holes, and the potting soil is best a fertile, well-draining nutrient soil.

Strawberries need plenty of water and light, and are best kept on a south-facing balcony. However, be careful not to let water accumulate, as waterlogging easily causes the stems below the leaves to rot.

1. Sowing seeds

First prepare a flower pot and nutrient soil. I generally use three parts peat moss plus one part each of perlite and vermiculite, mixed together. Of course, we can also use garden soil, but it's best to mix it with nutrient soil and river sand to ensure breathability and nutrition. Once prepared, sprinkle water to keep the potting soil moist.

Then you can poke a few small holes in the soil, put the strawberry seeds inside, keeping the plant spacing at about 15 cm, then cover the holes. Don't press down too much soil, and don't use too much force. After that, seal the pot with plastic wrap. It's best to spray water once a day, and after spraying, cover the plastic wrap again. Once the seeds germinate, the plastic wrap is no longer needed; just keep the soil moist.

2. Seedlings

Propagating from seed is relatively more difficult and takes a longer cycle. From seed germination to fruiting probably takes about three or four months, so we can directly buy strawberry seedlings from the market and grow them at home. Before planting the strawberry seedlings, you also need to prepare the flower pot and potting soil mentioned above.

Choose strawberry seedlings with plenty of roots and leaves that look fresh. Don't damage the strawberry roots; it's better to keep more soil around them. Before planting, trim off the withered leaves. When planting, don't bury them too deep; just bury the roots in the soil. After planting, water thoroughly, then you can water a little less afterward. At this stage the roots are not well developed, so they can't absorb much even if you water a lot.