My strawberry plants aren't fruiting (or flowering)

[WellTidy]

I planted six of them in a massive terracotta pot. They get quite a lot of sun, and there is a net over them to protect them from the birds. There is a layer of straw too.

They did fruit; I think we had maybe 15 in total, a month or so back. Now they have produced runners, and have lots of very healthy looking leaves, but no strawberries.

I've tried watering regularly, also tried not watering much at all. It seems to make no difference.

Any advice please?

I think some strawberry varieties crop once in June and that's it. Do you think this is the type you have?

They won't fruit again this year. The runners are forming plants for next year. If you want to keep them I would stand a soil-filled pot of the same size next to the one with your current plants in and peg the runners into it using little hoops of wire. Then when they have rooted you can cut the stem off.

I didnt know this! I think they were supposed to fruit well into July, but we havent had any fruit for a few weeks. Quite an expensive 15 strawberries then. The pot is the largest and tallest I have, and it would be a huge faff to position a separate pot lifted up next to each of the 5 plants to peg the runners. Do you think I could dig up each plant and put them (with the runners) into their own separate pot please?

Strawberries usually don't crop brilliantly in their first year. Next year should be much better. Putting the plants in a separate pot would only work if you are not concerned about keeping the daughter plants.

Chop off the runners if you don't want them. Otherwise the plant will put energy into growing them. Give them a good feed in the spring and I'm sure you'll have a fresh crop of strawberries to enjoy. If you do have a variety name I'm sure someone would be able to give you a bit more advice on cropping.

That would be much easier Unremarkable, I will do that. The variety is Elsanta. I bought them as that's what they serve at Wimbledon apparently!

I had a shit harvest this year and have heard others say the same. Cold spring etc...Incidentally they're putting on lots of lovely growth now!!!

Can I ask how I care for my strawberries now they have finished fruiting to make them loast until next year? I cant put them undercover. Will the frost kill them?

Ours hasn't stopped. It's the first year we've had it and it has produced over 20 strawberries maybe 2/3 at a time. Got another 10 to ripen at the minute. I bought it as a whim as DS was desperate to have a strawberry plant.

I've got a different plant problem. My tomatoes in greenhouse aren't ripening. Three varieties, lots of green toms, but stubbornly refusing to turn red. Should I be bothered? Will they turn eventually?

Machinebee - my tomatoes have taken an age to go red, but are finally doing it. I am not the most patient person, so I found it a bit frustrating!

Ok. I need to be a more patient gardener. My broccoli are doing lovely mind.

@acurlywurly they will be fine over winter. I pit some well rotted manure round mine in autumn, then feed with a general plant food in spring.

I am wondering if the nets have stopped the bees pollinating the strawberries? Do they need insect pollination? My strawberries gave a pretty good yield this year but we put the nets on once the fruit started to form.

Machine our green house tomatoes are just beginning to ripen. We did start them later, due to new greenhouse, but there's load of fruit. Once one went red the others caught on!

Gosh, our strawberries finished weeks ago.
They only fruit once a year.

Also, once they get "old" (> 3 yrs) they stop fruiting. You need some kind of system for getting rid of the old ones. I would definitely keep the runners in new pots, they will give you more fruit next yr.

Yay! Enjoyed my first tomato! Others are turning red now. No doubt I'll be up to my ears in them soon.

Now if those bell peppers would just hurry up and turn red, I'll be a very happy bunny.