Strawberries

[DontOpenDeadInside]

I took a cutting from someone's strawberry plant (with permission) and planted it in my garden, unfortunately I put it in a shady spot and it didn't grow. So mid last year I put it in it's own container and it's flourished in greenery, but no flowers and I'm panicking it's not going to produce any fruit. What do you think? Is it past it's sell by?

It looks very healthy. Give it time. Mine (in the south) are only just starting with a single flower. Patience, and maybe some comfrey/nettle fertiliser would be good. If you use standard fertiliser you will get more leaves and no flowers.

I've got tomato feed, will that do? In the Northeast so maybe i just need a bit patience. Thanks.

if these are normal summer fruiting plants, don't fertilize them in the spring, wait until after they've fruited.

Mine have only just started flowering/budding, yours might just take a little longer.

Mine look similar, there are buds just coming if you look under the leaves, but nowhere near flowering yet.

I'm in the north east too and I think our gardens up here are a bit behind the rest of England, I've got no flowers yet rather and don't expect any for at least 2-3 more weeks. Your plants look nice and heslthy, I usually use a bit of tomato feed when I remember.

Ooo I'm happy, I've just noticed a few flowers starting to bud. Can't wait :)
I've noticed a few small aphids on them, should I spray with water/washing up liquid? I remember my mam doing this with roses, but not sure if it's ok with strawberries.

I read somewhere you are not meant to let them fruit in the first year. Which seems impossibly restrained!!

You can let them flower and fruit if you want to, but if you pull off all the flowers in the first year, you’ll have a better harvest the second year. We didn’t bother doing that as we decided we wanted fruit that year and to make more plants so didn’t get rid of the runners either. This year I’m leaving all the flowers to bloom and cutting all the runners off.

OP, yes spray them, aphids can spread diseases to strawberry plants.