How to Grow Strawberries

Enjoy the classic summer desert of home grown strawberries and cream

Zoë Poulsen
6 min readJan 21, 2023
Photo by Anastasia Zhenina on Unsplash

After a short trip to visit family in the UK, I am back in South Africa and the summer berry season is in full swing in the Cape. A beautiful bowl of sweet summer strawberries and cream is the perfect summer dessert and truly one of my favourites at this time of year.

The most satisfying of strawberries are ones that you have grown yourself. It is true that you need some space to grow a big crop that continues to yield through the season, but the effort is very much worthwhile.

From tiny to large

Photo by Theo Eilertsen Photography on Unsplash

The tinest of strawberries that you can grow are the alpine strawberries. Although they are smaller than most modern garden strawberry varieties, they truly pack a punch in terms of flavour.

They are great for growing in odd corners of the garden for suppressing weeds and will make themselves at home in cracks between paving slabs.

However, the fruit are so small that you would need a vast crop for uses such as making jam or baking. If this is one of your motivations for growing your own…

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Zoë Poulsen

Botanist, freelance writer and conservationist based in Cape Town at the heart of South Africa’s Cape Floristic Region. https://www.capetownbotanist.com