Nellie Kelly 'Sweetie' Strawberry

We entered end summer season now. The weather changed drastically when February came, the weather really cools down. Instead of summer, somehow felt like autumn weather. Wishing that some of the plants will bounce back. I was hoping eggplants and peppers will be able to flower and set proper fruit in the end summer season as it usually does since mid-summer they spent more energy to survive. We will just have to wait and see. Due to the heat this year, more than 90% loss of strawberry plants for us this year. This is the first year we actually loss any strawberry plants. The only variety of strawberry that survived are Nellie Kelly (the first strawberry plant we bought from Bunnings 3 years ago and provided many runners) and alpine strawberry. These are the varieties that produce well for us in our micro-climate here in Adelaide plain. I am sure in other areas, other gardeners have their own strawberry variety that does well in their garden.

Nellie Kelly strawberry growing in container at the end of December.

Last end winter transplanted some of Nellie Kelly strawberry runners in this polystyrene container. Now after mid-summer only one left in this container.

We tried growing pansy and Nellie Kelly strawberry plant together.

Pansy and strawberry flowers blooming together. Rayyan did managed to enjoy several strawberry fruits from this container before the 40 degree Celsius came. I was aiming for natural mulch after the pansy wilted and died beside the strawberry plants during summer which it did. Mulching with straw will just attract birds to uproot strawberry plants.

So far, Nellie Kelly strawberry has been the most prolific and heat-tolerent variety apart of alpine strawberry that we grow here in our small garden.

What is your favourite variety of strawberry?

Which strawberry variety does well in your garden?

Ichigo-gari (苺狩り)

Strawberry season is here now. One of the most popular pick your own strawberry farm (Ichigo-gari) in South Australia is  Beerenberg farm in Hanhdorf. We have a very nice weather today and off we went pick our own strawberry in Beerenberg farm.

The season is just starting but there is still enough for everyone to pick many big fat juicy strawberries.  Beerenberg farm grow their strawberry on the ground. In Niigata (Japan)where I usually went when I was living there, the pick your own strawberry farm were growing strawberry  hydroponically.  However, I prefer the taste of strawberry grown on the ground.

I wish I can grow rows and rows of strawberry plants too.

One of the strawberry section with new strawberry plants.

We ate many fresh big beautiful, sweet and juicy strawberries. We brought back 3 full of plastic containers back home.

We plan to visit this farm again next month. This boy can really eat so many strawberries!

Have a great weekend!

Strawberries for Ilhan

We are very lucky our strawberry plants fruit all year round. Strawberry is an extraordinary fruit because it seeds are not inside the fruit like other fruit but it is on the outside where we could see it.I sowed alpine strawberry seed last year April and it start to produce fruit in October the same year. I did not get to see  these alpine strawberry first set of fruit because I was staying with Rayyan in Hospital nearly a month due to his critical condition in need of close monitoring. Each time I tend to our alpine strawberry plant, I feel grateful enough that it provided Ilhan something to look forward to everyday searching strawberry when it was difficult for him to cope with our absence in those hard moment because he is still very young. An activity I still enjoy with Ilhan early in the morning searching for ripe strawberry when I don’t have to rush to school.

Alpine strawberry seedlings.
Alpine strawberry flower is white. I found that during cooler season the fruit is much bigger compared to warm weather even though it takes longer to ripe. Compare with other strawberry variety in our veggie patch, Ilhan like the alpine strawberry the most.
This is the first strawberry runner we ever planted in our life. It has pink flower. This strawberry plant still provide us many fruits. The taste is not very sweet, a bit sour suitable for cakes. I like this one but not Ilhan favourite.

Another different white flower strawberry variety planted in hanging basket. I cannot remember either this is tioga or red gauntlet variety.
As I am posting this, thinking of tomorrow morning - search strawberry with Ilhan.