Is an Earthbox overkill for strawberries and other questions

[Beau in Austin]

Hi y'all,

Long time gardener, first time Earthbox'er here. Also first time strawberry grower.

I bought five Earthboxes earlier this season, four organic and one not. All are doing really well. The boxes are filled with Fertilome and Happy Frog mix. The strawberry box is the one with conventional/not organic fertilizer, and has no added dolomite. The strawberry variety is Eversweet, and within one week of transplanting ripe berries started showing up.

But, am I using a Ferrari to go to the mail box? When I look at strawberry growing containers online they seem to mostly be shallower, stackable planters. I wonder if I should move the berries into a less sophisticated planter, add dolomite to that box, and plant something thirstier?

If I keep them in the Earthbox, should I remove the cover so the strawberry plants can have their babies more easily? Are strawberries as productive grown in potting mix as they would be in their preferred soil mix of compost and sand and soil? If not I should move them.

Thanks. I'll probably have more questions ... I sure appreciate what y'all have shared on these forums.

[Greenmtn]

Hi Beau in Austin

I'm no expert at gardening but have planted strawberries more than once in the EB while at the same time growing them in containers . One year I planted 6 to a box and results were rather marginal compared to the container ones .....which could be for any number of reasons, so I didn't try  growing them in EB for a while.

 But this year , I decided to plant 3 strawberries along side 3 garlics together in EB ---in my greenhouse --now there are so many shoots producing fruits that I kinda wished I planted more !! 

Ultimately it would depend on how much u enjoy strawberries.  Hope this helps

Btw keep the plastic cap it is mulching, without it the plants dry out quickly and can die

[gardendoc]

I'm going with the Ferrari to the mailbox analogy. I don't know how many EBs you're planning on using for strawberries, but if only one or two, besides the novelty of growing your own, for any large consumption desires I'm not sure the total harvest would be adequate.

[Beau in Austin]

Thank you both for replying.

The strawberries were planted for novelty and for the experience of eating them fresh picked, which is fantastic as it turns out. It does seem that an Earthbox is overkill for the yield, now that you've framed it so clearly, Gardendoc. The metric I'd been using was refilling the reservoir. The strawberries about once every six days. The tomatoes, twice a day and climbing. Seems like a waste of EB design to grow strawberries in them.

[Beau in Austin]

Update to this: I never got around to transplanting the strawberries out of the Earthbox. The surviving plants are thriving and sending out shoots and I'm tearing holes in the plastic cover to accommodate the new starts. If the box is loaded with plants next year, more than the recommended number, and still thriving, I'll feel better about having them in an EB.