Step-by-Step to Growing Strawberries in a Hanging Basket: Enjoy Juicy Backyard Berries All Summer

A hanging planter is an excellent way to grow strawberries as the plants appreciate the sunshine and sharp drainage. Growing so high from the ground, the fruit stays clean and slug-free and, because strawberries are perennial plants, if you store the basket in a garage over winter, you’ll enjoy years of sweet berries. It's an excellent way to grow fruit in a small space.

The trick to a productive hanging basket is to choose an everbearing strawberry variety. These have been bred to produce berries all through the summer, some into fall, so you can be picking juicy strawbs as you head out onto your patio for months on end. Everbearing strawberries tend to crop most heavily in May or June with a second big flush in late summer, and a steadier rate of growth in between.

Abundant flowers make this a pretty hanging planter, too. A few new strawberry varieties have pink blooms instead of white, and some cultivars are prostrate. This means stems tend to spread along the ground rather than growing very tall, so look fabulous in a hanging basket as the berries cascade over the edges. Early spring is an excellent time to plant strawberries and the bonus of planting them in a hanging basket is that you can pop the planter into a greenhouse or sheltered frost-free spot in your garden if a harsh frost is forecast.

Here’s exactly what to do for a basket full of scrumptious strawberries.

1. Prepare Your Hanging Planter

You'll need a large hanging basket that’s 13–14 inches in diameter. Strawberries like good drainage but consistent moisture. So, if you’re using a frame basket with a coco coir liner such as this metal design from Amazon, it’s best to add a second liner to hold more moisture in the soil for juicier berries. Any strong plastic will do, and an old compost bag is perfect. Cut a circle bigger than the basket diameter, snip five or six straight lines from the perimeter towards the centre (like the spokes of a wheel) and fit this into the basket on top of the coco liner. There will be areas of overlapping plastic so it fits snugly and, though it will hold moisture in the soil, excess water will still be easily able to find its way out of the basket.

If you’re using a solid hanging basket, such as these recycled plastic planters from Amazon, you can skip this step. Do check a solid basket has got at least one drainage hole and drill some holes if not.

2. Half-Fill With Potting Soil

You can use any all-purpose potting soil but one that’s been especially formulated for container use such as this Miracle-Gro Potting Mix from Amazon will help get moisture levels right. Fill the basket half-full, being careful not to let any compost get beneath the plastic liner if you’re using one.

3. Add Your Strawberry Plants

Now add your strawberry plants. How many plants you fit in will depend on the size of the strawberry variety you choose but, for a basket of 13–14 inches, expect to use between one and four plants. Top up with more compost and firm it around the plants. Choose a sunny position to hang up your basket – your plants ideally need to have 6–8 hours of sun a day – and water well to settle the soil around the plants’ roots.

Best Strawberry Varieties For a Hanging Planter

4. Water Consistently

Keep your hanging basket watered so the compost doesn’t dry out. A hosepipe wand such as this 3-foot-long design from Amazon makes watering up high much easier. Pay attention to how much you water as the plants’ need for moisture will alter not just according to the weather but also the stage of berry production. This may mean you need to water every day during peak berry production if the weather is hot and dry.

Keeping the compost just moist but not saturated will bring the biggest berry harvest: if you see yellowing leaves, you’re likely overwatering; if you spot any crispy leaves, you’re probably under-watering.

5. Start Feeding As Soon As You See Flowers

Because you’re growing your strawberries in limited soil, it’s wise to feed your plants to fuel lots more flowers and so plenty of berries. Use a liquid tomato feed such as this Espoma Tomato Plant Food from Amazon – you can use purpose-made strawberry feed if you like, but it’s more expensive and a tomato food does the job just fine. Start feeding as soon as you spot the first flowers appearing, fertilising your basket once a fortnight until you stop picking berries.

Snip off any long, leafy ‘runner’ stems to keep the plant focused on using its energy to make fruit rather than new plants.

6. Save Your Basket For More Berries Next Year

Once your plants have finished fruiting, leave the basket hanging in place until the leaves have browned. A light frost will help the plant go into dormancy – but as the plants are very exposed in a hanging basket, bring them indoors before any really harsh weather arrives. Store your basket in a non-heated place where temperatures won’t dip much below freezing, such as a garage. The plants will be dormant (asleep) over winter so they don’t need light but check the soil once a month and water sparingly if necessary so it doesn’t dry out completely.

Most strawberry varieties live for around six years but start to become less productive after 3 years.

Happy harvesting!