How to Grow Strawberries in a Bucket

The strawberry plant's shallow root system makes it an ideal container plant. Although there are strawberry pots commercially available, gardeners can use buckets to grow the plants as well. You will find buckets suitable for growing strawberries at the large home improvement centers -- or recycle buckets you already own. Buckets 5-gallon or larger are suitable for growing strawberries. Wait until temperatures are at least 50 degrees F to plant.

Drill
Bucket
Planting mix
Fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Drill drainage holes in the bottom of the bucket, and then place it in a sunny area in the garden.
- 2
  Combine equal parts of sand and potting soil. Fill the bucket 2/3 of the way to the rim with the planting mix. Create hills for each strawberry plant. Space the hills 6 to 8 inches apart and high enough so that when you place the crown on top of the hill, the roots will hang over the side and barely brush the soil.
- 3
  Finish filling the bucket with soil until the hills are covered and the strawberry plant's crown sits at the surface of the soil. Do not cover it with soil.
- 4
  Water the strawberry plants until water runs from the bottom of the bucket. Don't water again until the top 2 inches of soil is dry.
- 5
  Fertilize the strawberry plants with a 12-12-12 fertilizer, at the rate listed on the package for container plants. Fertilize right before they flower and then again after harvest. Water as you normally do after fertilizing.

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