How to Grow Strawberries in Hanging Bags

Prepare the potting soil. Pour the potting soil into a large pot or bowl and add water. Mix the soil and water together with your hands, adding more as necessary until the mixture is very moist, but not dripping wet. In order to give the strawberry seedlings enough moisture to establish, it is vital that the soil be moist.

Pack the soil into the hanging bag. Stand the bag up on a table and begin scooping in the wet soil with your hands. Pack it down firmly until soil bulges out of the cuts on the front of the bag. You'll be removing some later, so it's OK to pack as much soil as possible into the bag. Leave a little extra soil on the top of the bag.

Dig out spots for your seedlings. Using your finger or a small spoon, hollow out an area for your seedlings. Do not go all the way to the back of the bag -- halfway through is sufficient.

Plant your strawberry seedlings. For this particular type of growing pattern, seedlings take off better than seeds. The seedlings should be at least 2 to 3 inches in height. Press the plants gently into the soil through the cuts in the bag. Use your fingers to press the soil around the base of the plant.

Pack loose soil around the openings in the bag. Once all of your seedlings are in the bag, gather up some of the soil you previously removed and gently pack it around the seedling's necks to hold them in place.

Plant a seedling at the top of the bag. One area often overlooked when using hanging bags for growing strawberries is the top of the bag. Place one seedling here and press it gently into the soil. Mound the soil up around the seedling once it is firmly seated. This technique, which makes the bag look more attractive when the strawberries start to grow, can increase your per-bag yield.

Water the top and the sides as necessary. One main fault of hanging bags is that the plants in the bottom often suffer. This is due primarily to watering only at the top of the bag. Gently spray water on the front side as well to ensure that your plants are getting enough water.

Harvest the berries as they ripen. Do not allow too many fruits per strawberry plant to remain on the vine as they ripen. The weight may pull the plant out of the bag. Harvest them as they start to turn red and thin the fruit out as necessary to keep the plant healthy.