How to Grow Strawberry Plants on a Porch

Purchase strawberry plants at a local garden store in the spring or order them online from a reputable business. Look for certified disease-free plants in varieties that are recommended for your region.

Plant the strawberries in containers as soon as they arrive. Choose large containers with drainage holes. Fill containers 2/3 full of soil mix. Create a small mound of soil where each plant will go. Spread the roots over the mound.

Locate the crown of the plant, where the roots meet the stems. The crown must remain level with the soil line. Cover the roots with soil up to the crown line.

Water the strawberries after planting and whenever the soil begins to dry out. During the hottest part of summer, strawberries may need water daily or even twice a day. Porch-grown strawberries will dry out faster than plants in the ground. Water until it runs out the drainage holes then allow the top inch of soil to dry between waterings.

Fertilize strawberries with a water-soluble plant food diluted according to package directions.

Pick strawberries when they are fully ripe.

Watch for runners developing off the mother plant. Remove them or place these small plants onto a patch of soil in a new pot. Leave them attached to the mother plants until the roots are well established.