Updated 13/06/2025
Growing strawberries in strawberry pots is a productive and aesthetically pleasing way of growing. It’s really easy to plant up a strawberry pot, and you can get great results with little effort. Strawberry pots are terracotta containers with a series of holes around the outside. These are like little windows through which each individual strawberry plant can grow. This way, you can have lots of plants in just one container.
Container growing
The advantage of planting in a strawberry pot is that you it doesn’t take up much space in your garden. Grow them on a patio, or if you don’t have a garden you can put the pot on a balcony. Plus, it produces an abundance of fruit!
Strawberries are beautiful plants because you get more than just the fruit – it has lovely foliage and flowers too.
Because a strawberry pot can hold so many plants, you can grow a range of varieties that flower and fruit at different times. Use early, mid and late strawberries and you’ll be picking and eating your own fruit almost constantly!
All you need is a strawberry pot, compost, crocks or gravel and strawberry plants and you’re ready to go.
Here are the steps from when I planted a strawberry pot in my greenhouse.
STEP 1
First, line the pot with crocks or gravel to stop the drainage hole getting blocked with compost.
Any container needs good drainage to prevent the soil and roots from getting waterlogged.
Step 2
Now add in compost until it reaches just below the first window in the side of the pot.
Step 3
Put your strawberry plants on top of the compost and push the foliage through the hole.
Step 4
Fill any other holes on that level and cover with compost until you reach the next level. Repeat the process until all the holes have been filled.
Fill the rest of the pot with compost until there is about an inch between the soil surface and the lip of the pot.
This gives you a bit of extra space for watering without washing compost over the edge.
Step 5
Now plant a few strawberries in the top of the container. Eight plants around the outside and three in the top should give you plenty of fruit.
A top tip is to create a hole in the middle of a coffee filter and feed the plant through it, so when the plants are in position in the sides of the pot, the coffee filter will stop the soil from falling out but the material will still allow air to circulate and water to be absorbed and retained.
Top Tip
Pay special attention to your plants during late summer months and you hopefully will find young baby plants dangling from the ‘mother’ plant by long thin stems. These baby plants are known as ‘runners’ and are a great way of making new strawberry plants. Simply fill a small pot with compost, place the young plant in the pot, water and within a few weeks the plant should have rooted into the pot at which point you can cut the long stem from it and the mother plant to give you a new plant!
Water in well and put in a sunny position and you’ll soon be reaping the benefits! Growing strawberries in terracotta pots is a productive and aesthetically pleasing way of growing.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1 – What is a strawberry pot and why should I use one?
A strawberry pot is a tall terracotta container with pockets or holes around the sides, ideal for growing multiple strawberry plants in one space. It’s perfect for patios, balconies, or smaller gardens. You’ll enjoy compact, vertical growing with a continuous fruit harvest.
2 – Can I plant different strawberry varieties in one strawberry pot?
Yes! One of the joys of using a strawberry pot is growing early, mid, and late-season varieties together. This gives you a longer harvest period and ensures that you’re picking fresh fruit from spring into early autumn.
3 – What compost should I use in a strawberry pot?
Use a high-quality, peat-free multipurpose compost. Strawberries like rich, well-drained soil. Add a few handfuls of horticultural grit or perlite to improve drainage, and line the bottom with crocks or gravel to stop the drainage hole from blocking.
4 – Where should I position my strawberry pot?
Strawberries thrive in full sun. Place your pot in a sunny, sheltered spot such as a south-facing patio, balcony, or greenhouse bench. This ensures the plants get at least 6–8 hours of light daily for the best yields.
5 – Do I need to feed strawberry plants in containers?
Yes—potted strawberries benefit from feeding. Once flowering begins, use a high-potash liquid fertiliser every 10–14 days to encourage lots of blooms and fruit. Tomato feed works well and supports fruiting without encouraging too much leafy growth.
David Domoney is a Chartered Horticulturalist, Broadcaster, and Author. David has worked with a number of the UK’s leading garden retailers as a plant buyer and strategic consultant. With more than 30 years experience, in horticulture, David is as passionate about plants now as he was when he bought his first plant at a village fete.
I have never heard of planting in straight compost. Do you use straight compost without cutting it with garden soil because strawberries are heavy feeders? Thank you for posting these detailed instructions.
Hi JoAnn, I’d always recommend using multi-purpose compost rather than garden soil in pots because of the high nutrient level. Strawberries aren’t especially hungry plants and would thrive in garden soil as long as they were planted in the ground. Pots have limited soil capacity and plants in containers need all the nutrients they can get.
Thank you so much for this question JoAnne and the answer David. There is always something new to learn! It’s these small adjustments that make such a difference!
Hi.. i tried to plant in a strawberry pot but the problem is the soil keep spilling over from the side window.. any idea to hold the soil? Or do i need to use only specific type of soil?
Hi, thank you for your message! The trick with planting a strawberry pot is to put the soil in up to the lowest side hole, then put the plant in and poke foliage through the side hole. This will plug the hole and stop the soil from coming out the side. Hope this helps!
Just for anyone else reading this, another way to keep the soil inside, is to place the plant thru a hole in a coffee filter (like the skirting of a Christmas tree), so the plant is thru the middle of the coffee filter, and the coffee filter is then spread out around the plant/plant roots, and the coffee filter is larger than the plant & roots (and usually the hole) and will help to keep the soil from falling out, while allowing air circulation & water to pass through…just an option..also they (coffee filters) work great at the bottom of your pots to allow water to pass thru but not soil…*smiles*
Perfectly explained❗️❤️
This was very helpful! Thank you!
Can I plant in the top…..maybe a lavender plant?
Hi Clare, thanks for your question. There are certain plants that do well being planted alongside strawberries. You could try the common bean as it has been known to help repel bacteria. As for lavender, it favours an alkaline soil compared to the acidity of soil used for strawberries so I wouldn’t recommend it. Hope this helps!
Terrific, concise presentation with illustrations! Thank you!
I am so excited to try this! I have been growing portulaca in my big strawberry pots which always looks so festive and pretty, but I started to wonder if they really were designed for strawberries. Your presentation is clear and simple – even for a novice! Thank you!
Brilliant. Easy when you know how. Thank you
when do i start feeding my strawberry plants? is when a flower appears? and can I use tomorite tomato feed ? how often? thanks
deb, you shouldn’t use tomorite tomato feed on strawberries because strawberries are not tomatoes. you’re welcome.