How to Grow Strawberries in a Terracotta Strawberry Planter

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Terracotta Strawberry Planter: how to set up and use a terracotta strawberry planter and add rustic charm to your garden.

Also known as a strawberry jar, strawberry pot, terracotta strawberry planters are a standout feature in any garden. I’ve always wanted to have one but never got around to it until I spotted this abandoned pot at a council clean-up and like the rest of my garden items, saved it from landfill.

On closer inspection, I found the pot had a stamp, “Barker & Sons Pottery Sydney, EST 1948” which makes me happier that it wasn’t a cheap import and I saved it from landfill.

Why Use Terracotta Strawberry Planters

Growing strawberries in a terracotta strawberry planter has several benefits. The porous nature of terracotta allows the soil to breathe, minimises waterlogging and keeps the roots happy. They’re ideal when you’re limited on space and looking for ideas to implement vertical gardening, saving precious ground space while giving strawberries a perch away from ground crawling critters. And let’s not forget the aesthetics. Terracotta planters bring a touch of rustic charm to your garden.

What you need:

• terracotta strawberry planter
• a length of PVC pipe slightly longer than the planter
• hand saw
• scoria or broken terracotta pieces
• drill
• rock or large pebble to cover the pipe

How to Grow Strawberries in a Terracotta Strawberry Planter

Before starting, whenever I’m planting in terracotta pots, I like to soak them in a bucket of water for a good half hour before use for the water to penetrate deeply into the clay. Non-glazed terracotta is not only very porous but notorious for evaporation. However, due to the size of this pot, I didn’t have a bucket large enough. Instead I watered the pot thoroughly.

Here are the step by step instructions for planting strawberries in a terracotta planter:

1. Place the PVC pipe in the middle of the planter and measure the length. It needs to be slightly taller than the pot.

2. Using a hand saw, cut it to size and smooth the edges.

3. Using a drill, make random holes in the pipe all around leaving the top 5cm or so.

4. Cover the hole in the terracotta planter with scoria or broken terracotta pieces to prevent soil from spilling out.

5. Place the tubing in the centre of the pot and cover the opening with a rock. Start adding potting mix until you reach the first opening.

6. Next, start planting the strawberry plants by placing them on top of the soil and guiding them through the opening. Repeat these steps until you reach the top of the terracotta planter.

7. Depending on their size, you can fit 3 to 5 strawberry plants at the top around the tubing.

8. Water thoroughly through the tube and the openings and add sugar cane mulch on top.

9. Keep the tube opening covered using a rock or a large pebble to prevent anything getting inside.

Next time you need to water, you can simply place the hose on top of the PVC pipe and water thoroughly. When it’s hot, I like to water through the openings as well.

And there it is, an easy way to set up a terracotta strawberry planter which is ideal for small space gardening, be it a balcony, a paved courtyard or a feature in any garden.

Strawberries are often considered a gardener’s reward, enjoyed alone, guilt-free in the garden. In case your strawberries make it inside, you can make my strawberry and rose geranium shrub or if you prefer something with alcohol, my Strawberry Daiquiri Slushie with African Blue Basil.

Want to Know More about Strawberries?

You’ll find more information on how to grow strawberries, which varieties to try, how to pair them with food and spirits, and how to use strawberries in cocktails including a full recipe in my 260+ page digital book GROW YOUR OWN COCKTAIL GARDEN available now.