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[Editor: The depth of Peter Parsnip's gardening knowledge has encouraged Clarissa Carrot to write in for advice to an urgent problem.]
Hi Peter, I have a problem that I hope you can help me with. I still have a great
crop of strawberries in my garden but unfortunately they are all going
mouldy before they ripen and some are even turning jet black. What is
causing this and can they be saved?
Peter replies: If you still have strawberries at this time
of the year they will be suffering horribly. The problem is the fungus
disease, grey mould or botrytis. Cause is damp, cold and the berries resting on the wet soil.
Remove the infected strawberries, cut off all the flowers to make the plants rest for the winter. This is the time of the year to re-do the strawberry bed. It is really best to put strawberries in a new bed, if possible, every two years. Tidy the bed, remove runners and possibly replant some of them if you have gaps, top dress with compost and blood and bone. Wood ash is an excellent source of potash for strawberries.
Good drainage for strawberries is a top priority. If they get water logged in winter you should probably try a raised bed. Put a mulch of pine needles or straw around all the plants to keep the new summers berries off the soil and so prevent grey mould or botrytis.
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