How to Plant Strawberries in a Topsy Turvy

By Eleanor Jewell

There are two types of strawberry plants--day-neutrals and June-bearers. June-bearer strawberries produce a crop of strawberries the season after planting. Day-neutrals, however, yield a crop within their first growing season--perfect for Topsy Turvy gardening. Topsy Turvy strawberry growing differs from traditional strawberry growing in two ways. Instead of planting the strawberries in your garden, you plant them in a windsock-shaped planter made of plasticized fabric with holes. But what makes this type of strawberry planting even more unusual, is that you grow the strawberries upside down.

Set the Topsy Turvy strawberry planter on a hard work surface. Lift off the top lid and set it to the side.

Fill the Topsy Turvy with organic potting soil. Organic potting soil is lighter and airier than ordinary potting soil, which will allow the roots of the strawberry plants plenty of room for expansion.

Remove your day-neutral strawberry plants from their nursery containers. Choose one of the holes in the Topsy Turvy and use your fingers to dig a hole large enough to accommodate the root ball of one strawberry seedling.

Set the strawberry seedling in the center of the hole. Pack the potting soil, gently around the seedling. Follow the same strawberry seedling planting process in the remaining holes of the planter.

Hang the Topsy Turvy strawberry planter from a shepherd's hook or hanger in the desired location. Dampen the soil with water from a garden hose or watering can. Allow the water to flow through the soil and out the planting holes. Keep the soil moist throughout the growing season.

Choose a hanging location that receives at least six to eight hours of full sun per day.

Pick off the ripe strawberries with your fingertips as they ripen.

Do not overwater the strawberries. Open the top of the Topsy Turvy and check the soil every three to four days. If the soil feels damp, do not add more water.

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