Strawberries: a double pleasure

During the Summer, we had some wonderful strawberries from our hanging strawberry baskets. I should, by now, have taken them out and saved the runners for next year, but I haven't been able to find the time.

Now, the leaves are changing colour and I'm enjoying them all over again.

Season of fruitfulness...

There's nothing like growing your own. Our first garden, some 45 years ago, had a large vegetable section, about 300ft long where I grew potatoes, cabbages, leeks, runner beans (for which I won first prize at the village show) and everything else I could think of. Since moving twice and downsizing, we now only have a courtyard and flower garden and, although we don't have the time for vegetable growing, we usually manage something edible among all the flowers.

We bought our strawberry plants mail-order and when they arrived they looked almost dead, but after replanting and feeding, they're doing rather well. We have one set in a pot on the ground, but the ones I like are in a hanging basket which lets the air circulate and keeps them clean and free from mould. They're on the computerised irrigation system, so I never have to worry about watering - who's had to worry about watering with the Summer we've been having? I just feed them occasionally and sit back and wait for my fresh strawberries.