Contents
Today, professional farmers and amateur gardeners are increasingly using vertical beds on their farms to grow strawberries. This type of planting of this crop allows more efficient use of the area, saves time and effort in the growing process and significantly increases the yield. And the pyramid for strawberries is an original bright decoration of the entire summer cottage.
What is the essence of the design
The indisputable advantage of the vertical method of growing strawberries is space saving and high yield. Planting plants in this way, the bushes are on top of each other and do not occupy vast areas. The yield of strawberries in such structures can exceed the usual 5 times. In order for a strawberry bush to grow well and bear fruit, it needs to provide a free height of about 30 cm. With this method of cultivation, care in general is greatly simplified: removal of mustaches, watering, feeding, harvesting.
Modern vertical beds can be made in a variety of configurations: pyramids, metal or wood shelves, ovals, tire circles, pipes, plastic bottles, flower pots and much more. They can be placed both in a greenhouse and in the open air, and some craftsmen adapt such structures even on the balconies of apartment buildings.
In do-it-yourself strawberry pyramids, it is especially profitable and convenient to grow continuously fruiting varieties (remontant), since their flowering and ripening of berries occurs over a long period of time.
How to build vertical tiers
The most popular among gardeners is the pyramid. Usually it is made three- or quadrangular. The design can be done with your own hands is quite simple. For its manufacture, wood, metal or dense plastic is used. Wood is the most convenient, but everyone goes beyond their capabilities and experience with this or that material.
First of all, you need to consider which design will be the most suitable for you; make the necessary drawings; determine the exact dimensions; prepare materials for construction. For the base, it is best to take a bar about 40 mm thick. All wooden elements should be treated with an antiseptic or varnished. This will help protect the wood from moisture, fungi, pests, etc.
The blanks are fastened together with nails and glue, and for greater strength, you can use metal corners / strips and screws. This will significantly improve the strength of each tier separately, and of the entire structure as a whole. The first (fundamental) tier must be filled with previously prepared fertile soil, leaving 4–6 cm free on top so that it is possible to feed and water the plants.
Then the soil should be lightly tamped and put the next tier. The procedure is repeated until the completion of the designed structure. Please note that each floor should be 30-35 cm smaller than the previous one. The pyramid can consist of 3-9 tiers and bring up to 95 kg of strawberries per season. After completing the assembly of the structure, it can be painted or decorated in an original way so that it harmoniously fits into the landscape.
Video “Interesting ideas for garden beds”
Setting up drip irrigation
When growing any crop, it is extremely important to ensure timely proper watering, which guarantees a good harvest. Today, the most popular method of irrigating pyramids for strawberries is drip – water goes directly to the root, and the soil does not become waterlogged.
A perforated hose is required to ensure watering the strawberry pyramid. It is not necessary to buy it, it is quite possible to do it yourself, piercing small holes in an ordinary hose at a distance of about 20 cm with an awl or a gypsy needle. The hose prepared in this way must be laid with a snake between the beds and plug one end. The second is to connect to a container from which life-giving moisture will flow.
Doing drip irrigation with your own hands, you should also consider disassembling the system for wintering in order to use ready-made materials again next season.
Useful Tips
- a massive do-it-yourself strawberry pyramid should be collected at the place planned for it. Otherwise, you may encounter a transportation problem;
- to get a good harvest of strawberries, you need to fill the tiers of the pyramid with high-quality soil. For strawberries, a composition of a mixture of peat, perlite, vermiculite and coconut fiber is ideal. Also, do not forget about regular top dressing;
- think carefully about how to protect plants from frost. It is better to think about this issue before starting the construction of the pyramid, so as not to ruin all your work later.
Vertical beds have many advantages over traditional strawberry growing methods. Strawberry pyramids bring not only a magnificent harvest, but also serve as an original decoration for the entire site.
Video “Pyramid-type garden”
The video shows a simple and effective design for growing strawberries. The described type is called a pyramid.
