Sunday, 21 November 2010

Strawberries in my little garden in japan


If you visit this blog regularly, your probably know strawberries are one of my favorite plants to have, but also one of the most tricky to raise for me.

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One of the strawberry pots in my little garden in japan


After some problems with beetles and little setbacks earlier this year, I found myself replacing my strawberry plants. Luckily it all finally seems to be going ok now. The only thing is that, I ended up with so many strawberries that I don't even know what to do with them (not that I complain).

Here are the strawberries varieties I currently have on my little garden in Japan. I found the information about them in the charts at garden center and also doing a little extra reseach.

女峰 (にょほう)Nyohou
From the first replacement batch, and currently on quarantine because the others on that batch got diseased. It got a bit down for some time, but it seems like it will make it. I will get a new shoot out of it and raise that one as the main just to be sure. It is already growing new leafs, so I think it will be ok. This is the same type as my old strawberries; I didn't realize this until after I had bought it. They have a good balance between sweet and acid and they give a big yield with a nice shape and color.

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びっくりイチゴ Bikkuriichigo, 宝交早生 Houkouwase
and ひがり小町 Hikarikochou strawberry


宝交早生 (ほうこうわせ) Houkouwase
One of the most hardy of the bunch. It has a soft texture, with a bit of acid taste. It is supposed to be very easy to grow, so I hope it will thrive nicely. It also has the characteristic that it starts giving fruit early and its season last a bit longer.

びっくりイチゴ Bikkuriichigo
The name translates something like "surprising strawberry". The main characteristic of this one is its size but it is also very sweet. It can grow as big as 7 cm. I got it because it will be fun to see how big it gets, doesn't matter if I don’t get many.

アイベリー Love berry
I have tree of this kind. One is a little shoot I rescued from the first batch that got diseased; The others are from the second batch. They came in the same little pot, but I separated them to give them a better chance. It is one of the bests in terms of flavor. Very sweet, good size, nice aroma and a very rich texture. I will treat this one as my main crop. I hope it grows well in my garden.

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My three アイベリー Love berry strawberry


章姫 (あきひめ) Akihime
Like the love berry, this one also have very nice flavor and size, but it has a different texture. While the love berry has a firm flesh, this one is more on the soft side.

ひがり小町 (ひがりこちょう) Hikarikochou
A well balanced strawberry, nice shape and color with a lot of sweetness and a strong flavor. It is also very hardy and disease resistant. Because it is one of the most resistant and balanced, this will be my wild card in case something happens.


Also, asking a strawberry guru from the garden center, I found out something about my old ever bearing. Turns out that it was not really one, it was just a lucky struck. Some of the strawberry varieties here in japan (like Akihime, Kunouwase, Nyohou and others from the same family line), sometimes develop ever bearing characteristics. It happens on one or two plants of each fifty or so. What happens is that they just start giving fruit whenever they feel like it, regardless of the season.

They must have some ever bearing genes that kick in now and then, but it is not something planned, is pure luck. I find it to be a very funny trait. I will double cross my fingers and toes so I get lucky again or at least try and get a hold of one of those if I see one ever for sale.

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女峰 Nyohou Strawberries from my July harvest



On a different topic. I got some great response about the blog carnival. Based on your comments it will be about a favorite or special plant in your garden. I am not sure if I want to try to make the carnival post a monthly thing, I know for sure I would get tangled with the dates or I might get busy with school. But, I do want to have it now and then. This way more of your favorites will be able to showcase. Because ,like Green Lane Allotments said in the last post's comments, picking only one, it's like asking a parent to choose only one favorite child!

Maybe having one per season, or every couple of months will be ok. That way you get to show your beautiful maple or ginko in November, tulips in April, strawberries in June, etc., etc.

For this first one, because we are starting and also because it is a bit of the down season in gardening, lets make it about any favorite you have. It can be either your favorite for that month or any other month, other year, other life, you pick. Just choose one that you really like.

Now for the date, should it be Sunday 28 or Tuesday 30? Please let me know in the comments.

Happy gardening!



26 comments:

  1. Houkouwase is popular here in Australia. You have so many variety growing, you might have a long harvest with earlier and later variety.

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  2. I'm in amazement at what you accomplish in your small space. I'm looking at planting strawberries next spring and moaning over the amount of space I'll need for them (and I live on 3 acres!). Feels a bit silly now seeing how well you do. My vote for blog carnival is the 30th.

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  3. Hi Fer; I'd be interested to hear how big a yield of fruit you get from your strawberry plants.
    On the Blog Carnival theme, I vote for Tuesday 30th -- which would give us the previous weekend to write our own blogposts!

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  4. I hope you get a lot of strawberries. A mixture of varieties is a good idea - if one fails the others should succeed.
    30th sounds ok.

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  5. a delightful post and a delicious looking strawberry...

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  6. I'm so envious... my strawberry patch is under the snow.

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  7. Yummy! I also have strawberries in my terrace, but it's very hard to take pictures of them, as my children always eat them before! :)

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  8. Thank for your response! I hope the strawberries will grow well this time.
    It looks like the carnival will be on the 30th.

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  9. I too grow strawberries. I tried in the ground and the ants ate every one. Not completely, just a big depression out of each berry. I never got any unless I wanted to eat them half ripe. Not so tasty. Now in the pots they have been safe. They are ever-bearing, too.

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  10. It is wonderful to think of the taste of such a variety of strawberries while I look outside at snow! So many different kinds of strawberries!

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  11. Strawberries are my favourite. So juicy and sweet. I hope you´ll get lots of berries. :)

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  12. You have the biggest little garden in the world. I'll keep my fingers crossed for another abundant year of strawberries.

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  13. Love strawberries! Happy harvesting and have one for me :)

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  14. Wish I could grow strawberries, but the weather here is too hot. I bought a pot of the strawberry plant last year and it lasts for only two weeks! Perhaps I should try again, with seeds. Nov 30th sounds great!

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  15. Hi Fer...I really like your post about strawberries. The weather here not allowed me to plant this strawberries. I always thinking to make cool house here...so i can plant strawberries and intermediate orchids.

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  16. I have one strawberry plant under my mengkudu tree (vomit fruit), so far it had given me abt 5 lovely, medium size juicy fruits! But Im trying to divide it to make another pot. I hope you can give some tips on how to take make it healthy and give me lots of strawberries too! dont mind any dates actually, but 30th is fine with me too..

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  17. I'm sure you'll get a decent crop from the strawberry plants. It's nice that you have different varieties so that you can compare yields and taste.

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  18. Beautiful blog! I am impressed what you can grow in a small garden.
    This is the first I'm learning about all those strawberry varieties. I have some in my garden, but I don't know anything about them, except that they are ever bearing.

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  19. All such different varieties to what we can buy - unless it's just the names that are different.

    By the way about the blog carnival - can we only choose on plant? I'm a very indecisive sort of a person!!! Either date is OK for me.

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  20. I have me too, strawberry in my garden, but I can't eat them, it is for my husband. Me, I have a allergy with the strawberry.

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  21. You have so many variety of strawberries growing in your garden! The fruit look juicy! Hope you will get handful of harvest soon!

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  22. Hi Fer, you are a true strawberry guru. My favourite has to be the loveberry - because of its name. cheers, catmint

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  23. How nice it would have been if my strawberry plants had been ever-bearing! I seem to only get 1 or 2 strawberries from the pot on my deck when I plant it each summer. We have so many squirrels and 'critters' around here that even in a pot, they aren't safe! You have the magic touch;-)

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  24. There's nothing better than fresh strawberries! You have a nice variety. Here's hoping you get lucky and you end up with some everbearing plants!

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  25. Thank You! I appreciate very much all the warm comments

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  26. I'm brazilian e don't speake inglish, but i see yours photos and I loved. Good luck!

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