Hi Shawn, I have put in place my own system based on yours here in France. My strawberries, Mariguette a hybrid between the more famous gariguette and the mara des bois varieties and growing very nicely and the system is looking great. A really excellent way to make use of wall space and recycle old materials. I placed my plants a little closer than yours but apart from that it is almost exactly the same. The plants are in great health big bushy crowns (surprising for first year plants) and because of that I will be leaving some flowers on to get some fruit. A big thankyou for sharing your ideas on here. Mark
Thanks for these ideas. These are the ideas we needed. It is good to see these put together. I have been trying to figure out if these ideas would work and really needed to see them put together. Thanks again.
Thanks for watching and taking an interest! I have an update video to post. Every plant survived the winter stored in an old unplugged fridge outside. The plants are doing very well and are absolutely loaded with strawberries this year. Can't wait till they ripen!
I meant to ask you if you use some fish water to water them. I have a small tank-and I so far use fish water so far to give my garden plants a nutritious drink.
Hey I'm thinking about stealing your idea! I have been looking for something like this and I'm glad I found your video. Looking forward to your update on this!
Neat idea! Just planted 1 strawberry this way, I used bottom part of the bottle as water reservoir. I'll see if it's going to work for me, if it does, guess I'll plant bunch of alpine strawberries near my june bearing ones planted on the ground. Update: I found that cotton cloth is terrible for this, it will mold and become weak fast, causing it to disintegrate in the water as well as in the soil. On the other hand, rope and synthetic socks/cloth in my other bottles are not moldy and still strong as the first day, so keep that in mind. Great watering system, I am adding fertilizers in the water for better produce. Planted june bearing strawberries for testing (so far I am more than amazed by the results!) Will plant alpine red and white strawberries soon.
So far this is the best I've seen that fits our lifestyle... What do you think about putting more plants on one row of pipe? I would like to maximize the space the most possible... Thanx for the idea!!!
Thank you Shawn, am still optimistic that water will sip upwards. I cant wait to see plants wick the pipes dry.What kind of cloth material does it better? Will keep you updated Shawn. Regards, Lillian
Great idea but do you have enough space for the roots to grow bigger and also if you want to put fertilizer thru irrigation system the wigg is not going to lower your fertilizer quality? Thanks man and good luck to you
Hey Shawn, lovely set up, going to try that set up, obviously you used a hole saw to cut the pipe for the bottles, what dimensions is best please??? I do have lots of experience of growing strawberries but in linear beds and am now looking to use up fence and wall space to maximise my output. Your post is one of the best here so a big thank you. Regarding your mosquito problem, I would just cap off the watering hole, or bung it up with one of your famous socks.
Thanks! I used a 1" hole saw blade. The bottles are 10" apart but could be placed closer. My next ones will be 8" apart. That's a great idea with the plugging around the bottles with a rag! I may try that on the next version and cap the elbow end. Thanks for watching!
Great video, I love that idea for along my fence. I am thinking of making a smaller version of this. Did this stand up well over the winter and you were able to use it again in the next spring? I'm in SW Michigan.
Yes it has held up quite well. The wicks have deteriorated some but everything else is still going strong structurally. It is 3 years old now. I am going to replant this year. I had a problem with cut worms while out of town last fall and all of my plants one by one ended up dying. When I replant I am going to start with new bottles and wicks. Thanks for watching!
Strawberry garden worked great! I kept the runners trimmed all summer forcing the plants to grow additional crowns. The plants are supposed to be everbearers but quit producing about mid July. Not sure why this happened. I plan to pull pop bottles out and store plants in the root cellar for the winter. Planning on big results next year. As for spacing i would be hesitant to plant any closer. The plants are huge and growing amongst each other.
Awesome idea! DH and I are coming up with ways to get strawberries off the ground so they don't get all moldy. So, how much space between each level of PVC? TIA.
Friggin genius!! Love it! I think you can fit more in there if you wanted. How bout mosquitos? It's an easy fix I'm sure but have you had any issues with them?
Yes you can fit a few more on each rail. I put the bottles 10" apart but you could easily get by with 8". As for mosquitos if you let the pipes go dry in between waterings you don't have any issues with mosquitos. The wicks retain moisture for a couple days. Thanks for watching!
Love this idea. I was thinking of doing something like this on a wall dividing my deck from my neighbour. The wall would be facing east so would get the morning sun. Do you think they would do well facing east? Enough sun? Live on Vancouver Island, so warm enough :)
Your plants should do well in that location. Having good exposure to morning sun is very beneficial to plants. A lot of plant diseases are caused by bacteria. Bacteria thrives and spreads easier during moist conditions. Morning sun dries your plant leaf surfaces reducing the risk of disease. That's another reason this system works so well due to the fact that the plants are watered from the bottom helping to keep the vegetation dry. Thanks for watching!
I know it's been a long time since this video came out, but if you're still out there could you please answer a question? I took a scrap piece of 2" pvc pipe and drilled a few 1" holes and they were too small to fit the top of the bottles. What kind of drill bit are you using?
Thank you Shawn for the excellent idea. How much water do you put at a time? Do you fill the pipe, and for how long do you keep the water before removing it? I did not see the pipe for draining water.
I do not drain the pipe. I fill them up then wait to refill after the pipe has remained dry for a couple of days. The plants wick the water up as needed. The dry out time is done in order to kill any mosquito larvae that may be in the pipe.
You have done a magnificent job on this strawberry project of yours. I just have a couple of questions for you. Wouldn’t I be better off using a 3” pvc instead of a 2” you mentioned in one of your replies? Instead of cloth material for wicking, couldn’t I use pieces of hemp rope instead? I am short on socks. LoL
Thanks! It has worked out well with very little maintenance. I will be doing an update in a few weeks. 3" pipe would work just as well and would hold more water. The 2" is plenty adequate and more cost effective. I think the neck on the bottles is only an inch. Not sure though if the hemp twine would wick enough water up to the plants. Any rag would do such as old t shirts and what not. Please subscribe and keep updated on any updates I do. Thanks for watching!
Chandra Dasa I didn’t have any fungal issues besides normal leaf mold here and there. I just discarded those leaves. These berries produced for 3 seasons before dying off. Their ultimate demise was a quickly defoliating worm! Thanks for watching!
jimib B I make sure the wick occupies the bottom 1/3 of the bottle. The roots will grow to it. With this method you keep the top of the soil dry which helps keep weeds from growing. Good luck and thanks for watching!
Daniel Harder I tend to save 2 liter bottles. I use them from time to time for various projects especially at school. As for over wintering the plants I use an old non functioning refrigerator. Here is the link for my update. Thanks for watching! ua-cam.com/video/8vMeoXriMwM/v-deo.html
I used the miracle grow potting mix. It is very light weight which is important to keep in mind when vertical gardening. Regular potting soil is too heavy.
I will be posting an update video in a week or so...be sure to subscribe! I will be sure to review it. It's fairly simple. A screw into the board then the screw head punched into the back of the bottle. Thanks for watching!
Yes I plan on doing an update to the strawberries when I put them back out in the spring. I winter them in an old non working refrigerator. Last spring they really produced! Please subscribe to the channel that way you get notified when the update comes up. Thanks for watching!
Yes I do keep the plants in the bottles year round. No I don't keep lights on them or any other heat source through winter. They stay in the inoperable fridge all winter. If I think of it I will open the door on a nice day here and there to let some light in and keep humidity levels in check.
It is recommended that you pinch the blooms off of strawberry plants the first summer after planting. This allows the plant to use all its energy on getting established instead of fruit production. June bearers remove all blooms. Ever bearers up until July 1st. Thanks for watching!
Shawn Crow Last year I built and tried a hydroponic strawberry garden/pvc tubes, looks close to what yours look like, but without the pump, water nutrient ph issues, overheating water, diseases that caused 3 total deaths, chlorox cleans, restocks, new pump, lots of money and not one ripe strawberry....would rather change the whole system into something like what you have although my holes are for 3 inch hydro pots, I would rather do a dirt switch, I'll think of something, I would like actually strawberries this year instead of headaches!! :)
Vegan Nurse Practitioner 3 total deaths meant three total plant wipeouts, all of them, three times....total number of strawberry plants bought that eventually died last year was over 100 ! lots of money on special tonics and cures for the waves of diseases, then ice blocks twice a day in the water to keep it cool to prevent more diseases, unbelievably un-fun...
Wow! Sounds like a real nightmare. I would say price of all materials and plants, 27 of them, I have around $30. Plus I'm starting my 3rd season on them. I had thoughts about trying the hydroponic route just to experiment. The more I read and look into I'm thinking about expanding my aquaponic garden to incorporate a strawberry tower. I could use runners from my existing plants.
Yes you are correct! I had a problem with breeding Mosquitos early during the first season of this garden. I combat them by letting the pipes run dry in between waterings. Soil stays moist for a couple days beyond pipes drying out. I just put the strawberries away for the winter the other day. This system has worked great!
Hi !! I did my own setup following your design and did my own video!! I mentioned you name on it!! Can i send you my youtube link showing you of what i did?? Im waiting for your reply before i send it to you !!have a gr8 day and thanks!!
Hi Shawn, I have put in place my own system based on yours here in France. My strawberries, Mariguette a hybrid between the more famous gariguette and the mara des bois varieties and growing very nicely and the system is looking great. A really excellent way to make use of wall space and recycle old materials. I placed my plants a little closer than yours but apart from that it is almost exactly the same. The plants are in great health big bushy crowns (surprising for first year plants) and because of that I will be leaving some flowers on to get some fruit. A big thankyou for sharing your ideas on here.
Mark
Thanks for these ideas. These are the ideas we needed. It is good to see these put together. I have been trying to figure out if these ideas would work and really needed to see them put together. Thanks again.
Thanks for watching and taking an interest! I have an update video to post. Every plant survived the winter stored in an old unplugged fridge outside. The plants are doing very well and are absolutely loaded with strawberries this year. Can't wait till they ripen!
I meant to ask you if you use some fish water to water them. I have a small tank-and I so far use fish water so far to give my garden plants a nutritious drink.
wow great idea and job. you make me want to start doing my garden videos again. thanks for sharing
Nice! Greg & I might have to try this next year.
Hey I'm thinking about stealing your idea! I have been looking for something like this and I'm glad I found your video. Looking forward to your update on this!
Genius idea that you have made there.
Neat idea! Just planted 1 strawberry this way, I used bottom part of the bottle as water reservoir. I'll see if it's going to work for me, if it does, guess I'll plant bunch of alpine strawberries near my june bearing ones planted on the ground.
Update:
I found that cotton cloth is terrible for this, it will mold and become weak fast, causing it to disintegrate in the water as well as in the soil. On the other hand, rope and synthetic socks/cloth in my other bottles are not moldy and still strong as the first day, so keep that in mind. Great watering system, I am adding fertilizers in the water for better produce. Planted june bearing strawberries for testing (so far I am more than amazed by the results!) Will plant alpine red and white strawberries soon.
Nice way to avoid over watering, Shawn!!
This system makes it easy to manage all aspects of growing! Thanks for watching!
Great idea! Will give it a try.
Loved it... Backyard fence project for sure
Thanks for watching!
Good design. way to go! : -)
So far this is the best I've seen that fits our lifestyle... What do you think about putting more plants on one row of pipe? I would like to maximize the space the most possible... Thanx for the idea!!!
love your strawberry garden.....
Thanks! Stay tuned for the update in a couple weeks!
Smashing idea - thanks. Going to try this as my strawberry plants have just arrived!
Good luck! Thanks for watching!
Great idea thank you for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you Shawn, am still optimistic that water will sip upwards. I cant wait to see plants wick the pipes dry.What kind of cloth material does it better? Will keep you updated Shawn.
Regards,
Lillian
I used old socks!
Great idea but do you have enough space for the roots to grow bigger and also if you want to put fertilizer thru irrigation system the wigg is not going to lower your fertilizer quality? Thanks man and good luck to you
Hi Greg, was wondering how you made out with this strawberry wall... I would be interested, as I'm getting ready to put something together.... Thanx !
this is a great idea! we hust bought a house and I'm excited to go crazy with plants! lol my husband will enjoy the food sooo it shoyld work out lol
It has worked well for me. Good luck with the new place! Thanks for watching!
Shawn Crow thanks! Haha sorry about those typos lol
That is a great system! :) New sub :) thanks for sharing!
Thanks! It has worked great for me. Btw...you also have a new sub! Nice channel.
+Shawn Crow Thank you for subbing :) Glad you like the channel :) Try to catch up with your videos soon :)
Hey Shawn, lovely set up, going to try that set up, obviously you used a hole saw to cut the pipe for the bottles, what dimensions is best please???
I do have lots of experience of growing strawberries but in linear beds and am now looking to use up fence and wall space to maximise my output. Your post is one of the best here so a big thank you. Regarding your mosquito problem, I would just cap off the watering hole, or bung it up with one of your famous socks.
Thanks! I used a 1" hole saw blade. The bottles are 10" apart but could be placed closer. My next ones will be 8" apart. That's a great idea with the plugging around the bottles with a rag! I may try that on the next version and cap the elbow end. Thanks for watching!
well done it shows you can grow even if you only have a small yard
Yes it does! Has worked well for me. Thanks for watching!
Great video, I love that idea for along my fence. I am thinking of making a smaller version of this. Did this stand up well over the winter and you were able to use it again in the next spring? I'm in SW Michigan.
Yes it has held up quite well. The wicks have deteriorated some but everything else is still going strong structurally. It is 3 years old now. I am going to replant this year. I had a problem with cut worms while out of town last fall and all of my plants one by one ended up dying. When I replant I am going to start with new bottles and wicks. Thanks for watching!
Strawberry garden worked great! I kept the runners trimmed all summer forcing the plants to grow additional crowns. The plants are supposed to be everbearers but quit producing about mid July. Not sure why this happened. I plan to pull pop bottles out and store plants in the root cellar for the winter. Planning on big results next year. As for spacing i would be hesitant to plant any closer. The plants are huge and growing amongst each other.
Do you replant them when mother plants get old? How often to do it? Can you grow strawberries from runners?
@@Frances6889 you dont replace and yes you can make new plants from runners
Awesome idea! DH and I are coming up with ways to get strawberries off the ground so they don't get all moldy. So, how much space between each level of PVC? TIA.
Crunchy Emily mine are about a foot apart. This is due to the location of the side boards on my wood shed. Thanks for watching!
Friggin genius!! Love it! I think you can fit more in there if you wanted. How bout mosquitos? It's an easy fix I'm sure but have you had any issues with them?
Yes you can fit a few more on each rail. I put the bottles 10" apart but you could easily get by with 8". As for mosquitos if you let the pipes go dry in between waterings you don't have any issues with mosquitos. The wicks retain moisture for a couple days. Thanks for watching!
Love this idea. I was thinking of doing something like this on a wall dividing my deck from my neighbour. The wall would be facing east so would get the morning sun. Do you think they would do well facing east? Enough sun? Live on Vancouver Island, so warm enough :)
Your plants should do well in that location. Having good exposure to morning sun is very beneficial to plants. A lot of plant diseases are caused by bacteria. Bacteria thrives and spreads easier during moist conditions. Morning sun dries your plant leaf surfaces reducing the risk of disease. That's another reason this system works so well due to the fact that the plants are watered from the bottom helping to keep the vegetation dry. Thanks for watching!
BRILLIANT DUDE!
JW Sato thanks!
What an excellent way to use that space!
Did you end up using this setup again last year?
Yes I sure did! Produced lots of strawberries last season. This will be my third year with it. I will be doing an update as soon as weather permits.
Very nice!
Hi I'm new to growing strawberries as I live in Barbados. Gr8 and educational video.I have one question. Did you give the plants normal water?
Anthony Alleyne yes I did. However about every 2 weeks I watered once with a diluted fertilizer solution. Thanks for watching!
Do the strawberry plants come back every year in those bottles,? I would love to try this and also try some herbs in some. Thanks
Yes they do. However I over winter them in an old non functioning refrigerator. A root cellar would work just the same.
How creative! My strawberry plants never grow that big they usually die small :(
I know it's been a long time since this video came out, but if you're still out there could you please answer a question? I took a scrap piece of 2" pvc pipe and drilled a few 1" holes and they were too small to fit the top of the bottles. What kind of drill bit are you using?
Chauncey Gardiner I used a 1” hole saw bit/blade. Thanks for watching!
Thank you Shawn for the excellent idea. How much water do you put at a time? Do you fill the pipe, and for how long do you keep the water before removing it? I did not see the pipe for draining water.
I do not drain the pipe. I fill them up then wait to refill after the pipe has remained dry for a couple of days. The plants wick the water up as needed. The dry out time is done in order to kill any mosquito larvae that may be in the pipe.
Shawn Crow
I guess you could just put another cap on that end, no worries, just a stroll thru Home Depot, one of my fav places :)
You have done a magnificent job on this strawberry project of yours. I just have a couple of questions for you. Wouldn’t I be better off using a 3” pvc instead of a 2” you mentioned in one of your replies? Instead of cloth material for wicking, couldn’t I use pieces of hemp rope instead? I am short on socks. LoL
Thanks! It has worked out well with very little maintenance. I will be doing an update in a few weeks. 3" pipe would work just as well and would hold more water. The 2" is plenty adequate and more cost effective. I think the neck on the bottles is only an inch. Not sure though if the hemp twine would wick enough water up to the plants. Any rag would do such as old t shirts and what not. Please subscribe and keep updated on any updates I do. Thanks for watching!
Shawn Crow Thanks for your reply.
I really like this idea. Does the sock rag go mouldy?
It didn’t on mine. They do grow some algae on the portion in the pipe. Thanks for watching!
any fungal issues you have and if so how did you resolve the fungal issue.nice tutorial video.
Chandra Dasa I didn’t have any fungal issues besides normal leaf mold here and there. I just discarded those leaves. These berries produced for 3 seasons before dying off. Their ultimate demise was a quickly defoliating worm! Thanks for watching!
Hi, how far does the wick need to go up into the bottle? does it need to touch the roots? Great idea by the way copying it now thx :}
jimib B I make sure the wick occupies the bottom 1/3 of the bottle. The roots will grow to it. With this method you keep the top of the soil dry which helps keep weeds from growing. Good luck and thanks for watching!
how do you keep them over winter and where good place to get the 2 liter bottles?
Daniel Harder I tend to save 2 liter bottles. I use them from time to time for various projects especially at school. As for over wintering the plants I use an old non functioning refrigerator. Here is the link for my update. Thanks for watching! ua-cam.com/video/8vMeoXriMwM/v-deo.html
Shawn, may I ask what soil mix did you plant your strawberries in?
I used the miracle grow potting mix. It is very light weight which is important to keep in mind when vertical gardening. Regular potting soil is too heavy.
Hey, great video! What is the size of the PVC that you are using?
Thanks! The pvc is 2". Thanks for watching!
That's awesome bro. How about water drainage? Do you water just enough for the plants to absorb?
I fill the tubes up as full as I can get them. The wicks absorb what they need. You can’t over water them. Thanks for watching!
@@ShawnCrow How often do you fill pipes with water?:-) Does excess water evaporate or do you empty the pipe?
Love it
Ninja Puppy thanks!
Hi Shawn, The soil in the bottles is all covered with algae. Do you get such problem, and how do you deal with it?
I do get some algae growth between the bottle and soil. It doesn't seem to affect the plants in any way. I just let it be.
I am more curious about how you screw the bottle to the wood slate
I will be posting an update video in a week or so...be sure to subscribe! I will be sure to review it. It's fairly simple. A screw into the board then the screw head punched into the back of the bottle. Thanks for watching!
I was looking for any ideas for a stackable strawberry bottle, and you give me these ideas on how to do my hydroponic garden. Thank you and God bless.
Glad to know it helped! Thanks for watching!
Brilliant idea. hat size is the pipe?
Thanks! The pipe is 2”pvc. Thanks for watching!
@@ShawnCrow......Appreciate it, Shawn...
How often do you have to fill up the pipes with water?
About once a week. Maybe twice if it's really hot and dry out.
great work bro.
Thanks!
you are most welcomed.actually i learned from you so i think i need to thank you!thanks for the information :)
how do you know what variaty you have when it comes to starwberrys and rasberrys don't know what knid l have.
The only way I know what variety I have is because I ordered them my self from a seed company.
what if it rains? won't they drown?
Nice
Could they be grown in regular, 16 oz, water bottles?
tahtanya I would say they would. May be a little on the small side. They fill the 2 litter bottles pretty well.
where are you i'm in Tennessee do's it freeze there?
Alex Brewer central WV. Yes we get some hard freezes here. Watch my update video on this method. I go over how I keep them alive during the winter.
Shawn, what is the distance between your pvc pipes?
15". Thanks for watching!
i tried to make something like this but i got a lot of pest larva in my standing water any advice
Let the pipe dry out between fill ups. Wicks stay wet for a day or so. I've never had a mosquito problem after starting this.
You could try capping the ends w/ landscape fabric
Do you have an update explaining what you learned from year 1 to year 2.
Yes I plan on doing an update to the strawberries when I put them back out in the spring. I winter them in an old non working refrigerator. Last spring they really produced! Please subscribe to the channel that way you get notified when the update comes up. Thanks for watching!
Shawn Crow
Do you overwinter them in the bottles? Do you keep lights on them thru the winter?
Yes I do keep the plants in the bottles year round. No I don't keep lights on them or any other heat source through winter. They stay in the inoperable fridge all winter. If I think of it I will open the door on a nice day here and there to let some light in and keep humidity levels in check.
What size pvc pipe did you use ?
2" pvc
What's the thing about pinching the blooms?
thanks
It is recommended that you pinch the blooms off of strawberry plants the first summer after planting. This allows the plant to use all its energy on getting established instead of fruit production. June bearers remove all blooms. Ever bearers up until July 1st. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the info and the videos. cheers
Here in Georgia it didnt work. I sure wanted it to though. Just too hot.
I’m sorry to hear that. Could the pipe not hold enough water?
great idea
Thanks!
Hi how often do you put the liquid in the tube?
Anthony Alleyne it really depends on how hot it gets, rainfall, etc. Minimum every 3 days but most times once a week. Thanks for watching!
Thanks!
Good idea
Thanks!
Shawn Crow
Last year I built and tried a hydroponic strawberry garden/pvc tubes, looks close to what yours look like, but without the pump, water nutrient ph issues, overheating water, diseases that caused 3 total deaths, chlorox cleans, restocks, new pump, lots of money and not one ripe strawberry....would rather change the whole system into something like what you have although my holes are for 3 inch hydro pots, I would rather do a dirt switch, I'll think of something, I would like actually strawberries this year instead of headaches!! :)
Vegan Nurse Practitioner
3 total deaths meant three total plant wipeouts, all of them, three times....total number of strawberry plants bought that eventually died last year was over 100 ! lots of money on special tonics and cures for the waves of diseases, then ice blocks twice a day in the water to keep it cool to prevent more diseases, unbelievably un-fun...
Wow! Sounds like a real nightmare. I would say price of all materials and plants, 27 of them, I have around $30. Plus I'm starting my 3rd season on them. I had thoughts about trying the hydroponic route just to experiment. The more I read and look into I'm thinking about expanding my aquaponic garden to incorporate a strawberry tower. I could use runners from my existing plants.
Here is the update link! Thanks for watching!
ua-cam.com/video/8vMeoXriMwM/v-deo.html
Damn, that's a good fucking idea!
Your damn right it is! Thanks for watching!
Excellent idea!!!! But watch out the system can become a moskitos breeding paradise.
Yes you are correct! I had a problem with breeding Mosquitos early during the first season of this garden. I combat them by letting the pipes run dry in between waterings. Soil stays moist for a couple days beyond pipes drying out. I just put the strawberries away for the winter the other day. This system has worked great!
Hi !! I did my own setup following your design and did my own video!! I mentioned you name on it!! Can i send you my youtube link showing you of what i did?? Im waiting for your reply before i send it to you !!have a gr8 day and thanks!!
Anthony Alleyne absolutely! I’m glad you found the video informative. I look forward to seeing your video. Thanks!
I also subscribed to you on both of my channels!!
I think you need a much better variety of strawberry