Sounds like you've got some stunning veggie hanging baskets there.

Great tip!

....and watered!

Don't worry - it has more than its fair share of mess and failures! You keep on gardening too - and enjoy everything you grow :-)

yeah, experience n practice makes perfect

Absolutely. You can use anything that holds a half-inch/centimetre of water in the bottom of the hanging basket. Plastic pot saucers are usually the best as they neatly fit inside, but anything of a similar shape would work.

Look for varieties specifically described as suitable for hanging baskets. There are quite a lot of varieties out there suitable for this purpose.

I’m in the uk and tumbling variety work very well

Thanks for the suggestion. For a basket that size I would probably look to plant maybe two trailing cherry-type tomato plants, plus maybe some leafy herbs like basil or parsley. You could also add in a French marigold - for colour and as a cheery companion to the tomatoes.

@@GrowVeg amazing thank you!

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That was probably a liquid feed/fertiliser. You add it to water, mix it up, and water your plants with it to add nutrients, to help them grow even stronger.

Yes, smaller varieties of cucumber can be grown in hanging baskets. We'd especially recommend the lunchbox/snack types of cucumber.

No, there’s no pruning required for those.

@@GrowVeg Thank you for getting back to me

there may be 2 main reasons: either dont like the conditions (too hot, too cold, too big drops or increases in temperature, too much or too little sun, too windy, slugs chewing on the roots, not enough nutritions or not available for the plant, etc) or they are "fertiliser junkies": many stores water their plants with water with some fertilizer added to it all the time, so the plants get used to getting "fertilizer water" from day 1 of their lives, and when the customer takes home the plants and starts watering them with "normal water" the plants die, because they are literally addicted to the "fertilizer water". (Yes there can be a million other reasons like special strawberry killing virus in the soil or the neighbour has cursed your strawberries, but i think the first 2 are the most likely to happen) If you have more than 1 plant, you may try to plant them in separate pots and place them in different locations (with more sun, less sun, indoors, outdoors, warmer, cooler etc) and / or plant them into different types of soil, give them some fertilizer (there are organic options as well, like seaweed or comfrey) to see if there's any difference. I had the same thing with my alpine strawberries, bought them bareroot, they seemed to be happy, then started to die, i added some organic seaweed meal that helped but still only 4 survived out of 12. Now im waiting for the runners to propagate them to have 12 again...

thanks for all the advice, even the idea the neighbour has cursed them :D. Store is sending me a new batch of replacements (3rd lot now!) I like the idea of separating them into different pots/locations so that's what I'll try next with some fresh compost. wont be buying bareroots ever again though 👎...too difficult!

Were you careful not to plant the crown below the soil? This is a very common mistake and it kills the plants. Just a thought.

GardeningJones hi, yep! first batch I burried the crowns 😮 but, 2nd batch, store told me to make sure crowns are above soil line, which I did and they did the same thing. I've cut off all the dying leaves now, some tiny new shoots are coming through but can see that faint dark edging on their leaves. I'm going to just leave them in the baskets, see if they survive. I'll plant the new ones elsewhere 👍

I think Emma T's response below is very comprehensive. It's important the crowns - where the shoot emerge - are at the soil level. Too low and they rot and too high and the plants dry out. Make sure the roots are nicely spread out in the compost. Young plants may need shielding from wind and very strong sunlight for a week or so until they have settled into their new home.

It wouldn't be suitable for a hanging basket. It takes a while to establish and is a perennial vegetable that would last for many years, so best grown in the ground.

It could be tomato blight perhaps. This can strike quite quickly and at this time of year.

After some time, the fertilizer will drain all its nutrients and won't be effective anymore :)

Oh! Thanks (:

Some gardeners add a red-painted stone/s with their strawberries. The birds peck at it, realise it isn't edible, and then leave your plants alone. I'm not sure if this works though! Or you could temporarily net plants against birds.

They are fine with frost and cold, and hardy down to around 10 Fahrenheit or -12C.

Laurie Wardle strawberries will survive a harsh uk winter as they are -5 no problem, if it's going to be colder just add a layer of straw on top. Hence straw berries ;)

I feel your pain!

Try keeping a bird bath near by and paint red rocks and put them in the strawberry plant, not totally effective but it does help