Strawberry Ostara

A ‘perpetual’ or ‘ever-bearing’ strawberry, Fragaria x ananassa Ostara produces white flowers and fruit in flushes from June until the frosts, instead of the one big crop of the summer-bearing strawberries. The berries are large, conical and bright red, red-fleshed with a sweet, juicy flavour and good fragrance, and total yields are high. Strawberry Ostara has a compact, slightly open habit which displays the fruit well among the mid-green, typical strawberry leaves. Peg down runners, one per plant, as they appear, discarding the rest lest you exhaust the plant; leave attached to the ‘mother’ plant until September, when they can be lifted and replanted in a new bed, or potted up in a greenhouse or polytunnel for an earlier crop next year. Each plant will produce well for about three years.

Site: Warm, sheltered, sunny site
Soil: Any fertile, moist, well-drained soil
Position: Full sun
Pick: As soon as the berries are ripe
Keep: Fruit does not keep, and does not freeze well – enjoy them as they come!
Hardiness: Fully hardy
Pollination: Self-fertile
Uses: Eating fresh, preserves, decorating cakes