Want to have your own fresh strawberries? I'll show you how you can build a strawberry tower yourself in just 4 steps. A quick strawberry column without drilling and screwing in two variants.
Who does not love them the small sweet red fruits? Strawberries are one of the most popular fruits. Everyone is already eagerly waiting for the first domestic berries.
However, to buy strawberries every time can be quite annoying. Just bought, they already start to become mushy and rotten.
Wouldn't it be more practical if you could pull them yourself?
You do not need a large garden for this. Even a small green space or even the balcony is enough to grow the plants.
My strawberries just grow vertically! Here you will find two instructions for a DIY strawberry tower. While one is assembled from sewage pipes, you need clay flower pots for the other.
And let's be honest: just plant strawberries in the flower bed can anyone. I want a creative solution and protect the fruit from slugs.
Table of contents
- What is a strawberry tower?
- Why you should build a strawberry tower yourself
- How to build the strawberry tower yourself - with sewage pipes
- Build strawberry tower yourself
- How to make a strawberry tower yourself - from clay pots
- Make your own strawberry column from clay pots
- Location and care of plants in the strawberry column
- Where do I store the column in winter?
What is a strawberry tower?
Strawberry towers are the ideal alternative for growing if you have little space on the balcony or in the garden. The plants are not placed next to each other, but one above the other. Depending on the design and space, you can place up to 10 tiers at a height of 2 meters.
In this case, you can resort to pipes, pots or buckets and turn them into a vertical column of fruit in a few simple steps. If you've ever seen one of these towers, you're sure to be amazed by it.
So easy you build a greenhouse from an egg carton!
Why you should build a strawberry tower yourself
- The strawberry column is a real eye-catcher
- Strawberry towers are perfect for small gardens
- DIY is cheaper than bought
- Build strawberry tower yourself is quite simple
- Upcycling of old materials
- You do not have to bend down when picking
- In the strawberry column the fruits do not rot so quickly - because they do not touch the ground
- Your plants are protected from slugs
- Many plants need little space
- The plants get a lot of sun in the strawberry column
- You can harvest very early - the tube and the pots heat up in the sun
When building a strawberry tower myself, I made sure that I had a simple construction manual write. Because I'm not the best craftswoman myself and I hardly have any tools. 😅
I don't bother with drilling holes in the pipe. Because for this you need not only the right tools, but also manual dexterity.
Since neither is available, I have this strawberry column simply put together. Goes much faster and the risk of injury is also lower.
So, the self-made strawberry tower can be easily set up even a layman. Quite easily and with only a few materials.
How to build the strawberry tower yourself - with sewage pipes
You can create from a few tools a Build strawberry tower yourself. The fastest way to do it is in a PVC pipe.
By the way, for those who do not like to build in height: A cultivation in the pipe can also work horizontally. To do this, drill several holes in the pipe. Then you place the tubes on a rack so that they are off the ground.
Of course, you can just buy these towers in the store. But one Build strawberry tower yourself is just a lot of fun and also really not complicated.
It's worth going to the basement, the shed or the neighbor's house. You can certainly find many materials for the tower here. This saves money and is a great way to upcycle.
Tip: Gustagarden Tower
If you like it more stylish in terms of color, you can of course fall back on a purchased strawberry column. I find the Sissi Strawberry tower particularly beautiful. You can buy it in white or dark gray.
If you're interested in a strawberry tower, check out Gustagarden! The big advantage over the homemade column is the base, which allows you to place it on the balcony. Per floor you will also find space for two plants, in the DIY version it is only one plant.
Strawberry tower - The material list
In addition to four branch pipes and a sewer pipe, you'll need a lid to finish it off.
A metal piece stabilizes your strawberry tower. It could go without, however I want a wind and weather resistant tower. I used a 1 meter long piece from an old shelf.
Build strawberry tower yourself
Du benötigst
- 1 Bag Potting soil
- 3-4 Branch pipes
- 1 Sewage pipe - about 30-50 cm long - the same thickness as the branch pipes!
- 1 Meter long metal piece for stability
Anleitung
- First, hammer the metal into the ground. It provides stability and is the heart of the strawberry column. Once you have found the right place for your plants, hammer the metal into the ground. Minimum 15 cm. Better is 20 cm.
- Now put the first tube around the metal. Tap the tube into the ground with a hammer until it no longer wobbles. Fill the tube with potting soil and press it down with your hands.
- Now comes the first branch pipe. You should not use much more than 4. Tap them well with a hammer. Otherwise, the DIY strawberry tower could become wobbly.
- Now fill the branch pipes with soil and the strawberry plants. A little watering and you're done with the strawberry tower build yourself.
- You can either finish off your homemade strawberry tower with a plant, or you can cover the tube with a Close lid.
What soil for the strawberry tower?
Since your plants are in a small space, they need a nutrient-rich soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. I use normal soil for vegetables from the garden center. 2-3 times per season I fertilize the plants with an organic fertilizer, or even better with a homemade nettle liquid manure.
How to make a strawberry tower yourself - from clay pots
You don't have any tubes at hand or you're not quite convinced of the concept yet? No problem. Because a strawberry column can also be assembled from pots.
As with the previous method, you don't need to screw, nail or drill. Once again, plugging together is the motto. Practical, isn't it?
Often you don't even have to buy the pots. Often there are clearing out days in apartment blocks. Many neighbors throw away pots that you can turn into a new strawberry column with a few deft moves. If you don't find anything, you can buy the pots at the hardware store.
The larger the bottom pot, the higher you can build the tower. If you place it on rollers like I do, you can easily push it to the sunniest place and move it to a sheltered spot in bad weather.
Strawberry tower - The material list
I'll tell you what material you need for the tower in the photo. But you can customize the material yourself.
So: a trivet, four pots of different sizes with at least 10 cm difference in size.
Make your own strawberry column from clay pots
Du benötigst
- 1 Pot with 40 cm diameter
- 1 Pot with 27 cm diameter
- 2 Pots with 19 cm diameter
- 1 Pot with 13 cm diameter
- Potting soil
- Garden trowel
- Gardening gloves
- Strawberry plants
Anleitung
- First, stack the pots on top of each other.
- To do this, place the 19 cm diameter pot upside down in the 40 cm pot.
- Place the 27 cm diameter pot on top.
- The 13 cm diameter pot now goes back into the top pot upside down.
- Finally, place the second 19 cm diameter pot on top of the 13 cm pot.
- When arranging them, make sure that you stack them asymmetrically. This will give your strawberries a larger planting area.
- Once you are satisfied with the arrangement, take everything apart again until the first two pots.
- Now fill everything layer by layer with soil before you build the next floor.
- Now you can plant the strawberries in the different levels.
- Your strawberry tower is ready!
Location and care of plants in the strawberry column
Whether you want to build a strawberry column from pipes or clay pots, first decide on the location. This will then also determine the optimal size for the construct.
Basically strawberries love the sun and become especially sweet here. Let's look in detail at the specifics of each location.
After 2-3 years I replace the soil and the plants, from this age they do not bear much fruit, but form a lot of roots.
Tip: Start watering the plants lightly at the first warm rays of sunshine and fertilize them for the first time at the end of March.
Location for the column of clay pots
In the pot design, the plants are better protected from drying out and too high temperatures. Since they get much more soil than in the tube, they also do not need to water as often.
If you make sure the plants get half the day of sun, they will be very grateful.
Location for the strawberry column from the tube
If you decide to use the plant as a finishing touch, your strawberry column should not be completely outdoors. After all, if it rains very hard, your plants could drown or the soil could be washed out.
That's why I opted for a lid on the tube construction. So everything stays where it belongs. If the column is under a tree, however, it should not be a problem if you decide against the lid.
Do not place the column in full sun. The plants will burn up in the summer. You can not water so quickly and often. If you add fertilizer to the water from time to time, the plants will thank you with lots of fruit.
By the way, because it can get very warm in the strawberry column, you should not forget about watering. I always pour in the top of the opening, and slowly. Then the water is distributed from the top to the bottom.
Where do I store the column in winter?
It depends on whether your strawberry tower is made of PVC pipes or clay pots. If you want to build a strawberry tower, you should think in advance where it will be stored in the winter. About the plants themselves you do not have to worry, they are completely hardy and sprout new in the spring.
All those who chose the tube can rejoice - this column can simply remain as it is. It has no problem with wind and weather and stands with me the fourth season unprotected outdoors. The tubes will be a little lighter in color, but otherwise nothing changes.
With the version with the clay pots you need to be careful. This is because most clay pots do not tolerate winter well. Pull the pots under the roof - a sheltered balcony or terrace will do just fine. In any case, your strawberry column should not come into contact with snow - or cold rain that freezes overnight. The water will cause the clay pot to become porous and crumble.
Our conclusion
You don't have to be a professional to build a strawberry tower yourself. With these instructions, you don't even have to be a craftsman. Anyone can do it! So get to work on the DIY strawberry column!
PS: The strawberries like it in the new home. Already after 3 days they have begun to bloom. Well, then: here's to a rich harvest! :)
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