Strawberry 'Albion'

Sweet Strawberries from Early Summer Well into Autumn

If you love homegrown strawberries but wish the season lasted longer, Strawberry 'Albion' is the one for you. It's an everbearing (or "perpetual") variety. Instead of producing one big crop over a few weeks, it keeps flowering and fruiting in flushes through summer and into early autumn, so you can go on picking fresh berries for months rather than weeks.

The fruit itself is a real treat. The berries are long, conical and bright red, with red flesh all the way through and a sweet, rich flavour. The plants are compact, tidy and well known for their resistance to disease. That makes 'Albion' a great choice for beginners and a favourite with experienced growers too, and many gardeners consider it one of the best everbearers available.

Key Features

• Long cropping season, typically from June through to September, and often into October in a mild autumn

• Sweet, rich-flavoured berries with an attractive long, conical shape

• Red all the way through, with bright red skin and uniformly red flesh

• Firm fruit that holds its shape well after picking

• Good disease resistance, making it easier to grow than many varieties

• Compact growth, ideal for pots, window boxes, hanging baskets and growbags

• Fewer runners than most summer-fruiting varieties, so less tidying up

• Pretty white spring flowers, which are also popular with bees and other pollinators

Size and Growth

'Albion' is a neat, compact plant. It usually reaches around 20 to 30 centimetres tall and spreads to about 30 to 45 centimetres. It's a perennial and will keep cropping for several years, although, as with all strawberries, it's usually most productive in its first two or three years. After that, replacing plants with fresh stock keeps your harvests generous. In mild areas and sheltered spots, the plants may even hold onto some of their leaves through winter.

Where to Plant

To get the best out of 'Albion', give it plenty of warmth and light.

• Position: Full sun gives the sweetest fruit and heaviest crops. It will tolerate a little light shade, but expect fewer berries.

• Soil: A rich, fertile, well-drained soil is ideal. Dig in plenty of garden compost or well-rotted manure before planting.

• Shelter: A sheltered spot helps pollinating insects visit the flowers and protects plants from cold winds.

• Crop rotation: Avoid ground where strawberries, potatoes, tomatoes or chrysanthemums have grown recently, to reduce the risk of soil-borne diseases.

Growing in Containers

Thanks to its compact habit, 'Albion' is perfect for growing in containers. It's a great way to grow strawberries on patios, balconies and in small gardens. Pots and hanging baskets also keep the fruit clean and off the ground, and out of reach of slugs. Use a good-quality multi-purpose compost, and allow one plant per 15 to 20 centimetre pot, or around three plants per growbag. Plants in containers dry out quickly, so water them regularly throughout the growing season, particularly during warm weather.

Planting Guide

Strawberries can be planted in spring, or in late summer to early autumn. Plants that go in during late summer have time to settle before winter and usually crop well the following year.

1. Prepare the soil by digging in plenty of garden compost or well-rotted manure.

2. If you're planting bare-root runners, soak the roots in water for about 20 minutes first.

3. Dig a hole wide enough to spread the roots out comfortably.

4. Position the plant so the crown (where the leaves join the roots) sits level with the soil surface. Planting too deep can cause rotting, while planting too shallow can let the roots dry out.

5. Firm the soil gently around the plant and water well.

6. Space plants about 45 centimetres apart, with around 60 to 75 centimetres between rows.

A helpful tip: For plants set out in spring, pinch off the first flowers that appear in late spring. It may feel hard to do, but it lets the plant build strong roots and leaves first. You'll be rewarded with heavier, better crops for the rest of the season.

Care and Maintenance

Watering

Everbearers are cropping for a long time, so they need steady moisture throughout the season. Water regularly, especially in dry weather and while fruit is swelling. Aim the water at the base of the plants rather than over the leaves and berries, as this helps prevent mould. Watering in the morning is best.

Feeding

Because 'Albion' fruits over such a long period, regular feeding makes a real difference. Once flowers begin to appear, give a high-potash liquid feed, such as tomato feed, every one to two weeks. Keep feeding through summer and into early autumn while the plants are still flowering and fruiting.

Protecting the Fruit

Tuck straw or strawberry mats underneath the plants as the fruit forms. This keeps the berries clean, stops them sitting on damp soil and helps deter slugs. Cover your plants with netting to keep birds away from the ripening fruit.

Runners

'Albion' produces fewer runners than summer-fruiting varieties, which means less work for you. Snip off any that do appear during the season, so the plant puts its energy into fruit. If you'd like a few new plants, peg one or two healthy plantlets into small pots of compost and cut them free once they've rooted.

End-of-Season Tidy

Once cropping finishes in autumn, remove old, tired or damaged leaves and clear away any straw and debris around the plants. In spring, tidy the plants again, removing any dead foliage, and give them a fresh top dressing of compost to get them off to a good start.

Harvesting and Enjoying Your Strawberries

Pick the berries once they're fully red all over. The best time is on a warm, dry day, when the flavour is at its peak. During the main season, check your plants every couple of days, as new fruit ripens steadily. Pick with the green stalk attached to help the berries keep for longer. 'Albion' strawberries are wonderful eaten straight from the plant, served with cream or ice cream, sliced over breakfast cereal or yoghurt, or baked into tarts and cakes. You'll have them on hand for late-summer desserts long after summer-only varieties have finished.

Why Choose Strawberry 'Albion'?

'Albion' gives you what every strawberry lover wants: more months of sweet, delicious homegrown fruit. It's compact, reliable and resistant to disease, so it's easy to grow whether you have a large vegetable plot or just a few pots on the patio. If you want strawberries from early summer into autumn with minimal fuss, 'Albion' is a superb choice.