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Awesome thread. And seems like a great place to post about a strawberry tower I want to build.
Using cedar picket fence planks ( 6' x 6" x 5/8" ) and some cedar 2x8x12's, I want to build something as pictured. Does anyone see any obvious pitfalls or problems I might encounter?
To explain a bit, the 2x8's will be cut into 6 foot lengths, buried a foot, and have 4 troughs, 1 every foot. I'll put the top of the first trough 2 inches under the top of the 2x8's, and leave 4 inches between the bottom and top of each trough.
I'll be using two additional 2x8's, also cut into 6 foot lengths, as the bottom of the troughs. This way I can have enough room for the strawberry roots to put holes in the pickets on each side.
I don't want strawberries hanging on the ground, so the bottom foot will be left open, giving 14 (not 15 as pictured) inches between the ground and the bottom of the last trough. I'll plant something under the trough just to use the space up.
The 1 inch diameter holes for the strawberries will run in lines centered two, and four, inches from the top of each picket, six inches apart. That should leave 3.5 inches of direct space between each hole, which I understand should be OK for strawberries. I could do 8 inches, which would leave a little over 4 inches (the recommended spacing), but I like the symmetry of each board foot being the same.
The opposite side of the will have the holes drilled in reverse. So, in the picture, the top hole is closest to the end. The other side, the bottom hole will be closest.
The only real problem I'm foreseeing right now is the medium (most likely to be home made Mel's Mix) drying out super fast. I'd like to avoid synthetic or woodchip mulch, so can I use hay or straw? I forget which is good, and which is mostly fluff without any nutrients left.
If I put chicken wire on one side, to make a sort of wall, so that from the other I can stuff something in there and be reasonably sure it will stay, what's the best thing to use?
