29 Jul What is the tabletop strawberry system?

Originally developed and widely used in the Netherlands and Belgium, the tabletop strawberry growing system which involves growing the strawberry plants on a raised trough.

Why Belgium and the Netherlands?

A reasonable question to ask but these factors made it obvious:

• With limited farmland it made high yielding production very attractive
• There was already wide experience of growing vegetables under polythene
• It mitigates and soil-borne diseases (which can badly affect strawberries)
• Longer growing seasons and better harvesting efficiencies

In the early 1970’s strawberry growers changed and adapted hydroponic (no soil but using nutrient-based liquid solutions) methods already used in growing vegetables, to be used in strawberry growing.

Moving on into the 1980’s, there was a move away from hydroponic systems and strawberry growers began to use raised containers, pots and gutters filled with peat which proved to be easier to manage than the hydroponics system.

In the 1990’s and ahead, the tabletop system was heavily used with the strawberry plants grown at waist height in a bed of peat or coir matting and a drip irrigation system was widely used.

PYO strawberries

It goes without saying that picking your PYO strawberries at waist height rather than crawling along the soil on all-fours, is a far more pleasant experience but, don’t expect all PYO farms to have this option due to:

Disadvantages of table top strawberry systems –

With all things, you have to balance out the advantages v disadvantages…

• There is a much higher set up cost for frames, guttering and irrigation
• The strawberry plants are fully dependant on irrigation – no water, no plant growth
• Nutrient management takes careful thought
• After a number of growing seasons, the supports/guttering may need replacing or deep cleaning

How does the table top system work?

• Raised gutters or troughs are mounted on metal legs at about waist height
• Growing substrate (typically coir or peat) supports the roots instead of field soil
• Drip irrigation supplies water and dissolved fertiliser directly to each plant
• The system is often installed inside polytunnels or greenhouses to protect fruit from rain, frost, and pests

Advantages of the tabletop strawberry growing method

• The fruit is cleaner fruit because berries don’t touch the soil
• Strawberry picking is much easier – great for any PYO farms
• There are less soil-borne diseases and weeds
• Water and fertiliser use is far more efficient
• Less fruit wastage and better yields

This cultivation system has become widely adopted by commercial strawberry growers due to its ability to enhance fruit quality and improve harvesting efficiency. Studies have also demonstrated that, when properly managed, tabletop systems consistently produce high-quality fruit with a high percentage of marketable strawberries.