How to make a pyramid bed for strawberries with your own hands, dimensions and cultivation

Strawberries (garden strawberries) deservedly enjoy popular love and recognition. But the usual beds, albeit hung with large fruits, will no longer surprise anyone. Summer residents and gardeners often think about combining functionality, productivity and decorativeness of plantings. And a spectacular pyramid for growing any variety of strawberries will be the right choice.

What is a pyramid bed?

This is a multi-tiered structure in the shape of a pyramid made of different materials, be it stone, boards, slate and even old car tires. The base of the future structure is laid out with dense agrofibre or reinforced mesh. And the tiers of the pyramid are built on the prepared foundation. It can be square, rectangular, round and even triangular. It depends on the gardener's imagination.

After installing each block, it is filled with soil, compacted and spilled generously several times with water. Only after the soil stops subsiding is the next block placed on the surface. Moreover, each next tier should be 40-50 centimeters smaller than the previous one.

Advantages and disadvantages of planting strawberries using this method

Flaws:

1. A waste of time, materials, physical effort, and a large amount of substrate to create a pyramid bed.
2. It is necessary to pay more attention than usual plantings. Strawberries in a pyramid bed require increased subtlety of agricultural technology.
3. It is necessary to water more often than strawberries planted in the soil.
4. Uneven drying of soil across tiers.
5. In winter, the upper tiers are more susceptible to the influence of low temperatures and winds.
6. For the southern regions, high pyramids are dangerous due to the rapid drying out of the soil in the summer and burns of the berries. Such a bed needs shading.
7. There is a danger of soil subsidence or washout.

Advantages:

1. Convenience. It is more convenient and enjoyable to pick berries in a pyramid garden. Plus, it is easier to visually detect ripe fruits.
2. High decorative properties - it is a real decoration of the site and an object of admiration for guests and neighbors.
3. Good space saving, ability to get more berries using less space.
4. The bed can be used for planting strawberries together with other crops. Bright and healthy when combined with herbs or fragrant flowers.

The choice of materials and the mechanism for constructing a pyramid with your own hands. Sizes are always important!

What size to choose, first of all, is decided by the gardener himself. It is necessary to take into account the area of ​​the site, the number of tiers in the future pyramid and the materials from which it will be created. Building a pyramid that is too small will be ineffective and unsightly. And vice versa - too large dimensions will turn the pyramid into a bulky structure that is simply difficult to maintain.

It is important that the distance from the edge of the lower tier to the beginning of the next one is, on average, 50 centimeters. Otherwise, there simply won’t be enough space for the strawberries to form a beautiful, powerful bush. The plantings will be thickened, and this can cause fungal diseases.

Tiers made of stone

One of the most beautiful variants of pyramids. You can create not just a vertical bed, but a real multi-tiered rock garden! The construction technology does not differ from the basic one, only more attention needs to be paid to the selection of stones and soil preparation. Otherwise, at the time of watering, the pyramid may slide sideways, unable to withstand the weight of the stones.

It looks incredibly decorative if, after planting the strawberries, you cover the soil with dense, white agrofibre, on which small pebbles are sprinkled in a small layer. Preferably a different color than the color of those from which the tiers are formed. Then it will be a real vertical rock garden.

Tire bed

A pyramid bed can be created from old car tires.You can, of course, use new ones, but this is for big dacha lovers! It’s quick, the pyramid is assembled from ready-made blocks – tires. Old tires have their tops cut off. According to the shape of the future structure, a hole is dug at half the height of the tire and the first tier is laid out. The soil is filled in and the whole procedure is repeated again.

But this option creates the impression of artificiality; such a pyramid is unlikely to fit into a flourishing and harmonious garden plot.

Pyramid of plastic pots. We choose only beautiful ones!

Beautiful plastic or clay pots can also serve as building material for the pyramid. They are covered with soil and lined up on top of each other, tier by tier. But this design is not stable enough. It is advisable to make a wide base from a sufficient number of pots.

From boards and boxes. Do it, do it

A pyramid made from a natural material such as wood will be truly decorative and harmoniously fit into any landscape. The width of the board is 20-25 centimeters, the length can vary from 1.5 to 2.5 meters. At the preparatory stage, the selected boards must be thoroughly sanded. Then squares—the blocks of the pyramid—are knocked together or fastened together using metal corners and self-tapping screws.

Moreover, the length of the boards of each next tier is 50 centimeters shorter than the previous one. Further options for work may be different - effective treatment with alkyd colored varnish (rosewood, cypress, walnut). It is possible to use transparent glossy acrylic varnish, decorate using the decoupage technique or regular painting.

You can make a pyramid from wooden boxes by sanding and varnishing them.The construction technology is the same as that of a pyramid made from car tires.

Made from alucobond panels

The advantage of Alucobond aluminum panels is the availability of selecting the desired color. It is important not to choose dark colors so that the garden bed does not overheat in summer. The technology is similar to creating a pyramid for strawberries from boards. But it will serve as a more durable option.

How to plant strawberries in a pyramid bed

Planting in a pyramid bed is no different from planting in soil. If the soil is compacted tightly, loosen it with a spatula. Then we directly plant the seedlings. ZKS seedlings (with a closed root) in pots are planted at the same depth at which they grew in the container. OKS strawberries (with open root) are planted so that the heart is at ground level.

Selection of varieties

The most important point when creating vertical beds is the correct choice of varieties. Planting decorative flowering hybrids - Tuscany, Florian, Tarpan, Ruby Ann - will create an exquisite landscape masterpiece. The beautiful blooming of pink and red, semi-double flowers is unforgettable.

The alternation of strawberries with small-fruited alpine strawberries looks beautiful. When choosing varieties for planting in a pyramid, the emphasis should be on remontant varieties (neutral daylight). Such strawberries will ensure an uninterrupted supply of berries until frost. It is advisable to choose plants with medium vigor. For example, repair Strawberry variety Murano.

Nuances of caring for strawberries

In order for the strawberry pyramid to live up to its expectations, it needs to be looked after regularly. Water, loosen, remove weeds, fertilize, treat against diseases and pests.

Watering

The most effective way would be to lay a drip irrigation tape in tiers or install sprinklers.But careful watering using a garden hose is also acceptable.

Loosening the soil and weeding strawberries

It is important to loosen regularly so that the soil in the beds does not cake. Weeds need to be controlled at the initial stage, before they enter the active growth phase. And the roots did not get confused with the strawberry roots.

Feeding

Fertilizing is no different from fertilizing strawberries growing in the ground. With the growth of green mass - more nitrogen (N), before flowering and during fruiting - more phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). One important point is that in the presence of decorative hybrids, it is necessary to focus specifically on potash fertilizers. This will ensure brightness, depth, and abundance of flowering.

Shelter for the winter

Covering such a bed for the winter is not difficult when using agrofibre. Multi-tiered pyramids need to be covered especially carefully; they will primarily be in the winter risk zone. No film, otherwise in the spring the planting procedure will have to be carried out again.