Sorry to rain on your parade. The question is do you want your strawberry plants to produce strawberries or your roses to actually bloom? – because you can’t have both. Actually from a disease standpoint there’s no problem. Ph is where the rub comes in. Strawberries like a 4.8 to 5.2 Ph, and Roses require a neutral 6.5 to 7.0 Ph. Strawberries are going to really struggle at 6.5 and production will be minimal. The lowest Ph recommended for Roses is 5.5, and at that acidity they are really going to struggle. Under 5.5 and roses will have difficulty taking up phosphorous and other nutrients. This will cause under-developed blooms, yellowing of leaves, then browning and eventually death. At 6.0, strawberry production really starts to drop, and at 7.0, they stop producing. Whether you try to grow them together depends upon how close you can hold Ph at 5.5. With the cost involved in holding it there (Ph strips are Pricey), plus with the amount of work involved, I would not recommend it.

Thanks, hotwired! I appreciate the info. That’s exactly why I asked before I did. Novel approach, huh? For me it usually is. So I’ll look for something else to plant among the roses!

ah.. I was wondering the same thing when I read Snelrish’s post.. hotwired to the rescue again, thanks..

Onions are sensitive to highly acid soils and grow best when the pH is between 6.2 and 6.8. At 6.5, Strawberries pretty much start shutting down berry production. I’m not sure what your soil Ph is, but I would guess that One or the other would have a problem. Companion planting is primarily about compatible Ph and avoiding plants that share common diseases.

I’ve got 3500 plants and with the amount of work it takes to maintain that many, I want maximum production. I hold Ph as close to 5.0 as I can and make sure the runners are clipped. Last summer with 2300 producing plants, I think I harvested well over 1200 pounds, but I got busy and lost track after 800 pounds. I grow strawberries to trade for potatoes, onions, apples, peaches, and blueberries. I’m shooting for vegetable and fruit self-sufficiency. Next fall I’ll be growing tomatoes, lettuce, and herbs in the greenhouse, so I hope to be totally self-sufficient for fruits and vegetables. For me I try to keep Ph optimum for each plant, and maximize every square inch of space.