We’ll soon be approaching strawberry season, the time of year where the red berry is ripe and ready for harvesting, making for a sweet addition to a number of plates. From crumbles to cheesecakes, or even paired with some Greek yoghurt, there’s no shortage of ways to enjoy the berry.

They’re also an easy plant to grow, and there’s still plenty of time left this month to add them to your garden before harvesting them over the summer, and can be added to even the tiniest of spaces. Growing in pots, window boxes and even hanging baskets, the plant needs at least six hours of direct sunlight a day, and frequent watering depending on where they’re planted, and the soil. Preferring fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic soil, there’s one thing you should be adding to this to ensure your strawberries taste extra sweet this year.

Gardeners have been advised to add wool to strawberry plants to help them taste better and keep them hydrated as they come into season.

Any old wool won’t work for this however, and if looking to add this to your plants, you need to make sure you have a specific type of wool.

Horticultural wool is commonly used in gardens to retain moisture in the soil and even prevent slugs and snails from getting to plants. Made from sheep’s wool, it’s also a naturally biodegradable material that keeps plants protected.

The wool is also rich in nitrogen, potassium and phosphate, which influence how strawberries taste. While too much can actually affect the taste of the berry, the wool releases this into the soil slowly, making for a healthy plant.

To prevent strawberries from becoming dehydrated, and losing their flavour, simply add a layer of wool around the plant. This will act as a mulch, regulating the soil and helping regulate water retention.

It’s not just good for the flavour either. Wool can actually keep the plant protected from garden pests like slugs and snails, as they find the texture unpleasant to climb over, and it even suppresses weeds.