Beginner Gardening: Allstar Strawberry problem(?)?, 1 by Lisa42Tn

Lisa42Tn wrote:
I purchased an Everbearing Strawberry which is planted in the garden and doing great! The nursery (Needhams Nursery in Mt Juliet, Tn) was out of the Everbearing so I thought I'd just get this one, the Allstar. ** (They would have ordered it if I'd of asked. I name them because I think they are the best local nursery around!! Family owned/operated, VERY helpful, knows their products, employs some who need a 2nd chance, cooks for and feeds their employs and even rescues and cares for stray dogs!!). I decided to plant in a Strawberry pot on the deck. On Tues morning I found that one of the runners which was growing good had a black/dead area a short way up the runner. When I handled the runner, the spot where its black, snapped off. I took a pict of the area after laying the new growth back down. The reddish "dust" you see on the deck is actually ground red pepper. I started sprinkling it around the pots on the deck to keep the squirrels out. (So far its been working). I have no idea why the new growth on the runner broke off. I saw at the nursery, plants in regular hanging baskets with tons of runners hanging and they had strawberries. So I thought I didnt need to have the runners go through the small holes in the strawberry jar pot. Am I wrong?? Anyone know what happened?? This is the first time Ive planted strawberries. The 3rd pict is of the Everbearing planted in the garden. We put screen on the ground around the plant because a mole was coming up under the top cover and eating the berries. So far this has worked. But...I now have 2 runners on that plant. Do they need to have access to the dirt?? Or are they ok laying on the screen by the original/mother plant?? I appreciate any help or advice. Thanks. Have a good day. (Mt Juliet, Tn)