It amazes me how few home gardeners actually grow strawberries.
After all, how many people do you know who don't just love to
eat them? Strawberries are one of the top favorite fruits of
most people. Perhaps it is because many think that the
strawberry plant requires a lot of space, are very difficult to
grow, or that they are not promoted that much locally. Actually,
growing strawberries is not difficult once you learn a few vital
tips. They are about as easy as growing tomatoes, not that you
can't have problems, but that success is almost guaranteed if
you follow general guidelines.
Strawberries are labeled as bare root, June-bearing or short-day
cultivars, ever bearing and day-neutral. Strawberries are
planted 18 to 30 inches apart in rows 3 to 4 feet apart.
Strawberries want moist soil, but fast drainage, a tricky
combination for some gardeners to achieve. Strawberry plants
will not produce flower buds when night time temperatures remain
above 60F. So if you live in the South and have very high heat
nights in the spring and early summer, then Strawberries won't
work for you. Most other areas should be fine though. Unlike
commercial growers, home gardeners do not get a wide variety of
strawberry plants to choose from unless they order from a
catalog or online.
Plan to plant 20 to 25 plants for two people in your household.
Planted two inches apart, you can squeeze 15 to 20 strawberry
plants into one large 16-inch pot if space is a problem in your
garden. Within a month or so, strawberry plants will start
producing runners that produce the new daughter plants. These
new daughter plants are allowed to grow into a matted row up to
about 2 feet wide. For the first season, remove flowers as they
appear on strawberry plants. Thin out some of the smaller plants
so that the remaining plants are at least 6 inches apart each
way.
When all the weeds and extra plants have been removed,
spread a 1 inch layer of compost over the entire bed. By picking
the blooms the first year, one won't get any fruit, however it
allows them to get stronger roots and greatly multiplies the new
plants. The second year ones strawberry production will be huge!
By the third year your plants will quadruple and you may be over
run with strawberries.
Affected leaves or rotting fruit should be removed immediately
to prevent spread of any disease or fungus. Slow-release
fertilizers, such as Osmocote for fruits and vegetables, work
well for strawberries because they provide a constant supply of
food. Avoid high-nitrogen formulas, because they cause growth at
the expense of fruit. Hanging baskets filled with strawberries
not only look good, but allow the fruit to stay well clear of
the ground. A mature strawberry plant will yield about one quart
of fruit each season.
Soil for strawberry beds should be rich and well draining. When
planting strawberries keep their crowns above the soil line
otherwise they are susceptible to crown rot. Do not place crowns
too high above the soil line, because they will dry out. Build a
5 inch high cone of soil and compost in the center of the hole.
Drape the roots over the cone and fill the hole in with soil.
Take special care to set each plant so that its crown is just
half covered with soil. Then give each plant a pint of compost
tea to settle the soil and get growth off to a good start. To
cultivate a whole strawberry patch, keep a few things in mind: a
sloping spot often works best for perfect drainage, the soil
should not be alkaline, and rich organic matter added to the
soil gives rise to a plentiful crop.
Diseases that effect strawberries are botrytis, red stele,
yellows, or verticillium wilt. To reduce the risk of
strawberries acquiring diseases replant every few years. Red
stele and verticillium wilt are major diseases caused by fungi
which live in the soil. Spring bearing varieties with resistance
to these diseases and featuring high quality fruit include
Earliglow, Allstar, and Delmarvel.
The advantages of spring -
summer plantings are that they are more tolerant of soil
salinity and tend to have less leaf spot diseases than winter
plantings. The biggest benefit of growing your own strawberries
is allowing them to sun-ripen, so they are sweet and so much
better tasting than store bought. If one merely plants
strawberries and lets them grow, a fair amount of success will
be seen. On the other hand, if one follows the recommendations
above the results will be fantastic. Growing strawberries is one
of the more rewarding gardening endeavors, because not only are
they easy to grow and harvest, they are wonderful to eat. Look
at all those wonderful strawberry drinks and desserts that await
you!
About the Author:
Robert Schpok is an avid gardener who has used his gardening
skills to greatly enhance his culinary techniques and ability to
create great new recipes. Gain valuable insight and make cooking fun at
his newest site: Got-Eats
