Strawberries – the Overlooked Perennial

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 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. If you require a larger selection, the gardening section of Got-eats will provide you with some great sources.

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 follow 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. And, look at all those wonderful strawberry drinks and desserts that await you!