I'm new to gardening and would like to grow strawberries. What do I need to know and do to have a good crop in the spring? I would like to plant close to 50 plants. Advise for prepping soil, plant food, keeping bugs out, anything that may come into play. Any tips are much appreciated.
Thanks
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brandon558
- Cool Member
- Posts: 81
- Joined: Thu May 12, 2011 5:31 pm
- Location: North Carolina
Hi Brandon.
Strawberries.
Soil.
Get as good and as light a soil as you can. Plenty of organic material into it and try and make sure you have removed all the perannual weed roots out before you plant. These are the very devil to remove once you have planted your crop.
If your soil is heavy...clat etc. plant onto raise ridges so that you get good drainage. Strawberries are pretty hardy but they do object to water logging.
Buy the best quality plants that you can.
If you want to get a good crop in the first year then they must have good crown size. That's the small lump at the top of the roots from which the leaves and fruiting stalks grow.
Plant either in time for the roots to settle before the winter sets in or leave the planting until the early spring.
Incorperate a good base fert with the planting soil. Blood and bone meal etc.
Once they are growing strongly next spring remove any runners that start to form They would take the strength out of the plant for heavy cropping. You can always let them runner up on year two when they are much stronger.
Try to keep the strawberries themselves off the ground with straw or similar as this willhelp prevent rotting.
After cropping keep the ground clear of old dead litter for the same reason.
If you suffer from late frosts do not straw up the plants until you are sure the risk has gone.
The straw acts as an insolater and keeps the soils warmth from protecting the strawberries. Exactly the opposite to what you think it would do.
Hope that helps s little.
Strawberries.
Soil.
Get as good and as light a soil as you can. Plenty of organic material into it and try and make sure you have removed all the perannual weed roots out before you plant. These are the very devil to remove once you have planted your crop.
If your soil is heavy...clat etc. plant onto raise ridges so that you get good drainage. Strawberries are pretty hardy but they do object to water logging.
Buy the best quality plants that you can.
If you want to get a good crop in the first year then they must have good crown size. That's the small lump at the top of the roots from which the leaves and fruiting stalks grow.
Plant either in time for the roots to settle before the winter sets in or leave the planting until the early spring.
Incorperate a good base fert with the planting soil. Blood and bone meal etc.
Once they are growing strongly next spring remove any runners that start to form They would take the strength out of the plant for heavy cropping. You can always let them runner up on year two when they are much stronger.
Try to keep the strawberries themselves off the ground with straw or similar as this willhelp prevent rotting.
After cropping keep the ground clear of old dead litter for the same reason.
If you suffer from late frosts do not straw up the plants until you are sure the risk has gone.
The straw acts as an insolater and keeps the soils warmth from protecting the strawberries. Exactly the opposite to what you think it would do.
Hope that helps s little.
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CharlieBear
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 588
- Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2011 5:19 pm
- Location: Pacific NW
You didn't say how big an area you want to plant or what type of strawberries. There are june bearing, day neutral (also called everbearing) and the lower sugar annual types grown in Cal. and Fl. for shipping. Which you chose will help determine what you do. Also I would check with your state extention to find out which varieties grow best in the various catagories where you are. There are lots and lots of cultivars out there and not all will do well for you.
As for general info in strawberry planting and care I would recommend
www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-46.pdf
As for general info in strawberry planting and care I would recommend
www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-46.pdf