What do strawberries like

These will be highly productive but will also produce runners; pinch off the early runners to improve fruit production. After fruiting has finished these runners should all be removed along with any old or diseased leaves. Make sure the crown of the plant has not become buried by the mulch. The plants should be fed with compost and fresh mulch applied.

They will then crop again the following year but not as heavily. Bed 2: If there is room in the garden, Bed 2 should be planted with the largest and healthiest runners from Bed 1. This will be more productive than Bed 1 when they crop the following season. Bed 3: Repeat the process again in following years. It is time after cropping twice to remove Bed 1 altogether as it will be exhausted; a 3 rd crop is not usually worthwhile in terms of return. It is best to remove the plants and compost them.

For disease control, practice crop rotation and do not plant strawberries again in this bed for a few years. Bed 3 can be created with the runners from Bed 1 or 2 in this season. This method of growing strawberries will give you abundant crops of strawberries from your initial purchase. Slugs and snails can also seriously affect the crop so place snail traps in the bed.

The sides of raised beds can be sprayed with a snail and slug repellent such as Escar-Go to prevent access or protected with Copper Tape.

Fungal problems such as grey mould and black spot are common in humid weather; regular use of a Natrakelp seaweed spray will help. These restrictions are very important as they prevent the spread of plant pests and diseases. Read our Guide on Growing Everbearing Strawberries.

Considerations on how you plan to use your strawberries also come into play when determining which type to buy and plant. If you want to can or preserve your harvest, it is easiest to accomplish your goals with the larger size and quantity that come from June-bearing strawberries. Not all strawberry varieties are created equally. Strawberries are temperate by nature and can be finicky as to what makes them happy. So, thanks to decades of dedicated breeding programs, scores of specialized strawberry varieties have been developed and released.

The most generally-adapted cultivars have become quite popular , but the popular varieties might not be the best choice for your location.

To be sure you get an appropriate variety, check the recommended varieties for your area and choose one suitable to your locale. You may also want to extend your growing season by choosing early-, mid-, and late-season varieties. Doing so can extend your harvesting period as follows:. And, if you have garden space, you might want to consider growing some novelty or specialty strawberries. Pineberries are the latest to spark wide-spread interest due to their white color, red seeds, and pineapple taste.

Also, this season is also expected to be the first prominent one for the brand-new Purple Strawberries not-GMO. And, absolutely no strawberry variety tops the classic and diminutive Alpine varieties for sheer taste and aroma for specialty and gourmet recipes. The possibilities are almost endless! If you are completely at a loss for where to start, you can always call your local Cooperative Extension and ask them for recommendations. They can give you more specific information on which strawberries grow well in your area.

As new and improved strawberry cultivars are also introduced each year, your Cooperative Extension can also clue you in to any new developments or local suppliers where you can find a good cultivar for your area. Another factor to consider when picking a strawberry plant variety is susceptibility to Verticillium fungus. This fungus causes the most common strawberry disease, Verticillium wilt or Verticillium rot , which will end fruit production by killing growing strawberries.

Since there is no practical way to kill the fungus once infection sets in, this prevalent disease is best prevented by obtaining and planting strawberry plant varieties that are certified to be resistant to Verticillium wilt.

Once you settle on growing a strawberry plant variety, you need to get your plants. There are numerous catalogs and nurseries from which you can buy certified, healthy plants. With the proliferation of online suppliers, getting specific strawberry plants to grow has never been easier!

Part of learning how to grow strawberries is picking the right amount of plants to begin your patch. If you buy too many, you might be overwhelmed. If you buy too few, you might be frustrated with the lack of berries when you need them.

Before you order, be sure to think about and study up on what you are going to need. Once you have settled on the type, variety, and quantity of strawberry plants, all that is left is to get the best possible deal on plants.

Just go to the Buy Strawberry Plants or Buy Strawberry Seeds page, find the variety you would like to order and take a look at the listed stores to see which one offers you the best deal. Choosing an area conducive to growing strawberries is a critical step in learning how to grow strawberries.

There are several factors that need to be considered when selecting a site for your strawberry garden. First, strawberries love sunlight and need full sun to produce the largest yields. While harvestable berries will be produced with as little as six hours of direct sun a day, it is best to select a site that is clear of other tall or shadow-casting trees or plants. Second, there are several soil issues that should be addressed. While they are able to be grown in most soil conditions, strawberries prefer a sandy loam that is deep and contains very high amounts of organic matter.

Extra compost, peat moss, and some sand or grit can be added to your selected site to create the best environment for growing strawberries. Potting soils usually have sufficient compositions if you are planning on planting strawberries in a container.

In that case, add an extra inch or two of fresh compost to the surface of the potting mix. The history of the dirt patch is also important to your success in growing strawberries. If other Verticillium -susceptible crops have been grown in the same area during the last three years, it is best to choose a different site. The most common of these plants are tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, and strawberries. If these plants or melons, okra, mint, bush or bramble fruits, stone fruits, chrysanthemums, and roses have been grown in the same spot recently within 5 years , it is best to grow your strawberry plants elsewhere.

Third, it is important to pick a site that has good soil drainage and surface drainage. Although strawberry plants need constant moisture to thrive, the plants will rot if left in standing water due to poor site drainage. If you only have access to a site that has poor drainage or heavy soils, constructing a raised bed for the strawberry plants should facilitate better drainage. The strawberry bed should be elevated, at minimum, six to eight inches.

Also, make sure there are drainage holes in the bottom if you are using container gardening methods. Strawberries do not perform well in drought conditions either.

Therefore, be sure to select a site that will allow easy access so that it can be watered if rainfall is not adequate. You can also grow strawberries inside hydroponics. When growing strawberries, it is important to keep in mind that they are traditionally grown as perennials. So, even though some varieties can be grown as annuals in the hotter parts of the south, better results are usually obtained when the strawberry plants are planted in one year and nurtured for bigger yields in subsequent years.

Various planting systems are used for growing strawberries depending on which type you plant. As discussed in the Strawberry Varieties page, the three types of strawberries are June-bearing strawberries, ever-bearing strawberries, and day-neutral strawberries.

June bearing strawberry plants are most often planted using the matted row system while day neutral strawberry plants and ever-bearing strawberry plants are usually planted in a hill system also called the mound or mounding system.

These two systems usually yield the best crops. However, spaced row systems, single hedgerow systems, and double hedgerow systems are also used.

The matted row system for growing strawberries is most commonly used for June bearing varieties, and it works well for any cultivar that sends out a lot of runners. To grow strawberries with this system, set plants about 24 inches apart 18 to 30 inches is acceptable in rows about 4 feet apart. Allow runners to spread freely and root at will within the row to form a crisscrossed, matted row about 24 inches wide.

The matted row system of growing strawberries will produce the largest number of strawberries, but the quality of individual berries is rarely equal to the quality of berries grown with the hill system. Here is a diagram of how to use the matted row system to grow strawberries:. The hill system for growing strawberries is most commonly used for day neutral strawberries and everbearing strawberries. Extend this mound into a row as long as you like.

Set two rows of plants per hill in a staggered pattern with each plant being 12 inches from the other plants. Multiple rows are spaced 4 feet apart. All runners are removed from every strawberry plant in the hill system as soon as they are identified. Removing the runners causes all the productive capacity of the mother plants to remain with the mother plants. This energy will result in additional lateral crowns adjacent to the original crown and more flower stalks for fruiting.

There are two modified versions of the hill system: the single hedgerow and the double hedgerow also called the spaced-row system. These systems are the same as the hill system except that some runners are permitted. In the single hedgerow system, each strawberry plant is allowed to root two additional runner plants.

The double hedgerow permits several runners to root. All runner plants in this system should be spaced at least 4 inches away from other plants 5 to 7 inches is better. Once you have decided where you will be growing strawberries, you need to prepare your garden for planting strawberries. If your site is sod-covered, it is best to cultivate and till the area the year before you want to plant your strawberries to eliminate competing grasses. When possible, it is best to grow a green manure crop the year before you want to begin growing strawberries to improve soil quality oats, sudan grass, and rye are all excellent for this.

When you are ready to plant your berry plants, you should, to the best of your ability, ensure that the site is free of weeds, grubs, and any soil-borne diseases. Once any sod or grass is gone, work two to three inches of compost into the top layer of soil. Peat, compost, or aged straw and manure are good options. Additionally, organic or inorganic fertilizer can further improve soil quality by being worked down to six inches.

In order to grow strawberries most effectively, the soil needs to be slightly acidic. Strawberry plants will grow in dirt that has a pH between 5. Soil test kits are available online and through garden supply stores. Before planting strawberries, you should test your soil and amend it as indicated to create the best possible environment for growing strawberries.

Common amendments are lime and manure. If test results show that lime is needed, it should be applied prior to planting the strawberry plants and tilled in thoroughly with the soil. Compost or aged manure from cows or horses is also added, usually at a rate of 2 to 5 bushels per square feet. Learning how and when to properly plant strawberries is an important step in learning how to grow strawberries. Fortunately, it is fairly easy! This guide is tailored to the typical home gardener who plants an entire garden, including strawberry plants, in the spring.

For spring planting, as soon as the soil is dry and able to be worked usually March or April , you should plant your strawberries. The plants need to be well-established before the temperatures rise in the summer months. When you are ready, loosen and pulverize the dirt down six to eight inches, and keep it loose to allow runners to take hold and roots to establish. You should have disease-free, healthy plants ready to plant. If picking them yourself, choose plants that have large crowns with healthy, light-colored roots.

If you ordered them, open the package immediately and inspect them. If moldy, send the strawberry plants directly back. Planting strawberry plants should be done on a cloudy or overcast day or during the late afternoon.

How to plant strawberries: dig out a hole big enough to spread out the roots of each strawberry plant. In the bottom of the hole, create a mound or hill of soil that is flush with the surrounding soil level. Put the strawberry plant on top of the hill inside the hole so that the crown is at soil level and spread the roots out down the sides of the hill.

Fill in the hole and ensure that the soil level is even with the middle of the crown. Planting too shallow may cause the roots to dry out before they establish, and planting too deep can also damage growing strawberries. See the figure below for proper crown placement. Once the plants are planted, press to firm the soil around the roots and then water thoroughly. There are two main scenarios gardeners typically encounter when deciding to order plants.

They either obtain plants that are actively growing either in pots or as plug plants , or they buy dormant bare root strawberries. The potted plants usually have a head start on the dormant plants and will grow more quickly, but they are typically significantly more expensive. For the same price as two or three potted plants, one can often obtain bare root plants. Plug plants are in the middle of the cost spectrum, but they are still usually more expensive than the bare root strawberries.

Planting each is slightly different. Secondly, here is a video demonstration of how to plant bare root strawberry plants. Once the plants are in the ground, it is important to create an environment that is most conducive to growing strawberries. Mulching is a time-honored method for making the growing strawberries happy.

Pine needles are a good choice as they slightly raise the acidity of soil as they decompose. Mulching also keeps the soil temperature down, mitigates the weed problem, and keeps the fruit cleaner by keeping the strawberries off of the dirt.

Most varieties of strawberries produce better when their roots are in cooler soil. However, delaying gratification now can result in higher quantities of strawberries later.

Additionally, it is important to treat June-bearing strawberries differently than everbearing strawberries and day-neutral strawberries. All types of strawberry plants will produce better in subsequent years if all their energies are devoted to establishing themselves and producing healthy runner plants in the first year.

To accomplish this requires a feat of delayed gratification. To have the strongest plants in subsequent years, you have to remove all the flower buds in year one. Few people do this, but most should.

For June bearing varieties, you can train the runners to follow a specific pattern, or you can allow them relative freedom in a matted row system. In general, all strawberry plants will produce best when limited to a density of approximately five plants per square foot.

Too many strawberry plants will have the same effect as weeds would: reduced yields of smaller strawberries. Of course, any and all weeds should be removed.

For day neutral and everbearing strawberry plants, the removal of buds and runners should occur until July 1 st of year one. Instead, they focus their energy on producing multiple strawberry harvests. You may end up getting a small harvest with everbearing or day-neutral varieties, depending on your climate. The main harvest will come in the second year when all mother plants and all the runners which were well-rooted before August will produce strawberries! Growing strawberry plants require a constantly moist environment, so regular watering is needed.

To have the most success growing strawberries, at least an inch of water should be provided to the plants either through rainfall or direct supplemental. Slugs and snails Strawberries are prone to attack from slugs and snails.

Putting straw around the fruit can keep them at bay, or you can try other organic pest control methods. Birds Birds, especially blackbirds, love strawberries. Cover fruits with secure netting to prevent them getting at the fruits.

Grey mould Grey mould can be a problem on strawberries, especially in wet weather. Just as your fruits are beginning to ripen, the mould a fungus called botrytis can ruin them. Small brown spots form on the skin, then spread over the whole fruit, turning it soft and brown. As the fruit deteriorates, a fuzzy grey layer of mould develops. Water plants in the morning rather than in the evening to give them time to dry out and take care not to splash water onto the fruit when watering.

Also keep the soil around your plants clear the fungus survives on plant debris and remove any damaged fruits to prevent the problem spreading. If the leaf surfaces have a white, powdery look in summer, this is powdery mildew. It can be a problem in hot, dry weather. Keep the soil moist and remove any affected leaves promptly. Space out your plants to avoid over-crowding and to improve air flow. Remove weeds, as they can spread the fungus.

Strawberries are hardy plants, but a late frost in May can damage growth. If possible, put a layer of fleece over your plants if frost is forecast, or move pots under cover. Vine weevil can be a particular problem for strawberries growing in pots. The adults create notches in the leaves but t he most serious damage is caused by the larvae which live in the compost and eat the roots, weakening growth and often ultimately killing the plants.

The first time you notice a problem may be when the plants wilt, collapse and die. Adult vine weevils can be caught by hand and squashed. The best solution is to buy a biological control to kill the larvae. This is best applied in late summer and autumn. Verticillium wilt is a soil-borne fungal disease that can affect strawberries.

It causes sudden wilting, stunted growth and reddish yellow leaf margins. Prevention is better than cure — avoid growing strawberries on ground where you have previously grown other plants that are also prone to the disease, including chrysanthemums, potatoes, aubergines and tomatoes, and ensure that your soil is well drained.

If you spot signs of the disease avoid treading on the soil, which may transfer it to other plants via your footwear — stand on a board or plank. Varieties that are more resistant to verticillium wilt are available; plant them in a different part of the garden. Strawberries can be eaten in a number of ways: alone, with cream, and as ingredients in a smoothies, cakes and other desserts. Damp strawberries will quickly go mouldy, so only wash what you can eat and blot them dry on kitchen paper.

Hull remove the green calyx them before using them — just slice it off with a knife. Some varieties are suitable for freezing. You can also see some of our tried-and-tested gardening tools below, with a selection of great kit for planting and support. Browse the fantastic range of fully mature hardy perennials, shrubs, ferns, grasses and bulbs to create a spectacular garden to enjoy all year round. Use code: GW Kick start the festive season and get in touch with your creative side with our minute online class on creating Christmas wreaths with natural materials.