June 11 , 2007

Today sure is a great day to go strawberry picking! Berries have been kissed by the sun the last couple of weeks and are bright, delicious and ready to eat. Strawberry picking is a fun experience, but depending on how many berries you want it can be a tad difficult. There are many berry picking farms in the area you can pick from or you can grow your own.

Strawberries grow best in a sunny area with good drainage. There are two main types of strawberries, June-bearing and Everbearing. The June-bearing type yields a single, heavy crop for a couple weeks, usually beginning in June. Everbearing produces throughout the season, but in smaller amounts. Both types are delicious and grow 6-12” tall and wide. When planting either kind, plant in rows 12 inches apart. Strawberry plants develop runners, which will sprout new plants.  Remove all flowers that develop the first year to increase plant vigor, which will promote earlier and better runner production and a greater yield the following year. They do have a shallow root system and require one inch of moisture weekly. When selecting a site for your strawberries, select a site that has not been planted with potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, or eggplant within the previous two years to prevent against diseases. Fertilize in early July and in early August with an 8-10-8 fertilizer. In the fall, cover with 3-4 inches of straw mulch before the soil is frozen hard. If necessary, put wire over straw to keep in place. Remove in spring when temperatures turn warm. Leave straw in the middle of the rows for weed prevention and moisture retention

Strawberries can also be grown in containers throughout the summer and mulched in the ground for the winter. That way you can enjoy strawberries right off your patio. 

It definitely sounds easier to buy strawberries at the store, but you will taste the difference in the strawberries you have put a little work into. Enjoy your strawberries!

Happy Gardening!

Horticultural Advisor

Wendy Jasper

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