Strawberries are perhaps one of the most rewarding fruits that can be grown in your backyard. Deep red in color, juicy, sweet, and full of an irresistible aroma, they can make your garden simply transform into a haven of flavor and beauty. Still, growing strawberries does not come easy by planting and waiting. Good care must be exercised to have the fruits come in sweetly and abundantly. Here is a guide on how to raise strawberry plants and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Choosing the Right Variety
Before planting strawberries, pick the right variety for your garden. There are essentially three types of strawberries: June-bearing, everbearing, and day-neutral. June-bearers produce a crop in late spring or early summer. Everbearers yield two harvests-one in early summer, and another in the fall. Day-neutral produces flowers continuously throughout the growing season. Your climate, not to mention your own desire, will influence this selection.
Soil Preparation
Strawberries thrive on fertile soil with good drainage, preferably with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Get a soil test before planting to check on the pH level and add amendments if necessary. Mix in plenty of organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure to enhance fertility and drainage. Raised beds are particularly suitable for strawberries if your garden soil is heavy and prone to waterlogging.
Planting Tips
Plant your strawberries early spring after the danger of frost is over. The location preferably shall be sunny with six to eight hours of sun each day. Plant these at least 12–18 inches apart, with the same spacing between the rows in a distance of 24–30 inches. On planting, ensure that the crown shall be level with the top surface of the soil. Too deep planting causes the crown to rot while too shallow planting dries out the roots.
Watering for Success
Healthy strawberry plants require regular watering. Strawberries dry out rather easily since they have shallow roots. Hence, it needs 1-2 inches of water a week through rain or irrigation. It should also be watered in the morning so that by nightfall, the leaves should have dried up, so it won’t catch a fungal disease. Drip irrigation and soaker hoses are ideal since it can give the water directly into the roots without moistening the leaves.
Mulching to Add Moisture and Control Weed Sprout
There are a series of reasons sprinkling mulch around the strawberry plant is recommended: Mulch retains moisture content in soil, suppress weeds, and prevents the development of berry stains through splashing while watering or wetting down. Some effective mulch materials are straw, pine needles, or wood chips. Put an application layer of 2-3 inches on plant tops; avoid applying these types of covers over crowns.
Fertilizing to Have Maximum Harvest
Strawberries are high feeders and therefore need high inputs to have a good yield. Start balanced fertilizers like 10-10-10 at the time of planting and a single application after the initial harvest. Avoid overuse of fertilizers since the excessive nitrogen causes too much foliage growth, which compromises fruiting. Organic materials like compost or fish emulsion can also be a source of nutrient enrichment.
Pruning and Training
For June-bearing varieties, remove the flowers during the first few weeks of growth to encourage strong root and leaf development. Pinch off runners (long stems that develop new plants) to concentrate energy on fruit production unless you’re propagating new plants. Everbearing and day-neutral varieties can produce fruit in their first year, so minimal pruning is required.
Protecting Your Crop
One great favorite of strawberries besides for gardeners is the birds and slugs, so far as pests are concerned. Protect your crop from this by using bird netting or row covers when fruits are ripe. Scattering of crushed eggshells and diatomaceous earth helps in controlling slugs, always inspect plants for pest infestations and diseases and always remove any damaged or diseased leaves.
Timing Harvesting
Pick these fruits when they are absolutely red for the best flavors and textures, as strawberries fail to ripen once taken from the plant. Tilt your hand to capture the berry and gently twist the stem to avoid getting the berry bruised or damaged. Fruit harvest regularly helps the plants fruit more abundantly.
How to Overwinter Your Plants
It can literally mean the difference between life and death to strawberry plants when winter covers them in colder climates. Apply a layer of straw mulch or drape frost cloth over them before the first hard freeze. Remove the mulch when warm weather begins and growth starts in early spring.
Enjoy Your Sweet Rewards
Proper care will give the strawberry plants a good amount of very sweet, juicy berries. No matter who eats them fresh, using them on desserts, or preserved like jam, fresh strawberries from home always yield a taste that can simply not be beaten. Given these care secrets and making sure to follow them correctly, your garden can actually become nothing but a paradise for strawberries as you also enjoy its fruits well in the years ahead.