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One of the most popular of the berries, strawberries can be grown in every state. Because it can be so versatile, it is grown indoors as a houseplant or can border a flower garden or even on their own in beds.
If you have never grown strawberries before, or even if you are familiar with the plant, you can read these tips and figure out how to be a seasoned grower.
Laying in the Groundwork
You should being preparing for your strawberries as early as the previous fall. You should plow your soil in late fall to help dry out the soil faster in the spring. You should also plow into the soil fertilizer specifically for strawberries.
Once spring has come to the garden, till once more. If you’re making ‘mud balls’ the ground is still too wet to plant.
When planting, place a 14-inch valley to be able to walk around your strawberry plants to be able to pick the fruits. Plants can be grown in rows or some strawberries can be ‘clumped’ together in an X pattern, two then one then two. This allows the strawberry plants to spread out and make more berries per plant.
Planting Your Strawberries
Allow young plants to soak in water for 15 minutes before planting and let them stay in the water until you are ready to plant them. The extra water will help in the shock of transplanting and it won’t let the roots dry out while planting.
Keep any leaves out of the ground and set only as deep as the first leaf.
The trick with any plant is to spread the roots enough. For a quick trick, dig your small hole where you will plant, and at the bottom of the hole, make a little tennis ball sized clump of dirt and just squeeze it enough so it will take shape and stay together at the bottom of the hole. Place your strawberry plant on top of this ball of dirt but very gently twist the plant as you do so. This allows your roots to spread out like a fan. You really should to this with every plant you put into the ground, making the roots horizontal, not vertical strait into the ground.
The Growth of Plants and Berries
Once you’ve got your plants actually in the ground, you just let nature run its course. However, don’t let nature do all the work. There are certain things you can do to keep your plants healthy and growing plentiful fruit.
You might notice new leaves in as little as four to eight days, if the weather is just right. Strawberry plants will actually blossom in around 30 days. You’ll find new blossoms that quickly, which could turn into berries. However, if you want more berries and a better crop, you’ll ‘pinch’ off the blossoms and wait until the plant makes more. This will make for many more berries per plant and better fruit.
To pinch off a blossom, user your first finger and your thumb and squeeze the blossom stem, or even the whole flower stem, using your fingernail to cut through the stem. Whatever you do, don’t pull blossoms. Strawberries don’t generally have a strong hold on the ground and will come up if you pull on them.
Once the really warm weather has arrived, begin to add mulch to the plants to add the much needed ingredients. Use straw horse manure for best results, and make sure you get it 4 to 6 inches deep in the ground surrounding your strawberries.
Harvesting the Fruits of Your Labor
Once you’ve got berries growing in and filling out, you’ll be able to pick them about every other day. Don’t even worry about those bruised berries; they are so good for jams and jellies! Just separate them when harvesting. Pick out all the ripe berries though! Not just the large ones that looks tempting. You’ll want more berries later and picking more now will mean more later.
The trick to getting great berries is not to just pick the berry itself. Trying to pull the strawberry off the plant by holding onto the strawberry will only bruise the berry. Instead, cut the berry away by the stem. Avoid just pulling, as this might make a whole cluster of berries come up with it, and those might not be ripe yet.
Strawberries are a delight to add to any garden and the fruits are so delicious. Remember, you can always plant your own strawberries indoors as well. They make great houseplants and you can get berries all year long.
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