There is something magical about the first strawberries of summer. They provide a sensation which no grocery store can match and I firmly believe every person should experience them once in their lives.
Imagine walking out to your garden, mid-morning, enjoying the soft grass under your feet as a nearly imperceptible breeze wisps through your hair, birds singing to each other. You look down, keeping an eye out for new shoots and sprouts when you spot it; the most beautiful red gem hidden in a sea of green leaves. The first ripened strawberry of the season is here! Tentatively, you take a bite and are overwhelmed with sensation. Its flesh is warm, juicy, and sweet. The sun having brought the fruit to its peak of nutrition and you were able to experience it in a way you never have before.
That might sound dramatic, but I am being serious when I say a freshly-picked, sun-ripened strawberry could possibly change your life.
The strawberries we find at the stores are still delightful (usually), unfortunately they pale in comparison – literally, to a home grown strawberry. Grocery store strawberries are usually picked slightly under ripe to allow for easier transportation, be more durable and shelf-stable than one picked once fully ripened. You will notice the tops and core of the berry are still pale to white. A berry is picked too soon is one which will never fully ripen.
The difference in flavor, color, and aroma is so dramatic, it is honestly difficult to go back to a store bought berry. In this post, I’m hoping to give you some tips and tricks to growing strawberries at your own home.
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June-Bearing vs EverBearing
We grow strictly June-Bearing strawberry plants at this time. Generally speaking, the June-Bearing varieties will produce larger, more abundant fruit, and more runners.
Varieties include:
- Jewel
- Allstar
- Eversweet
- Seascape
An EverBearing strawberry will provide you with two to three crops: one in late spring, one in summer, and one in early fall.
Varieties include:
- Sequoia
- Chandler
Both types, if planted in ideal conditions, should give you berries for 3-5 years! Even more wonderful, you will have a continuous supply of new daughter plants to replenish older ones.
Planting Tips
We do have most of our strawberries located in our Back to Eden-style garden beds. (Not familiar with Back to Eden gardening? Check out more on it here!) The only issue I have with planting them directly into the ground is how quickly they spread. Strawberries spread predominantly through sending out runners and creating daughter plants. If you don’t strictly manage them, they will quickly take over an area!
I don’t know that it really causes an issue for us, as I will dig up the extra strawberry plants or any ones that have gotten out of their ‘zone’ and sell them on our farm’s social media page in the spring. It’s a great way to keep the bed thin and provides us with a little extra cash to reinvest in other projects!
Each spring, I like to lightly fertilize the strawberry beds with an organic berry fertilizer mixture. I used to lightly top dress with a cold manure, such as rabbit or goat manure, but since we no longer have those animals on the farm, I’ve been solely using the Epsoma Organic Berry-Tone fertilizer and have had great results!
Where to plant?
I have several locations around our farm that you can find those delicious red gems. My theory in having them so far spread out is that having many locations should (in theory) allow me to bring in and preserve at least some of the berry harvest! Alas, between my boys raiding the patches every morning for breakfast and the occasional rogue chicken feasting on my prized berries… this theory hasn’t played out as well as I had hoped.
Generally, it is said that strawberries grow best in sandy, rich soil. Good drainage and full sun are a good combination for happy strawberry plants.
We have grown strawberries in raised beds before, with good success. I prefer metal beds that I fill with a mixture of yard waste, compost, topsoil, and mulch. This has a benefit of keeping the strawberries in a more defined location than having them directly into the ground. There is usually less weed pressure in raised beds, which is always a bonus. The downside to raised beds would be they generally dry out faster and need watered more frequently. (They also make the berries easier to spot for hungry little boys!)
How to plant?
Plant your berries in early to mid spring, when the soil has thawed and is dry enough to work in. Wherever you buy your plants from (hopefully from US!), you want to make sure the roots are not dark brown and dried or be contaminated with mold.
Dig a hole deep and wide enough for the roots to spread out, and cover the roots completely while leaving the crown fully exposed.
Each plant should be about 18 inches apart (remember they will fill in as they send out runners and daughter plants). During their first year of planting, it is recommended to pinch off any flowers to encourage healthy root growth and allow the plants to get established well in their new home.
Keep the beds weeded well, however, we generally very rarely have to weed our beds since we use the Back to Eden method and have allowed them to fill in so much. The weeds don’t usually have an opportunity to take root.
Strawberries do well if watered deeply once to twice a week in hot weather – especially if they’re producing fruit. If the fruit gets dehydrated while growing it will at best reduce the size and flavor or at worst, cause the berry to shrivel and die off.
Container Gardening
I have seen many Pinterest-worthy photos of gardeners having their berries in beautiful hanging baskets or containers, but unfortunately, I have not been able to sustain this long-term or have them produce good enough yields to personally recommend growing them in that way. If you have very limited space, I don’t say this to discourage you! Only that I am not able to be a good resource for that.
Winter Care
Once the weather dips back down into mid-late fall, you will want to lightly cover your beds with organic matter to help insulate and protect them from the cold. I prefer to use grass clippings or chopped leaves but even wood chips will work.
Depending on how much of your insulation layer has lasted through the winter, you may need to lightly rake off some of it to allow the plants to get sunlight and help them leaf out. (Sometimes more debris can be blown onto your plants over winter or your mulch blown off!) Keep an eye out after the first few warm sunny days of spring to see if any small leaves have started to pop out.
Do you grow your own strawberries? Please share any tips or tricks you have learned along the way!