Categories: Gardening

Grow Strawberries in the Home Garden

Strawberries are a small fruit that can be successfully grown in the home garden. With recent fuel and economic concerns, growing food at home has become important. Here is what you need to know about growing strawberry plants in your home garden.

When selecting a site for planting strawberries, it’s important to avoid swampy soils and soils with poor drainage. The best soil to grow strawberries in would be a well-drained soil high in organic content with a good water-holding capacity. A sandy or otherwise quick drying soil can work provided you water often. Avoid growing strawberries in frost pockets to minimize spring frost injury to flowers.

Although strawberry plants can be planted any time during the growing season, spring is the best time to plant strawberries. With spring planting, the strawberry plants get planted during conditions that favor growth. The strawberry plants also have time to produce early runners. Studies have shown that daughter strawberry plants that develop earlier in the season fruit better the following year. A strawberry plant only fruits well for about the first two or three seasons, so plants that grow from strawberry plant runners are the future of your strawberry patch.

The best source of strawberry plants is from a reliable nursery. You want your strawberry plants to be healthy and disease free. Some nurseries sell strawberry plants in packs. Look for strawberry plants with white, healthy roots. Avoid plants with black or dark brown or soft roots. There are several varieties of strawberries; planting more than one variety of strawberry in the garden can extend the harvest. Avoid wild strawberry plants unless you are satisfied growing tiny fruit.

Although Strawberry plants grow best in soil with a pH of 6.0, they will tolerate a wide range of soil pH. When preparing the garden, add any compost, fertilizer, limestone, etc to the soil. A soil test can be purchased and used if you desire to know what your soil pH is.

When planting strawberry plants, care should be taken to improve the survival of the plants. In cases of bare root plants, avoid exposing the plant roots to the air for any length of time. Spread the roots out in the hole and fill the soil in around the roots. Root length of four to five inches is sufficient. Prune long roots rather than have them fold within the hole. Pack the soil lightly around the strawberry plants to eliminate air pockets. Planting depth of strawberries is so that all the roots are below the soil, yet the bud is above the soil. For plugs, loosen the roots that have begun to encircle the outside of the plug and be mindful of your planting depth. Be sure to water the transplanted strawberry plants after planting.

During the first year, take care to water the strawberry plants thoroughly to get them established. Times in which irrigation is important are in fall when the next season’s fruiting buds are forming and in spring as the young fruit are developing.

Winter mulch is important in colder climates. Research has found that if the crowns of the strawberry plants are exposed to too much cold, yields can be impacted. A mulch of straw or pine needles is desirable. A good source of straw mulch is recycling the straw bales Garden centers sell as a Halloween decoration. Mulch should be three inches deep. Delay mulching as long as possible; yet make sure mulch is applied before night temperatures reach 20 degrees or below. Leaves can be used in a pinch, but are undesirable, as they tend to blow away or compact over the plants. Pull back mulch away from the crowns of strawberry plants in spring when growth begins. Mulch can be left around the strawberry plants provided the mulch is pulled back from the crowns. The benefit of doing this is the fruit will rest on the mulch, resulting in a cleaner, disease free fruit.

If there is danger of spring frost, floating row cover can be placed over the plants during the night as a protection. Other options include sheets, blankets, five-gallon pails, etc. Make sure these are removed the following morning after it has started to warm.

Harvest time is determined by fruit color. Strawberry fruits continue to grow until the fruit is fully red, delay harvest of firm strawberry varieties until fruit are completely red. It may be necessary to pick softer varieties a bit earlier, but in most cases, the fruit will be eaten immediately so this is not a concern for the home gardener. A half-inch to inch of stem should remain on the fruit to enhance preservation. Strawberries do not store well and should be eaten within a week.

Maintain your strawberry plants by removing any plants that are old and have declined production. Thin out daughter plants when they become too crowded. Daughter plants can be transplanted into a new patch or used to replace old strawberry plants. With the proper care, your strawberry patch will reward you for many years.

Sources:
Personal experience
Research (UConn cooperative extension system)