With the exception of those unfortunate few who are allergic to them, who doesn’t absolutely love strawberries? Kids love ‘em right off the plant and if you have some in your yard – strawberries, not kids – I’m sure you’ll find the kids grazing on them from time to time. I can think of one extraordinary child whose favorite food in the whole, wide world is strawberry waffles!
While strawberries are indeed a huge favorite, the do also show up on the “Dirty Dozen” list. That list is the twelve fruits that carry the highest levels of residual pesticides, even after you wash them. It’s a pretty scary list. From the top: peaches, celery, apples, sweet bell peppers, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, pears, potatoes, raspberries, spinach and strawberries. In fact, 90% of commercially grown strawberries have tested positive for – are you ready for this – THIRTY SIX DIFFERENT KINDS OF PESTICIDES. For a fruit with not very many pests, that is really mind-boggling, in my opinion. Obviously, growing them on your own organically is a much better choice. Even purchasing organic, in this instance, is a much better choice, but that’s an opinion for another forum.
There are four types of strawberries, although I think that the Alpine is too much effort. They will produce fruit almost all summer, but the fruits are tiny and you would need a lot of plants to get enough fruit to make growing these worth the effort.
There are, however, three other types that work very well for the home organic garden.
June Bearing: June bearers bear all their fruit in June (duh!). You can purchase early, mid and late season varieties, but that still means early, mid or late JUNE. These plants grow fairly large and develop an active runner system. They work well in a dedicated strawberry patch. These produce a large crop all at one time. Also, June bearing varieties won’t produce until their second season in the ground.
Ever-Bearing: Ever bearing strawberries produce fruit from late spring until early fall. They will regularly develop fruit, but never really very much at one time. The plants don’t get huge and don’t produce runners like the June bearers. And you’ll be able to harvest fruit in the first season.
Day-Neutral: (My personal favorite) Day-neutral varieties produce fairly decent crops of berries from spring until fall, with a fairly large crop in the fall. The plants are on the smaller side but produce fruit quite well. I’m told that the only drawback to the day-neutrals is that they don’t do well in places with very hot summers. If we were to have a severe heat wave in the Valley, I’d suggest shade cloth for the hot afternoon/early evening. The great folks at the extension don’t feel that the heat we get in the summer should be a deterrent to growing day-neutral varieties. As with the ever-bearing varieties, day-neutrals will produce fruit in their first season of growth.
Purchase your plants from a local nursery or order from a catalog for planting in the early spring. That’s right now. I got some very nice plants locally and then some others from a grower who was plowing up their field. If Seven Oaks plants strawberries this year, you might be able to get some of those plants for free when they plow the field at the end of the season. Plant them and grow them organically, if you have room for a dedicated strawberry patch.
Strawberries require five or six hours of sun per day, so choose your location accordingly. Soil that is high in organic matter is an absolute necessity, with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. I’ve talked a lot about pH and test kits. I’ve noticed some nice little test kits – reasonably priced – available right here in town. To get your plants off to a ripping start, clear your area of all weeds and grass and dig in two to three inches of compost into the top few inches of soil. A dedicated strawberry patch would work well with the Lasagna gardening method; check the archives for information on that.
Planting strawberries is fairly straightforward. In your prepared bed, dig holes the size of the root ball and plant it with the crown of the plant slightly above soil level. Fill it in and water your plants well. Once they’re in, mulch with straw, shredded leaves or pine needles. Pine needles are really great for strawberries since they will raise the acidity of the soil slightly as they break down. Another added caveat is that most of us have some pine needles in our yards that need a place to go.
There are two methods for planting a strawberry bed. The first – The Matted Row – provides for easy maintenance. Set your plants 18 inches apart in rows three feet apart. The plants will send out runners and each runner will create a new plant. Keep the spaces between the rows open by removing plants from both sides of each row as they start to grow outward. You can either cut the runners and dig up the attached plant or simply run a tiller down the row. Remove some of the original plants from each row at the same time as the newest plants will bear the most fruit the next season.
The second – hill planting – is best if you have limited space. Again, lasagna gardening works well for this. Set your plants out 12 inches apart in all directions, either in row or groups. Make sure the bed is small enough that you can reach all the plants. Cut off the runners as soon as they appear so that the plants will direct all their energy into fruit production and give you large harvests.
Make sure that your plants get at least an inch of water a week. Remember to mulch to save on water and stop weeds without weed killers. Feed your plants with compost or organic fertilizer monthly. Blood meal and bone meal are good choices. If there are coffee drinkers in your house, you can put those grounds right into the strawberry bed. Strawberries are fairly shallow rooted. While they don’t like “wet feet”, if the soil dries out too much, fruit production will stop. This is one reason why mulching is so important. I wouldn’t use that whole inch of water a week all at once either. Water twice a week to ensure even moisture. Maybe a little extra if it’s really hot.
There are two schools of thought on strawberries. I’ve talked to folks on both sides of this fence at the Master Gardeners. Some say not to allow any fruit to develop in that first year, with the exception of ever-bearing plants. They say to pick off every single blossom as soon as you see it and that even one or two berries will weaken your plants and production will be greatly impaired. Others say, if you’re growing ever-bearers or day-neutrals, pick off the blossoms into mid-summer to give the plants time to develop strong root systems and grow into strong plants. By then, your plants should be well established enough to bear a late summer or fall crop. Since instant gratification is my personal super power, I’d be more likely to take that second option. Your mileage may vary.
Don’t plant your strawberries in or near an area where you are growing tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, potatoes or raspberries. These plants can carry verticillium wilt that can infect your strawberries.
Strawberries aren’t bothered by a huge number of pests (unless you count your significant other, who decimates the crop regularly) and of those, our feathered friends are perhaps the greatest offenders. Bird netting is available at nurseries and our local hardware store. The other main pests are slugs and snails. There are a number of things you can do to keep them away. Install a copper edging strip around the perimeter of the bed. Slugs and snails won’t cross copper because it creates and electrical reaction when it comes in contact with their slime. You can use diatomaceous earth as a deterrent or the ever-popular dishes of beer in the garden.
As if this even needs saying – Be sure to pick your strawberries as soon as they ripen and eat, freeze or preserve them immediately. Like we could leave a strawberry to rot in the bed! Ha!
While strawberries are indeed a huge favorite, the do also show up on the “Dirty Dozen” list. That list is the twelve fruits that carry the highest levels of residual pesticides, even after you wash them. It’s a pretty scary list. From the top: peaches, celery, apples, sweet bell peppers, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, pears, potatoes, raspberries, spinach and strawberries. In fact, 90% of commercially grown strawberries have tested positive for – are you ready for this – THIRTY SIX DIFFERENT KINDS OF PESTICIDES. For a fruit with not very many pests, that is really mind-boggling, in my opinion. Obviously, growing them on your own organically is a much better choice. Even purchasing organic, in this instance, is a much better choice, but that’s an opinion for another forum.
There are four types of strawberries, although I think that the Alpine is too much effort. They will produce fruit almost all summer, but the fruits are tiny and you would need a lot of plants to get enough fruit to make growing these worth the effort.
There are, however, three other types that work very well for the home organic garden.
June Bearing: June bearers bear all their fruit in June (duh!). You can purchase early, mid and late season varieties, but that still means early, mid or late JUNE. These plants grow fairly large and develop an active runner system. They work well in a dedicated strawberry patch. These produce a large crop all at one time. Also, June bearing varieties won’t produce until their second season in the ground.
Ever-Bearing: Ever bearing strawberries produce fruit from late spring until early fall. They will regularly develop fruit, but never really very much at one time. The plants don’t get huge and don’t produce runners like the June bearers. And you’ll be able to harvest fruit in the first season.
Day-Neutral: (My personal favorite) Day-neutral varieties produce fairly decent crops of berries from spring until fall, with a fairly large crop in the fall. The plants are on the smaller side but produce fruit quite well. I’m told that the only drawback to the day-neutrals is that they don’t do well in places with very hot summers. If we were to have a severe heat wave in the Valley, I’d suggest shade cloth for the hot afternoon/early evening. The great folks at the extension don’t feel that the heat we get in the summer should be a deterrent to growing day-neutral varieties. As with the ever-bearing varieties, day-neutrals will produce fruit in their first season of growth.
Purchase your plants from a local nursery or order from a catalog for planting in the early spring. That’s right now. I got some very nice plants locally and then some others from a grower who was plowing up their field. If Seven Oaks plants strawberries this year, you might be able to get some of those plants for free when they plow the field at the end of the season. Plant them and grow them organically, if you have room for a dedicated strawberry patch.
Strawberries require five or six hours of sun per day, so choose your location accordingly. Soil that is high in organic matter is an absolute necessity, with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. I’ve talked a lot about pH and test kits. I’ve noticed some nice little test kits – reasonably priced – available right here in town. To get your plants off to a ripping start, clear your area of all weeds and grass and dig in two to three inches of compost into the top few inches of soil. A dedicated strawberry patch would work well with the Lasagna gardening method; check the archives for information on that.
Planting strawberries is fairly straightforward. In your prepared bed, dig holes the size of the root ball and plant it with the crown of the plant slightly above soil level. Fill it in and water your plants well. Once they’re in, mulch with straw, shredded leaves or pine needles. Pine needles are really great for strawberries since they will raise the acidity of the soil slightly as they break down. Another added caveat is that most of us have some pine needles in our yards that need a place to go.
There are two methods for planting a strawberry bed. The first – The Matted Row – provides for easy maintenance. Set your plants 18 inches apart in rows three feet apart. The plants will send out runners and each runner will create a new plant. Keep the spaces between the rows open by removing plants from both sides of each row as they start to grow outward. You can either cut the runners and dig up the attached plant or simply run a tiller down the row. Remove some of the original plants from each row at the same time as the newest plants will bear the most fruit the next season.
The second – hill planting – is best if you have limited space. Again, lasagna gardening works well for this. Set your plants out 12 inches apart in all directions, either in row or groups. Make sure the bed is small enough that you can reach all the plants. Cut off the runners as soon as they appear so that the plants will direct all their energy into fruit production and give you large harvests.
Make sure that your plants get at least an inch of water a week. Remember to mulch to save on water and stop weeds without weed killers. Feed your plants with compost or organic fertilizer monthly. Blood meal and bone meal are good choices. If there are coffee drinkers in your house, you can put those grounds right into the strawberry bed. Strawberries are fairly shallow rooted. While they don’t like “wet feet”, if the soil dries out too much, fruit production will stop. This is one reason why mulching is so important. I wouldn’t use that whole inch of water a week all at once either. Water twice a week to ensure even moisture. Maybe a little extra if it’s really hot.
There are two schools of thought on strawberries. I’ve talked to folks on both sides of this fence at the Master Gardeners. Some say not to allow any fruit to develop in that first year, with the exception of ever-bearing plants. They say to pick off every single blossom as soon as you see it and that even one or two berries will weaken your plants and production will be greatly impaired. Others say, if you’re growing ever-bearers or day-neutrals, pick off the blossoms into mid-summer to give the plants time to develop strong root systems and grow into strong plants. By then, your plants should be well established enough to bear a late summer or fall crop. Since instant gratification is my personal super power, I’d be more likely to take that second option. Your mileage may vary.
Don’t plant your strawberries in or near an area where you are growing tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, potatoes or raspberries. These plants can carry verticillium wilt that can infect your strawberries.
Strawberries aren’t bothered by a huge number of pests (unless you count your significant other, who decimates the crop regularly) and of those, our feathered friends are perhaps the greatest offenders. Bird netting is available at nurseries and our local hardware store. The other main pests are slugs and snails. There are a number of things you can do to keep them away. Install a copper edging strip around the perimeter of the bed. Slugs and snails won’t cross copper because it creates and electrical reaction when it comes in contact with their slime. You can use diatomaceous earth as a deterrent or the ever-popular dishes of beer in the garden.
As if this even needs saying – Be sure to pick your strawberries as soon as they ripen and eat, freeze or preserve them immediately. Like we could leave a strawberry to rot in the bed! Ha!
1 comment:
i really like your blog do you have any more information about dettering pest from strawberries.I loved your hook and your name is cool
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