Growing Strawberries

Three Systems For Planting Strawberries

You can plant strawberries according to several different systems, each having its own advantages and disadvantages. The hill and matted row system are the two most common methods, while growing strawberries in "jars" and hanging baskets works well for gardeners with limited space.

The Hill System

With the hill system, the crowns of the strawberry plants are planted in double rows down the length of a mounded or raised bed. The plants are spaced approximately 12 inches apart, and all of the runners are removed. When properly maintained, a patch of strawberries planted using the hill system can stay productive for as long as 5-7 years, although 3-4 years is more likely.

Advantages: Because the runners are constantly removed, the plants are able to put their energy into producing bigger berries. The strawberry patch also stays productive longer.

Disadvantages: Because you are continuously removing the runners that would form new plants, this system is more labor intensive and requires more plants to start with a greater up-front cost.

Spacing: Set ever-bearing varieties 12 inches apart in a double row (12 to 18 inches between rows). Space day-neutrals slightly closer together: 8-inches apart in a double row, with 12 inches between rows. Overcrowded strawberries create damp conditions that encourage disease. Stagger the plants in the rows to make sure each plant has plenty of room.

Training: Remove all of the runners every few weeks during the growing season. If you prefer, you can peg a few runners into the ground and allow them to form replacement plants.

Best Suited For: Day-neutral and standard ever-bearing varieties that don't produce large numbers of runners.

The Matted Row System

With the matted row system, the crowns are planted spaced farther apart in single rows. The plants are allowed to set runners freely to fill in the spaces between crowns. Plants are spaced approximately 18 inches apart, in rows 3 or more feet apart. Using this system, the runners develop and form additional plants, so your stock increases the second year. Production drops off during the 3rd year, so new plants need to be added to avoid gaps in the harvest.

Advantages: This system requires less labor than the hill system, and requires fewer plants to get started with less up-front cost.

Disadvantages: Because the runners are allowed to set freely, individual berries on each plant tend to be smaller. Replacement plants are necessary to avoid lulls in production.

Spacing: Set new plants 18 inches apart in a single row running down the center of a raised or mounded bed. If you're planting a level plot, leave at least 30 inches between rows.

Training: Allow the plants to set runners in the spaces between crowns and form new plants. During the growing season, keep walking paths free of runners, and remove any that stray more than 18 inches from the rows.

Best Suited For: Varieties that produce lots of runners (June bearers and vigorous standard ever-bearers).

Strawberries in Pots and Hanging Baskets

If you're a gardener with limited space, you might consider growing strawberries in pots or hanging baskets.

Advantages: Plants are off the ground where they are less susceptible to problems from insects and disease.

Disadvantages: Container strawberries mean fewer plants and a smaller crop of berries.

Planting "Strawberry Jars": Although nearly any pot or container will do, "strawberry jars" are attractive, urn-shaped planters (usually made of plastic or terra cotta) with a series of small pockets running along the sides.

To plant them, fill the pot with soil until you reach the lowest level of "pockets" on the sides of the urn. Insert your strawberry plants into the pockets and fill in around them with soil.

After planting the first set of pockets, insert a 1 inch diameter PVC pipe with holes drilled along the sides into the center of the pot (this will be used for watering). Continue to fill the urn with soil and plants until the jar is full.

Planting Hanging Baskets: Use one 12 or 14 inch diameter hanging basket and 4 to 8 plants (any excess growth will readily spill over the sides). Fill the basket with a lightweight potting soil that holds moisture well. Mix in a little compost or other slow release organic fertilizer when planting. Strawberry plants in containers need watering more frequently than those planted in beds, so check moisture levels daily. Hang your basket on a Shepard's hook or use a wall or roof-mounted hook, if your sunny spot is beside the house.

Training: At planting time, remove all visible blooms, runners, and berries that started to develop at the nursery. It's important that all of the plants' energies go into producing strong roots while getting settled in.

Best For: All strawberry varieties. For a harvest that comes all at once (with larger berries), choose June-bearing strawberries. For a continuous crop of smaller berries throughout the season, choose day-neutral varieties. Or you can try a few of both!

By Ellen Brown

Tilted Pot Planter for Strawberries

My strawberry plants needed more room to run and I found this planter project. Since the first one was made, I've made several more as birthday gifts for my gardening friends. You can use any assortment of pot sizes, just stair step them up a metal rod or piece of rebar. Spray paint or decorate the pots as your creativity moves you and have fun planning and building one. Enjoy...they're so easy to make!

Approximate Time: Two evenings (one for painting and one for assembling)

Supplies:

• plastic or clay pots
• spray paint
• river rocks
• metal rod/rebar
• potting soil
• plants

Instructions:

1. Select 4-5 assorted size pots. Begin with the largest for your base and get progressively smaller going up.
2. Drill a hole off-center on the base of your pot. This should be large enough in diameter for your metal rod to slide through.
3. On your base pot, stand your rod in the center and surround it with pond rocks or slightly larger ones to help support the rod.
4. Then place your potting soil in the pot and wet it down thoroughly to give your rod a good support base.
5. Begin staggering your pots one by one on the metal rod. You'll want to tilt the pots as you go to provide a firm support for each level.
6. Before adding potting soil and plants to your pots, add a small amount of river rocks. This will help give your plant proper drainage when you begin planting.

By Nelda from Dallas, TX

Planting Strawberry Starts

If you have new strawberry plants and don't have time to plant them in the bed right away, no problem. The new plants will await your convenience if you the the method called "heeling in" (which just means storing newly arrived plants in a shallow trench). Here's how to do it:

If the plant roots are very dry, put them to soak for a few hours. Meanwhile, dig a v-shaped trench deep enough to let the root systems of your young strawberry plants spread out below ground level while the crowns remain above the surface. Then set the new arrivals in the ditch, leaning against one side of the "v" and far enough apart so their roots won't get tangled together. Fill in your temporary storage space with earth and press the soil down firmly. Your plants should be perfectly comfortable in this shelter until you have their final location ready for them. If the strawberry plants' roots were all dried out when they arrived, it's a good idea to leave the newcomers heeled in until they get a new start on life. If you do, though, you'll need to be especially careful not to damage the fresh growth when you remove the plants from the trench.

Strawberries are great favorites of many back-yard gardeners, until it comes time to cut runners from the plants. If you'll take an old galvanized bucket and trim out its bottom, sharpen the edge all the way around, fasten a board across the top for a handle, and chuck the improvised tool right down over each plant, you'll zip off all its runners at once.

By fossil1955 from Cortez, CO

Growing Strawberries in Containers

Many varieties of strawberries grow wonderfully in containers, including barrels, drums or bags. Many seed companies and garden centers offer pouches or bags, complete with plants, for growing them vertically on walls and fences. Personally, I like them in hanging baskets. With their green leaves, red fruit and delicate white flowers, they're actually quite pretty. And when the juicy red fruits cascade down the sides of the basket, they are practically screaming for you to come over the pick them. Like the growing bags, baskets save on patio space and keep the fruit up off the ground and away from mold, insects and birds (mostly). Another idea is to grow them in planter boxes attached to railings or under sunny windows.

When planting in containers, use a well drained potting soil mix and plant the crowns 10 to 12 inches apart. Keep the developing runners pruned the first season to focus the plant's energy on bearing fruit. You can also remove the first set of blossoms to boost the plants size if necessary. Keep your strawberries moist (not wet) and plan on fertilizing them regularly (organic fertilizers include bone meal, fish emulsion and blood meal). Strawberries grown in containers are usually treated like annuals and discarded at the end of each season, but if protected over winter, they may last a few seasons before production falls off.

By Ellen Brown

Growing: Strawberries

Planning Tips:

Strawberries will grow in the majority of zones (3-10) and can delight growers with a crop of berries in as little as three months after being planted. Junebearing strawberries produce a single crop in late spring and depending on your zone, cultivars can be planted in succession to spread out your harvest. Everbearing strawberries bear two crops each season, one in the spring and a second, smaller crop in the fall with some day-neutral cultivars producing continuously all season. Select plants that have been cultivated to resist the specific problems common to strawberries grown in your area.

Site Preparation:

Strawberries prefer full sun, good air circulation and nutrient-rich, well-drained soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 (acidic). Avoid low sites prone to frost or standing water or areas where strawberries, raspberries, potatoes or tomatoes have been grown before.

Planting:

Plant strawberries in the early spring in holes deep enough to cover the roots without burying the crown. Roots should be trimmed to 4 inches and soaked for 15 to 20 minutes before being set into the soil. Pack soil around the roots, and add some water mixed with diluted fertilizer to the plants while refilling the holes.

Care & Maintenance:

It's important to get strawberry plants off to a good start the first year. In the first season, keep beds free from weeds and remove blossoms to prevent fruit development and encourage healthy, robust daughter plants. Four to six weeks after planting, offsets should be rooted alongside the mother plants. During the late spring and summer, apply an organic fertilizer and repeat the application again 4 to 5 weeks later. To prepare plants for winter, mulch them heavily with straw or pines needles after frost arrives in the fall.

During season two, the plants should receive 1 inch of water per week during fruit development and through until fall. Watch plants for signs of pests or disease and be prepared to protect plants from birds and animals. Strawberries begin to peter out after 1 or 2 seasons of production. Stagger plantings or start over with new plants every 2 to 3 years to maintain productive crops.

Harvesting & Storage:

Check for ripe berries every two to three days-green-tipped berries are not fully ripe. Remove any remnants from plants to discourage rot. Plan on consuming strawberries within a few days to a week after harvesting.

By Ellen Brown