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Hardiness Zone: 6b
By Mandy from Clay, WV
By
02/19/2011
Strawberries only need one year to establish a good root system. Removing blossoms is advised for the year you plant, so the plant puts all its energy into roots and leaves. You're good to go for this year. (And with 500 plants, I'd be thankful they didn't try to bear last year! Deadheading would have been quite a chore.).
I'd recommend getting a straw or pine needle mulch around the plants as soon as the weather starts to warm. It'll keep the moisture levels good, reduce weeding, and help keep the berries clean, not to mention you, as you crawl along picking them. Runners can be removed if you want narrow rows (the plant will put a little more energy into fruit) or left for a wide patch.
By
02/14/2011
No! Every bloom is a strawberry, do not pick the blossoms. Train the runners to cover the bed as they grow. Keep the bed weeded and moist, not wet.
My strawberry patch won't bloom very much this year. It is well established. Should I cut off the runners?
I have planted strawberries in a terracotta strawberry planter (with all the planting holes). It started out great and is still growing.
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