Among the first fruits of the year are delicious, fragrant and juicy strawberries. It is not difficult to grow, it feels at home in any garden, and it cannot even be called demanding. But taking care of our strawberries can also be a complicated undertaking, if we consider that we have to rework or renew the bed every year, taking into account the fresh shoots.
If we only grow it for ourselves and are hobby gardeners, finding the golden mean is the most ideal solution, say the experts. They also provide some tips, which if you follow, you can enjoy juicy fruits within months.
1. Prepare the growing area
It is important that the strawberry roots are planted in weed-free, loose, nutrient-rich soil , so you can save a lot of time and energy later on. Perennial plants will grow in the same place for several years, so it is better to prepare the ground for them from the beginning. After the weeds have disappeared, it is worth enriching the bed with a 5-6 cm layer of compost , which can even be worked into the existing soil, but it is not important. Strawberries are shallow-rooted and need nutrients close to the surface.
2. Choose the right variety
There are 4 basic types of strawberries. The June-fruiting, the neutral, the ever-fruiting and the small but delicious Alpine strawberries. The June fruit produces the largest crop at once – this is good if you want to grow it for canning, but if you want to enjoy the fruit all summer long, then the neutral or perennial fruit is your variety. Ideally, if you have enough space, you can plant all varieties, so you get the best of each.
3. Look for disease-resistant varieties
Strawberries are quite sensitive to fungal diseases , so it is worth asking the opinion of the horticulture consultant from whom you get the stems, which diseases are typical for the areas where you want to plant them, and which are the resistant varieties. Even if you buy wisely, it is not certain that your plants will not get sick, but you will have a much better chance of raising a healthy strawberry.
Useful information: avoid replanting in a place where a certain disease has already reared its head in strawberries. At the same time, if verticillium wilt or rot is a problem, do not plant strawberries where tomatoes, potatoes, peppers or eggplants have grown , as these plants are also affected by the same disease!
4. Plant enough
One strawberry plant should produce 1-2 cups of fruit in one season. Keep this in mind when planning the size of your strawberries. The one produced in June produces this amount in 1 month, but the other varieties produce their fruits during the entire length of summer.
5. Plant the roots at the appropriate depth
That is, into a pit 2-3 centimeters deep and wide from the surface. The roots of the strawberry do not penetrate deep, but rather spread out in a circle. Bury the pit with soil so that the crown sits just above ground level, then water it well. If the soil subsides, check the roots, adjust them and, if possible, plant the other plants a little higher.
6. Remember why it’s called a strawberry
If the English word strawberry is translated literally, it means straw berry. This is why mulching is a big advantage when growing strawberries, and straw is the most obvious choice.
The thick, soft mulch layer not only inhibits weeds and saves water, but also keeps the roots cool , which strawberries like, and the fruits do not touch the ground, so they do not become prey for insects and pathogens. If there is no straw, dried grass, pine needles, shredded leaves or wood shavings are also good.
7. Delay the harvest
Unless you are growing strawberry seedlings as an annual plant, you should exercise some patience and delay the harvest for up to a year. In order for the plants to have time to establish themselves, you have to remove all the flowers from them for 4-6 weeks.
Flowers and fruits take a lot of energy from plants , so if you remove them, it will use that energy and all the plant’s resources to develop strong roots and lots of shoots. After a period of 4-6 weeks, perennials can already produce flowers. On the other hand, the June fruits will bear fruit only the following year.
8. Watch out for snails
There are many pests lurking in the garden that sink their teeth into strawberries. Snails are the largest of these . Mulch can also help us here, as snails don’t like to crawl through it. However, if we notice signs of gnawing, take action immediately.
9. Make foil against birds
It may be surprising, but the birds also love to peck at the juicy red fruits , and they clean the bedding in record time. The best way to avoid this is to cover the entire strawberry . You can use a bird net or a row cover. Just make sure you don’t put it down when the plants are in bloom or they won’t be pollinated.
10. Water wisely
Strawberries need about 2-3 centimeters of water per week. It is important to irrigate immediately upon planting, and since the fruit is extremely water-demanding, it needs a continuous supply of water during the entire period of fruit development. But never leave strawberries in wet soil, because this leads to root rot and they die quickly.
Practice makes perfect! If the first attempt didn’t work out, there’s still a chance for another. Your experience will help you become an expert in strawberry cultivation. However, it is easier to grow strawberries in pots if, based on the above, you think the craft is too complicated – although with this method you will not grow the fruit, it still serves the purpose.