You can harvest your strawberries as often as every other day if you want to maintain ripe, high-quality fruits. Strawberries should be dry when they are picked. Wet berries do not do well and will mold quickly, and, unlike tomatoes, will not ripen after being picked. As soon as they are harvested, it is best to place unwashed strawberries in a cool, dry, shady place a refrigerator is best. For more information and a ripeness chart, see the Strawberry Picking page.
Like most garden plants, strawberries produce in season. While the seasons vary, it is difficult to keep a plant producing all year and, it is hard on the plants! So, taking the harvest and preserving them for future use makes a lot of sense. Whether they are jammed, jellied, dried, or saved in some other form, most people love Strawberry Preserves. Or, if you prefer more Fragaria delightfulness at a lower temperature, try one of the 8 main methods of Freezing Strawberries to preserve your harvest.
And, of course, be sure to use as many as you can in delicious Strawberry Recipes! Renovation is an important part of growing strawberries of the June-bearing variety in the matted row system.
To renovate, thin the plants in the rows to about 6 inches apart 5 to 6 plants per square foot is the maximum acceptable. Then, mow the tops of the plants to one inch above the crowns.
Take special care not to damage the crowns. If the foliage is disease-free, rake the leaves and compost them or incorporate them into the soil. Fertilize with a balanced fertilizer. Narrow the rows to between 12 and 18 inches by hoeing or tilling. A good, aggressive renovation effort will see about half of the strawberry plants removed.
After plant removal, work the mulch medium into the soil with a tiller. Since strawberries have a shallow root system, spreading a thin layer of soil about a half inch around the crowns can help facilitate new root development.
Continue to water the plants at least 1 inch per week through September and maintain the planting as weed-free until the first frosts. Allow early runner plants to root where they will until your desired row width is re-established. However, runners produced after September 1 st will not have time to establish themselves and survive the winter, so they can be removed. When this occurs, start over with new plants in a new area.
Click this link for a detailed explanation: Strawberry Renovation. If you want to continue growing strawberries from year to year, you have to preserve the bed and the strawberry plants in it. In areas with relatively warmer winters, your strawberries will likely not need much additional care to survive the winter. In colder climates additional mulching is required when the temperature drops into the twenties, but before it falls to 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
Strawberry blossoms, however, are easily damaged by frost and will have to be protected in the spring if frosts are predicted. For cold winters, wait until the strawberry plants go dormant. This usually happens in December when temperatures drop into the teens or low twenties and the top half inch of soil is frozen. Then, apply a mulch of straw or pine needles 2 to 3 inches thick over the bed. Other mulches that do not contain weed seeds can be substituted in a pinch, but do not use sawdust, leaves, or cut grass as they will pack too tightly and can smother the plants.
Watering the mulch lightly can help prevent wind loss. The mulch may spur the strawberry plants to begin growing again which will result in extensive temperature damage and even plant loss.
In the spring, rake the mulch off to the side so that the plants can begin growing again. However, keep it handy so that the plants can be recovered when frosts are predicted.
Old blankets or cloths or commercial materials like Reemay can be used to mitigate the threat of frosts as well. Leave the mulch around the base of the plants to keep the berries off the ground also.
Learn more on growing strawberries in cold weather. Strawberries are one of the most rewarding food crops to grow in a small home garden. Homegrown berries taste far better than the store-bought ones and you can save some serious money by not having to pay supermarket prices. Be sure to check back often for updated articles on the various aspects of successfully growing strawberries in different environments and with different methods!
Growing Strawberries in Containers Have you tried growing strawberries in containers or pots before and found only failure? Follow these 6 tips and your container strawberries will produce like champs! What Causes Small Strawberries? What causes small strawberries? The most common causes of small strawberries are discussed here. The first step to fix a problem is knowing what the root causes are.
Strawberry Pollination Strawberry pollination is not very difficult. However, pollinating strawberries has some surprising benefits. Learn why and how to pollinate strawberries. The benefits are multitudinous! Planting Strawberries in the Fall Fall is the best time to plant strawberries for several reasons. The most important, however, is so that you do not have to pinch or snip the flowers off of your spring-planted strawberries. Yay for 1st-year harvests!
Wilting Strawberry Plants Do you have wilting strawberry plants? Why do strawberry plants wilt? If you want to know what causes strawberries to wilt and what causes wilting strawberries, be sure to review the information in this post. Mulching Strawberry Plants with Straw for Winter This step-by-step guide is about mulching strawberry plants with straw for winter. Take these steps to mulching your strawberry bed and see your strawberry plants safely through the cold.
Overwintering Strawberries Want to know how to overwinter strawberries in containers? Learn everything you need to know about overwintering strawberries here. Strawberry Seedlings Learn about newborn strawberry plants here: planting strawberry seedlings, handling strawberry seedlings, hardening strawberry seedlings, and everything about the strawberry seedling!
Find out all you need to know about the quantities of strawberries you can expect to harvest: by plant, by row foot, or by acre. Use this info to plan ahead for your needs! Strawberry Planting Guide Use this strawberry planting guide when planting strawberries to know exactly when to plant strawberry plants in your area. Date ranges for zones 3 through 10 provided here.
Companion Planting Strawberries Learn about companion planting strawberries and which companion plants work well for strawberry plants. Lots of information on strawberry companion plants and companion planting is here. Growing Strawberry Plants Commercially Growing strawberry plants commercially can be profitable. Read this before trying to grow strawberries commercially. Strawberry Plants and Cold Injury With strawberry plants and cold injury threat events, checking strawberry plants for cold damage is needed.
Dormant strawberry plants revive with warmer weather and can get damaged when temperatures drop. Strawberry Plants Producing Runners but no Strawberries? Few things are as frustrating as seeing strawberry plants grow well and then be stingy with the strawberries.
No strawberries on strawberry plants is a very sad sight. Here is how to fix strawberry plants producing runners but no strawberries. Strawberry Flowers Each strawberry flower turns into a strawberry.
Monthly Growing Strawberries Guide This growing strawberries guide is a great monthly strawberry growing overview. It covers the main tasks that need to be attended to each month and season. Transplanting Strawberries Ever wonder when to transplant strawberry plants? Transplanting strawberries is not too hard. Here is how you should go about transplanting strawberry plants. There are three main ways to propagate strawberry plants.
One is the easy way to propagate strawberries. Strawberry Plant Runners What are strawberry runners? The details of strawberry plant runners are here. Strawberry Plant Diseases Strawberry diseases can affect fruit, flowers, leaves, roots, and crowns of strawberry plants, and sometimes cause the collapse of the whole plant.
Learn about bacteria, fungi, molds and viruses. Avoiding Birds, Bugs, and Other Pests In this article we will give you some simple suggestions for letting our animal friends find other sources of sustenance and keeping your strawberries for yourself. I live in the Southern Hemisphere June here is a winter month.
How does that affect the harvest of June-bearing, everbearing, and day-neutral compared to the Northern Hemisphere?
I live in South Dakota and am looking to start a strawberry bed. Are there any pitfalls I should be aware of using wooden pallets? I am really impressed with this site. Not only is the information spot on but your sources are up to date and contain some of the best nurseries in our area.
You really did your homework. Thank you — oh, is there a way to buy your book without using paypal? Sincerely, Jim N. I have bought a strawberry plant from a garden center…it is still in the pot, and has some runners coming off of it. According to the label thing stuck in the soil, they are called raspy berry strawberries. I have no idea which of the 3 varieties it is. I have nothing else growing in my garden right now, as the soil is not prepared for anything. Thank you! In a fruiting year we do not fertilize in the spring.
However I remember reading somewhere in this website that when the first strawberries appear we start giving some kind of fertilizer I do not remember NPK every two weeks.
Did I get something wrong? I planted many plants of strawberries in my front yard, they get enough sunshine at least 6 hours and continuing with water. The fruit also came in the plant but was quite small, they became distorted when they were mature. Can you tell me how it happened?
We have had our strawberries in raised beds for two years…with overhead sprinkling…the plants look healthy…not sure the variety but they are everberring….
Or what causes mushy berries? Thanks for your help. We live in Eastern Washington. Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment.
Do you want to begin growing strawberries? Why Grow Strawberries? Choosing How to Grow : a. From Seed new page b. From Plants 3. Picking the Best Strawberry Variety 4. Site Selection 5. Choosing Your Growing Method a.
Growing Strawberries Indoors Hydroponics new page b. Dutch Bucket Hydroponic Growing System new page 6. Garden Preparation 7. How to Plant Strawberry Plants a. What to Plant with Strawberries new page 8. Caring for Your Strawberries a.
Watering Strawberries b. Fertilizing Strawberries 9. Multiplying Your Strawberry Plants Propagating Strawberry Plants new page b. Keep the atmosphere moist and restrict ventilation to sunny days.
Increase watering as the foliage develops. Too much heat will result in foliage at the expense of flowers. Hand-pollinate daily with a soft paintbrush to ensure a good crop of well-shaped fruits.
For the highest quality fruit, thin the flowers by removing the smallest ones straight after the petals have fallen, leaving eight to ten fruits to mature. Reduce ventilation and keep the atmosphere thoroughly moist at all times until ripening begins.
Water copiously and spray with water frequently in sunny weather to promote large fruits and discourage mildew. As the fruit colours, increase ventilation, reduce watering and stop spraying with water altogether to reduce the risk of fruit rot.
Apply a half-strength liquid feed every 10 to 14 days until the fruit begins to colour. Too much feeding will result in soft, tasteless fruit and increase the risk of rotting. Once ripening begins, a lower temperature will improve colour and flavour but slow down the ripening process. Bring plants into an unheated greenhouse in February, and follow the steps for mid-April harvesting.
They have a short but heavy cropping period over two or three weeks. There are early-, mid- and late-fruiting cultivars, cropping from early to mid-summer. The crops are not as heavy as summer-fruiting varieties, the fruits are smaller and plants are less likely to produce runners. They need no special care and can be left to fend for themselves after planting. Always buy plants from a reputable supplier, so that cultivars are true to type and plants are disease free.
Strawberries can be bought as potted plants or bare-rooted runners:. Young plants in pots or packs of plug plants are normally on sale from late spring onwards and can be planted as soon as you buy them. Runners look like little clumps of roots with very few leaves. You can buy runners from late summer to early spring, and they should be planted in early autumn or early spring avoid planting in winter when the ground is wet and cold. If you plant several varieties with different cropping times, you can have harvests from early summer through to the first frosts.
See our list of AGM fruit and veg. Strawberries like fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic soil, and do best in full sun, but will tolerate some shade. Alpine strawberries thrive in shade. Avoid planting in sites prone to frost, which can damage the flowers, or in exposed locations, which make it hard for pollinating insects to reach the flowers.
Strawberries are traditionally grown in rows in a dedicated bed or strawberry patch. Strawberries also grow well in containers, including hanging baskets and windowboxes, as well as in grow bags. Dig a hole large enough to accommodate the roots. Trim the roots lightly to 10cm 4in if necessary, then spread them out in the hole. Ensure that the base of the crown rests lightly on the surface before firming in gently. Water the plants in well. Many gardeners grow strawberries through polythene sheeting, ideally white with black on the underside, but any plastic mulching film will do.
This suppresses weeds, holds water in the soil and stops soil splashing onto the fruit. An irrigation system, such as a leaky pipe, installed under the sheeting also helps to maintain moisture. When planting in autumn or early spring, remove the first flush of flowers on perpetual strawberries, but with summer-fruiting strawberries only remove the flowers if the plants are weak.
When you plant cold-stored runners in late spring to early summer, leave the flowers on. These will produce strawberries in 60 days, reverting to their natural cropping period the following year.
Strawberries can suffer from a range of problems, from bird and slug damage to specific problems such as strawberry virus and strawberry black eye. Fruits may occasionally be affected by phyllody.
The fruit fly spotted wing drosophila SWD is likely to become an increasing problem. The woodland strawberry Fragaria vesca is a day neutral strawberry species. You might also see it called alpine strawberry, fraises des bois , wild strawberry or European strawberry. The plants produce small, sweet fruit with maybe two to three berries per plant per week.
Because many of these plants are grown from seed, the plants can either produce runners or not. They tolerate shadier sites and can be planted in the front of perennial beds, walkways or in containers. Many strawberry varieties are available and can be grown with ease in home gardens. Some taste better than others. Some are more winter hardy than others.
Some ripen in one small window in June, while others produce fruit throughout the growing season. These varieties were chosen mainly for flavor and, when mulched, they are winter hardy in USDA Zone 4.
USDA Zone 3 is much colder and plants need additional cover to survive temperature extremes without snow cover. Although most garden centers sell strawberry plants in spring, many of the varieties listed here are commonly available only from mail-order sources. You can find nurseries online that carry the ones you'd like to plant. Strawberries require sun to produce fruit. Ten or more hours of sunlight each day is ideal,but they need a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight each day.
Before planting, a soil test will help you find out if you need to add any nutrients to your soil. It's a good idea to work some well-rotted compost into the soil before planting.
Compost helps add nutrients to the soil, improves drainage and increases microbial activity, all of which will benefit the plants. Although most garden centers sell strawberry plants in spring, many of the best varieties for Minnesota are available only from online or mail-order sources.
If planting a large number of strawberries plant in rows. This makes it easier to control weeds, runners and pests. There are many methods of row planting that work well for strawberries, but by far the most common method is the matted row system:. June-bearing plants especially will send out many runners throughout the season and fill in the space between plants, so it's important to go with the recommended spacing, otherwise your plants will quickly become overcrowded.
Day neutral types work well at the front of a perennial border or along a sidewalk or driveway. Because they produce fewer runners than June-bearing types, maintenance is minimal. Plant dormant strawberry transplants in spring as soon as the soil is warm enough to easily get a trowel into it.
Potted plants should be planted soon after purchase, after risk of frost is past. Dormant transplants have no growth, but sprout quickly when exposed to light and warm temperatures. Plant center of the crown red line at the soil line with the roots fully buried and growth visible.
This transplant has been planted at the proper depth. The roots are fully below the soil line and the growth points are visible above the soil. After planting, pinch off any flower buds that appear for the first few weeks. This allows the plant to produce leaves and roots so when the flowers are pollinated and begin to produce fruit there is enough energy in the plant to develop large, juicy strawberries.
As runners begin to appear, place them where you want the plants to fill in and gently press the end of the runner into the soil. This will encourage the daughter plant to root where you want it to.
If the plants are running too much, simply cut them off with a scissors or pruning shears. Day neutral plants flower and fruit throughout the summer. If plants are not growing well, applying compost along the side of the plants will give them a boost of nitrogen. Other organic fertilizers such as blood meal can be used too.
June-bearing strawberry plants continue to grow and produce runners until the frost kills the leaves. Keep removing runner plants if there is a lot of crowding. This mulch will protect the plants from extreme winter cold so they will emerge again next spring. Most day neutral varieties are not quite hardy enough to over-winter in Minnesota, but it may be worth a try. Cover these with straw just as you would June-bearing plants.
Winter is the time strawberry plants will rest, so there isn't much for you to do. A good snow cover on top of the straw mulch will help insulate the plants from bitter cold temperatures, so enjoy watching that snow pile up!
After raking straw mulch off in the spring, keep the straw mulch between and under plants to help retain soil moisture, prevent weeds, and give the berries a nice clean surface on which to ripen.
Straw mulch applied to protect plants from winter cold should be removed when the snow and ice melts completely. This winter mulch makes a great summer mulch too. Rake the straw off the plants and leave it between them to help conserve water and keep weeds down as the temperatures begin to rise.
Strawberries ripen from the tip towards the leafy stem end. Some varieties have "white shoulders" because the leaves cover the fruit and do not allow for the red color to develop. But most will be completely red when ripe. They might not all be large, but a deep red, homegrown strawberry will always have a big flavor. Strawberries do not store for very long in the refrigerator. For best results, pick the fruit when it is dry and place fruit in refrigerator immediately.
This will help extend the storage life of the berries. Rake straw away in spring when growth begins, but leave some at the base of the plants to act as the summer mulch. If frost is predicted after flowering begins, either re-cover the plants with straw or protect them with spun-bonded polyester fabric row covers.
This helps to control diseases by removing older leaves that are infected by leaf spot or fruit rot pathogens. This helps to control insects by removing their food source and potential breeding sites. If plants are grown in rows, renovation is a good time to thin widening rows back to their original width. This will improve airflow through the patch and reduce the time that the leaf surfaces are wet, which can reduce disease severity.
To have a good crop in the following year requires healthy thriving plants from post-renovation to dormancy in the fall. Pay attention to the health of your plants in this time period.
Gardeners need to be able to identify pests and the damage that they cause in order to choose the best way to manage them. You can find additional help identifying common pest problems by using the online diagnostic tools What insect is this? For detailed management strategies for specific insects and diseases see Pest management for the home strawberry patch. To produce healthy plants, avoid situations that favor the development of diseases or contribute to insect infestations.
There are many different insect pests of strawberries. Some of these pests will be present every year, and some you will never see. The most common insect pests of strawberries in Minnesota are tarnished plant bugs, strawberry bud weevils, slugs and flower thrips. Rodents and birds may cause more trouble in home strawberry plantings than insects. Large holes in ripe fruit are a good sign that these creatures are enjoying your strawberries.
Pick fruit as soon as it is ripe to prevent damage. Frost during bloom can cause strawberries to be deformed and undersized as it ripens. Damaged fruit is still edible. Frost damage is easily mistaken for tarnished plant bug TPB damage.
Both cause puckering and concentrations of seeds on parts of the berries, as the damaged part grows more slowly than the rest of the berry. Strawberries are susceptible to fruit rots and leaf diseases. Fungi causing fruit rots infect the flowers and fruit as early as bloom time. Leaf diseases often have little effect on plant growth. Gray mold, leaf blight, leaf scorch and leaf spot are caused by different fungi, but are managed mostly in the same way.
Choose sites with full sun, good soil drainage and air circulation. Fungi require long periods of continuous wetness to infect plants. Any practice that promotes quick drying of leaves and fruit will reduce disease. Gray mold Botrytis cinerea is the most common fruit rot disease of strawberries in Minnesota. The disease is most prevalent when there is prolonged cool, wet weather during flowering.
Honeoye is the only variety recommended in Minnesota that has shown partial resistance to gray mold. Fungicides may be needed to protect fruit from gray mold fruit rot in years where rainy wet weather persists while plants are in bloom. In this case, fungicides should be applied during blossom to prevent fruit rot. Read and follow all label instructions.
If the season is one characterized by prolonged periods of wet or humid weather, continue spraying at the interval described on the fungicide label until petal drop. If possible watch the weather and spray before rain is predicted. Fungicides with copper or Captan as active ingredients will reduce gray mold fruit rot in strawberry when applied properly. Fungicide sprays applied to green fruit and during fruit harvest do little to reduce disease and are not recommended.
Always follow the pesticide label directions attached to the pesticide container you are using. Remember, the label is the law. Be sure that the plant you wish to treat is listed on the label of the pesticide you intend to use. Also be sure to observe the number of days between pesticide application and when you can harvest your crop. See above for how to manage this disease. This disease is a complex problem involving several different pathogens Rhizoctonia fragariae, Pythium spp.
It is common in older strawberry patches or patches stressed by poor growing conditions like soil compaction or poor drainage. Plants infected with BRR decline overtime, producing significantly lower yields than uninfected plants. The first symptoms of BRR are often missed. Infected plants have poor growth and produce fewer and smaller fruit. As the disease becomes more severe, plants are clearly stunted.
Plants displaying the above symptoms should be carefully dug up and washed, keeping intact as much of the root system as possible. A healthy plant will have young roots that are creamy white with multiple fine root hairs and older roots will have a dark brown to black woody outside layer but a white interior. Leather rot occurs sporadically in Minnesota.
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