growing strawberries

Strawberries are a common fruit and are also reliable for home production. It is easier to manage this type of crop than that of tree fruits, and even a small garden can yield a good crop of fruit. Even though some strawberry varieties can be raised from seed, it is more common to buy plants. When you go to buy plants you want to make sure they are free from diseases and viruses, so you should purchase them from a reputable nursery. Registered virus- free plants can yield 50-75 percent more fruit than ordinary stock plants, and you should not transplant strawberries out of a old bed because diseases can occur.

Strawberries flourish on sandy loam soil, but will produce adequately with heavier soils as long as it is well drained. The bed should be slightly sloped to ensure a good surface water drainage. Strawberries prefer a slightly acidic soil, with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5, and should contain adequate organic matter. Before planting at the beginning of the season, mix the soil with some garden compost or manure, you can also mix in some green manure. When you are preparing strawberry plants for planting you should never allow them to dry out, and to prevent this cover the roots with moist peat moss and keep them shaded at all times. They will began to bloom in the spring and can be subjected to frost injury, so you need to select a site that has good air movement. Try to avoid low- lying areas that can contain frost pockets and pick slopes that are facing the sun, because the soil will warm up faster in the spring and induce early flowering.

The goal during the first summer of growth after the spring planting is to institute healthy plants as early in the season as possible. The parent plant will send out runners in the early summer once it is established, and when this happens you will need to do frequent shallow cultivation between the rows, by hand pulling of weeds and mulching 5cm (2in) of straw, hay, or coarse sawdust in two to three weeks after planting, this will greatly reduce the number of weeds. You will need a fertilizer that is rich in potassium, this is added in late summer when the flower buds are started for the next springs fruit, this will help harden the plants for the coming winter. The crowns of the plants will need to be protected during very cold periods in winter, but do not apply mulch too early in the fall as this can increase crown rot and prevent the plants from going completely dormant, which will subject them more easily to winter injury. Some suitable mulches that you can use for winter protection are coarse sawdust, newspapers, straw, hay, or any loose mulch that will not compact. Oh and on a final note here, because strawberries are 90 percent water any moisture stress will during growth will reduce yield, so always ensure adequate watering while cropping.

You can harvest the fruit when the berries are fully ripe, and a good indicator of this is any white areas that are noticed means a immature (unripened) berry. If you allow the berry to reach its full color, it will increase its sugar content and the size of the berry. When you go to pick the berry do so with the stem and cap attached, this will keep the berry fresher longer because when the caps are removed or the berry is injured it will go bad quickly. You should notice the first harvest around thirty days after the first bloom, and should be checked every other day for ripe fruit and any bad fruits should be discarded to prevent diseases from occurring. When you have picked them, place them in shallow containers to minimize injury and if not used in the same day you should chill them promptly.

On a final note, to avoid diseases do not plant in areas that have had tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, or eggplant before or in a site that has had strawberries grown in the last two years. To protect the fruit from birds use a fine mesh netting.