how to grow strawberries

7/21/2019 How to Grow Strawberries

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How to Grow Strawberries

Seven Methods:Choosing a strawberry varietyAnatomy of a strawberryGrowing strawberries in the gardenGrowing strawberries in a containerStarting strawberry plants from seedGrowing strawberry plants from runners (propagating)Strawberry calendar around the yearQuestions and Answers

Homegrown strawberries are full of flavor and freshness. As both a food and a decorative plant, strawberries are perfect for growing in the garden or in containers, and if you've got children, they'll find that strawberries are one of the easiest and most rewarding plants to grow. There are various choices to make when growing strawberrieschoose according to what works best for you and the space you have available.Method 1 of 7: Choosing a strawberry variety

Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 1 1 Determine what variety of strawberry plant fits best with your needs. Thereare two basic types of strawberry plants, namely summer producing strawberries a

nd perpetual (ever-bearing) strawberries. Summer producing strawberries can be broken down into early, mid and late summer plants. There are many varieties within each grouping of strawberries and some are likely to be very localized, so ask your local garden center for more specific advice. Very generally, some of the varieties are as follows: Ever-bearing or perpetual strawberry plant: This is the most popular ofthe strawberries because it keeps on growing for a good five or so years. It produces a fair amount fruit throughout the year (outdoors in temperate climates, in an indoor container for colder areas). Both of these features make it a good choice if you are looking for a continuous supply.

June fruiting bearing variety: This plant will provide you with one large supply of strawberries in early to mid summer, depending on planting time (sum

mer crops will produce fruit about two months after planting). Purchase this variety if you're looking to cook with and/or freeze your harvest. Day neutral strawberry plants: These are similar to ever-bearing but will produce much smaller numbers of strawberries throughout the year. This is an ideal variety if you're looking to eat strawberries fresh out of the ground. Alpine strawberries: This strawberry plant is a very small types of strawberry. The fruit may be small but it's packed with flavor, making these strawberries ideal for jam makers.

Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 2 2 Find the plants. Most garden centers will stock strawberry plants but if you

want a specific variety, you might need to check online or ask for specific stock to be ordered in. It is always helpful to get the advice of the local gardencenter as to what type of strawberry grows best in your local conditions. It is best to buy strawberry plants at the exact time you intend to plant them into the ground or container. Leaving them for too long in their store-bought pots can cause them to become root-bound, unhealthy and lacking in enough vigor to grow well when replanted. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 3 3 Always inspect your potential plants for disease or signs of poor health. Your strawberry plants should have vibrant green leaves and are free from spots, brown edges, or wilted ends. The roots should be plentiful and very light in color.

Consider purchasing disease-resistant strawberry plants. Though this option is generally more expensive, these plants are well-known for withstanding the numerous types of fungal diseases that strawberry plants are susceptible to.



Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 4 4 Decide where to grow your strawberries. Strawberries are happy in both garden beds or containers, provided you give them what they need by way of soil and fertilizer. It's up to you, take into consideration the space you have availableand the temperatures in your location. For example, if you want to grow strawberries all year round in a cold climate, consider growing them in a container that

can be easily moved indoors and outdoors during the different seasons. Strawberries grow well in all but the most tropical of climates.

Method 2 of 7: Anatomy of a strawberry

Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 5 1 Understand that strawberries grow from the crown. This is what looks like the base of the plant before the roots start. This crown cannot be covered when planting the strawberry plant, either in garden beds or containers. However, it should not be left too exposed eitheralways check to ensure that the crown is sitting just above the soil.

Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 6 2 Note that you'll find strawberry seeds on the outside of the fruit. This isa fairly unusual placement for seeds in fruit but it is part of what makes the strawberry such an interesting fruit. If you do intend to grow from seed, a section has been provided below to help you do this. Be aware that growing from seed can be tricky and it'll be a year before the plant bears fruit.

Method 3 of 7: Growing strawberries in the garden

Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 7 1

Plant at the right time. This will be determined by the strawberry variety you've chosen, so read the label or consult the retailer from whom you're purchasing the plants.[1] Large fruiting varieties of strawberries are best planted in summer, usually in the second month of summer and at the latest, by the first half of the last month of summer. Alpine strawberries are best planted during the second and third monthsof spring. Perpetual strawberries can actually benefit from an autumn/fall planting rather than a winter planting, as this gives them more time to grow accustomedto the new plot and establish a healthy root system. (This planting time is appropriate for gardens in temperate climate zones.) Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 8 2 Choose a warm and sunny spot. Strawberries love areas that get a lot of direct sunlight without shade. They also appreciate minimal wind. A strawberry plant will produce strawberries in partial shade if need be but the crop will never be as prolific as a plant kept in full sun. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 9 3 Dig the soil over well. Add lots of compost to enrich the soil and remove any weeds, including the roots of weeds. Strawberries like rich soil the most. If the soil is heavy clay or poorsand, add well-decomposed organic material. Mulch after planting, to protect the surface soil and to keep the strawberries clean.

If the soil is very acidic, add three quarters of a cup of dolomite persquare meter of complete plant food before planting. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 10



4 Remove the strawberry plant from the store container. Place the root ball into a bucket of water to soak for an hour or so. This helps to ease the shock ofthe transition from pot to ground, and ensures that the roots stay moist enough. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 11 5 Dig a hole in the soil. Place the strawberry plant in the hole, keeping the

crown above the soil line. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 12 6 Press the soil firmly and gently around the base of the strawberry plant. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 13 7 Continue planting in the same way if you have other strawberry plants. Keepeach plant about 3540 centimeter (13.815.7 in) apart. It making rows, keep the strawberries about 90 centimeter (35.4 in) apart. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 14 8 Water regularly. However, don't overdo the waterthe shallow roots need water i

n hot weather but don't like being soggy. Avoid letting the soil dry out and avoid making it into a mud bath! The time for a decent soaking is when the soil appears dry at the surface to about 1cm/ 1/2 an inch down (stick your finger in tocheck). Water the crown of the plant. Avoid watering fruitthis can cause fruit torot. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 15 9 Use a liquid fertilizer to provide nourishment. Choose a fertilizer suited to strawberries. Strawberry plants that are given water-soluble fertilizers that are high in nitrogen will perform poorly, producing lots of leaf growth rather than focusing on bearing fruits. If you wish to use this type of fertilizer, minimize its

application. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 16 10 Pluck off the first flowers. By removing the first flowers that appear, youwill give the strawberry plant a chance to grow more vigorously and produce a stronger root system. Allow subsequent flowers to keep growing. Runners are also best removed. If the strawberry plant is going to produce these, you'll see them about a month into growing. Runners deplete the energy of the strawberry plant, so keep them under control until the plant is well established. Later on, you can leave one runner to grow to establish new plants ifyou're growing the strawberries in the garden but never let a plant have more than one runner at a time or it will be weakened and the energy will go into growing plant rather than strawberries. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 17 11 Check regularly. The first signs that the strawberry flowers have turned into fruit will be small green strawberries. These will continue to grow and then turn red when they're ripe. You may need to deal with the birds. Birds love strawberries too, and if you discover that they're pinching the strawberries, you will need to create abarrier. You can use fine garden mesh/strawberry net to throw over the plants; this will stop most birds from getting in to take the strawberries. Another option is one for the birds and one for you. If the birds aren't too greedy, you canleave some for them and take some for you; this tends to work best where the birds are often scared off by something like a cat, the flash of something bright l

ike hanging CDs or noise. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 18 12



Harvest the strawberries. When the whole strawberry is red, it's ready to pick. Take a bowl or basket to your plant or strawberry patch and pick straight from the bush. Always pick so that the stem is left intact; hulling should occur only when eating or preparing for a dish. Give freshly picked strawberries a quick, gentle wash in cold water before eating fresh. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 19

13 Continue to tend the plants. Strawberry plants are fairly hardy and they'llcontinue to produce fruit year after year, for at least five years before they need to be replaced. For overwintering in temperate climate zones, clear away weeds, straw, mulch, etc. and leave to grow untended. If it snows where you live, use container strawberries and bring them indoors. Consider replacing strawberry stock every two years if you experience problems with viruses destroying the plants. Discard the old stock completely andbring in new stock that is virus free.

Method 4 of 7: Growing strawberries in a container

Strawberries have very shallow roots, so it is easy to grow them in pots, both indoors and out. You can place your strawberry plants on a balcony, patio or indoors in front of a sunny window. While potted strawberries can be planted any time of the year, it is best to plant them in spring if they're going to be outdoors as well as indoors.

Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 20 1 Choose a potting container with drainage holes. Although you can buy special strawberry pots that have multiple openings, it isnt absolutely necessary; strawberries can grow and produce fruit in any container that has good soil and getsenough sunlight. Place broken terracotta or ceramics at the base of the container, or lar

ge pebbles/small rocks. These will help ensure good drainage. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 21 2 Fill the pot two-thirds full with potting mix. The strawberry pot should have at least an 18 diameter. Even though strawberries have shallow roots, they do produce runners that need some space to extend. Strawberries thrive in soil that has a pH between 5.3 and 6.5, so select a potting soil with that ratio. Its a good idea to keep your soil rich by adding a handful of compost to the container once a month. If growing in a tall and narrow unglazed strawberry jar, add a quarter peat moss before adding the soil, to increase the moisture-retaining ability of the jar. If growing in a hanging basket, line the basket with sphagnum moss and use peaty soil. Again, this is to retain moisture for the plants. Sphagnum moss will also allow for the plant to grow out the sides of the pot, which looks nice. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 22 3 Water the soil until the water starts to drain from the bottom of the pot. Then make 5 or 6 mounds of soil about 1 (25.4 mm) tall. Space the mounds at least6 (152.4 mm) apart so that the runners will have room to roam. The mounds themselves shouldnt be more than 3 (76.2 mm) wide. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 23 4 Gently lift your strawberry plants from their nursery pots. If necessary, cut the pot with scissors if the plant is wedged in too tightly. Carefully shake o

ff the extra soil while separating the delicate roots with your fingers. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 24 5



Fill a bucket or other container with water. Soak the strawberry roots for an hour, so they can absorb enough to keep them hydrated. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 25 6 Remove the plants from the soaking water and set a plant on top of each soil mound. Arrange the roots so that they extend down the sides of the mounds. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 26

7 Fill the pot with more soil, bringing the soil to the level of the plants crown. The stems emerge from the crown, so dont bury it under the soil. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 27 8 Water the plants thoroughly. Continue to gently water until the pot begins to drain. (Add more soil if necessarythe thorough watering will often collapse air pockets and reduce the soil level.) Use a watering can with a sprinkler attachment to avoid eroding the soil. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 28 9

Done. The container can now be placed outside (hanging or sitting on the ground), or in a warm and sunny spot inside. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 29 10 Harvest when ready. Wait for a few to accumulate or simply eat them as theyripen. How many you'll get per harvest will depend on the amount you've grown and the container's size.

Method 5 of 7: Starting strawberry plants from seed

While strawberry plants are usually grown from the young plant, it is also possible to grow strawberry plants from seed.

Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 30 1 Purchase seeds at your local nursery or from an online source. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 31 2 Fill a container with soil and water it thoroughly. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 32 3 Use your finger to make 1/4" (6 mm) depressions in the soil, spacing the holes 6 (152.4 mm) apart. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 33 4 Place 3 seeds in each hole. The seeds are small; some people use tweezers to transfer the seeds from the package to the soil. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 34 5 Cover the seeds. Tamp down the soil over each seed hole. You can simply press your finger over the soil. Don't push too hard because that can cause the soil to compact and the seeds will have to struggle to emerge. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 35 6 Use plastic wrap to cover the top of the planter. This will keep the soil moist while the seeds germinate. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 36 7

Place the planter in a sunny location. The strawberries will benefit from awarm spot with plenty of light. Put your planter near a radiator or other heat source during the winter.



Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 37 8 Water the seeds. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy. Check the soil daily to make sure it doesn't dry out. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 38 9 Remove the plastic wrap from the planter when the seeds have sprouted. Once

the seedlings reach the top of the plastic, they will need room to keep growing, so don't leave the plastic on. The soil will dry out more quickly when it is uncovered, so check for dryness every day. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 39 10 Thin the strawberry plants after the seeds have sprouted. Do this by pinching or snipping off the smallest plants. Leave about 6 (152.4 mm) between the remaining plants.

Method 6 of 7: Growing strawberry plants from runners (propagating)

Runners are the shoots that come from the main planttheir whole purpose is to prod

uce new plants where possible. They can be used to grow new strawberry plants for next year's planting season.

Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 40 1 Fill a container with soil. Place it next to the strawberry plant that is sending forth runners. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 41 2 Pick up the runner and push it into the pot of soil. Leave attached to the main plant and cover only a portion of the runnerthe other side will need to stickout over the pot to keep its balance. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 42

3 Let the runner sit attached like this for at least one month. During this time, water regularly, at the same time as the mother plant; this is to keep the soil moist and encourage root growth. Image titled Grow Strawberries Step 43 4 Separate the runner from the mother plant. After a month, cut the runner from the mother plantuse clean or sterilized garden snips to do this, so as to avoidintroducing a disease at the cut site.

Method 7 of 7: Strawberry calendar around the year

The following provides some basic advice on caring for strawberries through theyear. You'll need to make adjustments according to the variety, and if you livein the Southern Hemisphere, you'll need to swap the months around:

Early winter (Dec-Jan): Weed around the strawberry plants, remove anything that might encourage mold of fungal growth. Check to see if there is any need tocover them. Late winter (Jan-Feb): Seeds need to be sown at this time, in tubs, indoors. Early spring (Mar-April): Prepare the plot for planting new strawberry plants. Fertilize existing strawberry plants. Late spring (April-May): Plant the early-bearing strawberry plants; they may need to be covered if it's still frosty but this needs to be balanced with removing covers for pollination on warmer days. About end of April, plant mid- and l

ate-bearing strawberry plants. Remove runners and first flowers. Add anti-bird measures. Early summer (June-July): Mulch around the strawberries. Keep well watered a



nd bird-free. Check for diseases and discard any unhealthy looking plants. Harvest early bearing strawberries. Propagate new plants. Late summer (July-Aug): Continue watering and propagating. Harvest mid- to -late season and perpetual varieties. Make jam. Early autumn/fall (Sept-Oct): Cut back old or straggly bits of the plants. Fertilize for winter. Harvest any strawberries continuing to produce (usually perpetual).

Late autumn/fall (Oct-Nov): Tidy up perpetual varieties in readiness for over-wintering.

how to grow strawberries

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