Day dreaming about a never-ending supply of homegrown strawberries? Check out our helpful tips to learn the secret to cultivating these sweet treats!
1. Of the three main types of strawberries, the Old Farmer’s Almanac recommends the Junebearer type for home gardens, which bud in the fall and produce a bounteous crop in the spring.
Photo from Bloom I.Q.
2. Strawberries like full sun, so make sure you have a spot for them in your garden that soaks in as much daylight as possible.
Photo from Peaches & Poppycock
3. The sooner you eat the strawberries after you pick them, the sweeter they’ll be. Their sugar starts to convert into starch as soon as they’re picked, so it’s best to eat them fresh off the vine!
Photo from Strawberry Sue
4. To make sure the central plant is getting all the nutrients, pinch off “runners” (long stems that grow out from the central plant). Although this may seem counter-intuitive, it will promote a greater yield of strawberries!
Photo from DIY Network
5. If planting in a garden bed, choose a space that has not grown tomatoes, peppers, or eggplant within the last three years.
Photo from Raised Urban Gardens
6. Use drip irrigation to keep the strawberries’ shallow roots wet while keeping the fruit itself dry, preventing rot.
Photo from Pinterest
7. Strawberries can be grown in a planter instead of a garden bed. Master Gardeners recommends planter dimensions of 6″ to 8″ deep by 5″ to 7″ wide by 18″ to 4′ long, with plants spaced 10″ to 14″ apart.
Photo from Pinterest (Broken link)- Anyone know where this picture comes from?
I think container planting is good, but I live in Northern Indiana. They wont winter outside, what do you do in this case? How do you keep them from freezing out….
Gail don’t leave them outside in the containers, bring them in and buy a sunlamp treat them like the rise and fall of the day.
Hope this helps.
I would keep the container outside and cover it with leaves or any mulch till the spring
I’m keeping my small strawberry plant inside this winter. how can i take care of it, like fertilizers? should i add egg shells and beans soaking water on it? would i harm it if i do that?
Is there a standard fertilizer or feed to get a good crop of strawberries in goodish soil, and how does spring feeding differ from summer feeds.
A lot of that will depend on what type of soil you have and what “problems” you might be having with it. Spring is good because it’s prepping the soil early