More news on strawberries! As you can see from the photo my strawberry harvest has been plentiful this spring. I have picked about 20 qts. of strawberries and my plants are still producing, although I get fewer each time I pick. I froze 2 gallon bags of strawberries and I made 35 jars of jam and we have enjoyed endless strawberry shortcakes.
I feel like no garden should be without strawberries. There’s nothing to compare with a warm fully ripe berry right from the plant, and they couldn’t be much easier to grow. Simply plant a few new seedlings every year to harvest berries the following year. Some folks use the plants from the runners as their seedlings for the following year but I buy new plants each year. I pick all the blossoms off the new plants the first year, that way all the plant energy goes into making a strong plant. Plant in rows 18 inches apart, with 3 feet between the rows. Plant them at the correct depth-the top of the crown should be just above soil level. The second year they bear fruit. When they stop bearing the second year I pull them out and use that space for the following year’s new seedlings. It is good to fertilize your strawberries. The first year I fertilize the plants at least twice in the summer. The flowing spring I fertilize once when I see new growth, early in the spring, and then again before the blossoms appear. If you fertilize too much or at the wrong time you will have beautiful lush plant but they will not bear fruit as all the energy has gone into growing the plant and not producing blossoms for fruit. I cover my new seedlings in late fall with straw to help them survive the winter. As soon as it begins to warm up in the spring I uncover to allow maximum sunlight.
Harvest-you need to pick strawberries on the day they ripen because overripe fruit deteriorates quickly once picked. However, under-ripe fruit can be too tart. Ideally, pick every day in peak season in the morning, when the fruit is cool and the dew has dried. Store the berries in shallow layers in the refrigerator. Don’t wash them until just before serving, which will help retain their vitamins and keep them fresh.
I plan to cover different vegetables in this blog – if you have questions about a vegetable please let me know – otherwise I will randomly choose a different vegetable for each post.
So do you plant the new seedlings in the fall or in the spring? We had strawberries and just kept letting them grow. We would get a few berries each year, but they definitely didn't look anything like yours. I am jealous!
ReplyDeleteI plant new seedlings every spring. I pinch off the blossums the first year and just tend the plants, keeping them watered and weeded. The second year they are in full swing and gorgous. I just pulled my plants I harvested from this year out of the ground. I will use the new found space for a late crop of beans which I planted yesterday.
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