Strawberries In A Lasagna Bed

[Mackay]

I've been working on putting my beds to sleep for the winter... building them up with mulch etc. to the top

One bed has strawberry plants in them. When I planted them the bed was full to the brim, with mulch and planting mix, up 18 inches, but over the summer it has composted and shrunk down to about the depth of 6 inches..

I want to fill the bed again but how to do it?

Do I take the strawberries out and put them in pots until next year? Would they survive that? Their root structures have grown quite a bit.

Should I fill the bed on top of them and hope they poke though next spring? I'm afraid that they would compost too! This past spring my neighbors lasagna beds were steaming in early spring with composting activity.

Any ideas appreciated.

Maybe they need to be in a regular bed that does not compost so much?

 

[hoodat]

Don't bury them past the crown or they'll rot for sure. Personally I'd dig them when the weather just begins to warm up, refill the bed and replant the best ones. You shouldn't have to bother potting them, just keep the roots moist till they are replanted.

 

[Mackay]

thanks, of course that makes perfect sense.

 

[bills]

I wouldn't worry much about building the bed up to the previous height. That settling doesn't hurt anything, and your soil should still be fine. You could side dress the plants a little in the spring, with some sea soil, or well composted manure.

I can't see from your info what zone your in, but if it's a milder one, you are safe just leaving the plants as they are. A frost won't kill them off. If your in a colder zone, I would just loosely lay some straw, or even leaves over the plants during the coldest period, then remove some of it to expose them again as it warms up. They won't compost on you, unless you really bury them deep in mulch. In many cases the new leaves will emerge through the straw in the spring, on their own.
Just depends how much straw you put on.

 

[Mackay]

Im in a zone 3 to 4.

I did cover them with dry leaves..

I only have about 5 inches of soil at the bottom of this bed.. the bottom of my beds are covered with 1/2 wire mesh to keep the volls out...

Probably next year I will dig them up, refill my bed and plant them back in... since it is a lasagna bed and mostly compost, I figure those last 5 inches will disintegrate unless I keep building.