Strawberries

[desertgirl]

We planted some container strawberries last year with marginal success (a few, mutant berries-tasted ok, but looked like hell!).

I had pretty much given up on them, but this year they seem to be going crazy! I thought I remembered something about strawberries not doing much the first year, but making up for it the second once they are "established".

Was it a dream, or have others heard/encountered this?

 

[vfem]

They say the first season you should pull all the blooms and not let it produce fruit to force root growth for a better harvest the following year.

 

[desertgirl]

What if there were no blooms to pull?!

 

[vfem]

Then you should be ok. Most of them don't do well in containers anyways... Some of the everbearing can be ok though.

Just remember to replace you plants after about 3 years.

 

[desertgirl]

Thank you for the information-much appreciated!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I planted 6 Ozark Beauty everbearing strawberries last year in the ground, not container, and pinched the early blooms. I let a few late blooms develop into berries due to my constitutional weakness. Late last fall, I thinned out the runners to where I have one plant per about 6 square inches on one end of the bed (around one of the original plants) but let the rest go. I pulled several dozen plants in a small area. I wanted to see if it made any diference in the size of the berries this year with them thinned out. They are all covered with blooms right now.

I've seen the recommendation to replant every 3 years. Probably they are heavy feeders so they deplete the nutrients and they get so thick they crowd each other out. It's also hard to keep the weeds and grass out when the strawberries get real thick. I remember Dad plowing the strawberry patch (horse drawn double-shovel plow) in the fall instead of relocating it. We had plenty of cow manure for fertilizer and we'd rake leaves over it in the fall. As long as we did that, we had strawberries, but when he quit doing that, the strawberries went to nothing real quick.

For he record, I've got my next strawberry bed identified. I'll plant it next spring. I will simulate the plowing with a shovel this fall on the existing bed and let the other get established, but I'll just relocate the bed per recommendations.

 

[Rusty]

I remember Dad plowing the strawberry patch (horse drawn double-shovel plow) in the fall instead of relocating it. We had plenty of cow manure for fertilizer and we'd rake leaves over it in the fall. As long as we did that, we had strawberries, but when he quit doing that, the strawberries went to nothing real quick.

In my Organic Gardening book, they recommend mowing the bed with the lawnmower set high enough to miss the crowns but still get the leaves. I think I am gonna try that if I ever do get my strawberry bed. I had wanted a pyramid bed but my SO didn't because of this very issue with renewing the bed.

Next year I AM gonna build my pyramid bed--and use it for lettuce or flowers or something!

Rusty

 

[vfem]

I remember Dad plowing the strawberry patch (horse drawn double-shovel plow) in the fall instead of relocating it. We had plenty of cow manure for fertilizer and we'd rake leaves over it in the fall. As long as we did that, we had strawberries, but when he quit doing that, the strawberries went to nothing real quick.

In my Organic Gardening book, they recommend mowing the bed with the lawnmower set high enough to miss the crowns but still get the leaves. I think I am gonna try that if I ever do get my strawberry bed. I had wanted a pyramid bed but my SO didn't because of this very issue with renewing the bed.

Next year I AM gonna build my pyramid bed--and use it for lettuce or flowers or something!

Rusty

My gardening book also suggests mowing the daughter plants with a push mower! i think its a great idea if you have flat ground level beds.

 

[desertgirl]

So this year I should let them go (it seems like they are going nuts-flowers all over the place!), but in the fall II'll trim them down to simulte the push mower/horse plow?

 

[Ridgerunner]

In my opinion, you let them go last year. You should enjoy the berries this year. The plow/mower is to revitalize old berry plants not your fresh new ones.