Quick Tips for Planting Strawberries

Here are a few quick tips for planting strawberries to help you get them into the ground as soon as possible. If you are new to gardening much depends on the variety. Hopefully there was a card or information from the giver or seller as to the name and type of the variety. "Everbearing" the berry I am familiar with is true to its name. They flower early in the Spring and keep producing fruit right up until freeze up or snow.

First strawberry pick - sweet and juicy strawberries — First strawberry pick

Containers ...

If you live in a townhouse or strata you may have an extra challenge if you do not have a garden to plant the strawberries you will need containers. Having said that I have successfully kept strawberry plants in small wooden homemade trays about 2 ft x 1 ft and approximately 6 " deep for several years until they could be planted into a permanent garden. For short periods I have also grown them in larger round plastic pots. This is something I am not familiar with so have included links to various sites on this subject in References.

General Information & Directions:

If there is a label always follow your specific variety planting directions, eg:
Always grow in full sun
Soil should be a light compost rich soil (ie not heavy clay soil)
Spacing: again follow label directions perhaps 12 to 18" (a little closer in containers)
Plant strawberries to the crown & not too deep in the soil
Plants do not like to sit in wet soil so keep well-drained
Important to fertilize monthly, and,
Growing plants in containers usually takes more time & care to water, etc.
Protect in winter with a mulch such as hay
When runners set a baby strawberry transplant, save the first new plant for next year & cut off the remainder

Strawberry with many spring blossoms - some plants had 15 flowers this year

Strawberries have always been a gardening favourite and once established take little care. They are quite forgiving and with regular fertilizer (compost), bloom and produce juicy, healthy fruit. Hope this has been of help. See links to previous articles on how to grow strawberries and how good they are for your health.

Have fun and enjoy your gardening ~ Cheers ~ Liz