Strawberries, a Summer Treasure

Strawberries are like harvesting jewels in the garden.  Each day from early June until early July we are treated with these flavorful fruits that fill our house with a scrumptious aroma.  Our plants came from my sister 30 some years ago so I don’t know the variety but I do know they are Junebearing. 

Strawberry varieties include Junebearing, everbearing and day-neutral.  Junebearing produce one large crop, mostly in June.  They are considered the most flavorful and are great for making jam and freezing for winter use.  Everbearing usually produce two smaller harvests per year, one in early summer and one in later summer to early fall.  They form flower buds based on day length and need cooler weather to set fruit.  If you have a small space or garden in containers, everbearing can work well as they don’t take up as much room as Junebearing varieties.  They also aren’t as hardy and will need to be replaced every other year.  Day-neutral cultivars produce fruit and runners continuously during the growing season if cool temperatures and sufficient moisture prevail.  They are not as cold hardy as Junebearers or everbearers and should be replaced every year.

All strawberries require full sun.  They also need a lot of water.  The amount will depend on your soil type.  If your ground is sandy and/or it turns hot and dry during harvest, daily watering will help produce good sized fruit as well as maintain berry firmness.  Keeping beds as weed free as possible will help with plant health.  As I pick my berries, I pull tiny weeds at the same time.  Using mulch helps maintain a weed free bed and keeps moisture consistent.  It has an added bonus of keeping the berries clean.

If you choose a Junebearing cultivar, you will need to renovate the bed after harvest.  If you have leaf disease common in strawberries, begin by mowing the foliage with a mower set at a point where the leaves are being cut off but the crown of the plant is undamaged. Strawberries reproduce with runners galore so it is important to narrow the row of plants to 12-15 inches with a rototiller, sharp hoe or shovel.  This is a great time to incorporate compost. Rows should be 36 inches apart. Plants should be about 15 inches apart allowing room for runners. 

Every few years, move your whole bed to a new area of the garden.  This will help your plants stay healthy.  I plan for this by moving the strawberry plants in July, after harvest, to a row where I have grown greens in early summer.  Continue to water your plants throughout the growing season as the flower buds are produced for next year’s crop after this year’s harvest.

Strawberry plants will appreciate mulch in the winter. A 2-3 inch layer of straw or leaves works well.  Rake off the mulch in the spring and leave it next to and around your plants.  Watch the early spring weather for frost or freeze warnings and cover your plants if they are flowering to protect the blossoms from cold damage. This is hard to imagine now that we are in the heat of summer! Strawberries require maintenance but they are worth it!