Strawberries are an integral part of the home vegetable garden, and they can be expected to produce satisfactorily in well-drained soil that yields good vegetables.
Twenty-five plants will supply more than enough berries for the average-sized family because one or two quarts of berries can be expected from each plant that you set out.
Early spring is generally the best time to set strawberry plants; the earlier, the better after the soil has been prepared. Usually, it is difficult to get a good stand from plants set later than mid-May or when the weather has become warm and dry.
Fall Planting
Planting strawberries during midsummer usually results in poor standing, few productive runner plants, and low yields.
Fall planting, however, has its advantages. Plants in late September or early October will become well-established before freezing weather.
When the ground freezes, cover each plant with two or three quarts of pine sawdust to keep them from heaving.
Brush the sawdust off the crowns in the spring, and the plants will start growing and run production as soon as temperatures permit. When growth starts, they should be given the usual first-year care in cultivating and removing flower stalks.
If they are allowed to produce fruit the first year, experience has shown that yields are somewhat reduced the following or “bearing” year.
Rotate Your Crop
Rotating strawberries on soil in different parts of the garden each time a new crop is planted is good practice. This helps to prevent the spread of black rot and red-stele diseases.
Experts say that the site selected should not have grown a crop of tomatoes or potatoes during the previous year because these crops may carry the verticillium wilt disease to strawberries.
To ensure the success of this crop, use any sources of organic matter and a fairly liberal supply of commercial fertilizer, such as a 5-10-10 analysis.
Strawberries thrive on stable manure, but pine needles, sawdust, straw, old hay, and chicken manure are valuable substitutes when it is scarce.
A rye cover crop may be planted whenever the ground is not being used for any other crop. A liberal application of ground limestone is suggested if the soil tests much below pH 6.0.
Preferred Varieties
In our garden, we prefer the variety Sparkle to all others. A large, attractive berry, Sparkle freezes well and is resistant to red-stele disease.
A quart of freshly-picked Sparkle berries make a very attractive picture and are mighty fine to the taste. Other favorites include Howard 17 and Midland for early sorts.
Catskill performs especially well on heavy soils, while Robinson is a favorite with those who insist on large sizes in berries.
Empire is a new one with promise, but it hasn’t been tested long enough to be listed as a standard variety.
We grow a considerable quantity of berries with the expectation of quick-freezing them. Setting the plants about April 15, we have successfully grown nearly every plant. Set the plants about two feet apart in rows five feet apart.
Then each row may be interplanted with the following vegetables: early cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, radishes, lettuce, spinach, or dwarf peas.
Regular Fertilization and Cultivation
Regular fertilization and cultivation of these crops naturally promote better growth of the strawberry plants. The vegetables mature and are harvested when the berry runners crowd and need the space.
Place the runners so the plants are spaced about eight inches apart in all directions in the bed.
After the bed is filled with plants, all new runners are nipped off. We have also had very good results using the “hill system” in growing berries.
This plan sets the plants 18″ inches by 18″ inches apart in beds four rows wide. When mulched with 2″ inches of sawdust, they make a very neat appearance in the garden, eliminating cultivation and the need for weed control.
Where sawdust is used, side dress with fertilizer several times during the first year of growth to prevent nitrogen deficiency.
In this system, remove all runners as they appear by nipping them off with the thumbnail. Other details of culture are comparable to the matted row method of growing berries.
Fall Mulching
In late fall or November, the whole bed is mulched with two inches of straw, old hay, or pine needles, which are removed early in the spring of the bearing year after growth first starts.
We top-dress the bed with a light commercial fertilizer application soon after growth begins. However, some growers believe that too much fertilizer at this time may make soft berries that rot easily.
When the frost is expected, and the plants have buds or are in blossom, we cover them with several thicknesses of cheesecloth or tobacco netting, old blankets, or tarpaulin to prevent the flowers from freezing. A sudden freeze can wipe out most of a crop in one night.
Protect from Birds
To date, we haven’t had any pest troubles except the birds, who will appreciate our berries too. Unfortunately, a layer of cheese or tobacco cloth for protection is about the most that one can do to deter them.
We are using virus-free plants, and we plant them in a part of the garden where berries haven’t grown for several years. The extra vigor and yield of virus-free plants are readily apparent, and fortunately, such plants are now generally available.
44659 by W. H. Lachman