For smaller gardens or easier to manage strawberries container gardening is a great idea. Strawberries rot is left to sit in the soil so container gardening allows you to hang the berries over the side of your pots helping to make them easy to maintain. For growing strawberries in pots look for long thin planters like window boxes or using a vertical planter.
One common issue when growing strawberries is that they tend to rot very easily. When watering your strawberry plants make a point to water at the base to lessen issues with waterlogged leaves. Strawberries need a lot of water so consider using a watering globe if growing your strawberries in pots to make them easier to maintain.
To keep your fruit from rotting you need to keep the berries up off of the wet soil. In planters, the best way to do this is to hang the berries offer the edge of your planner. For large garden beds, mulch is your friend. Mulch or straw allows the berries to rest on the ground while keeping them dry and healthy so your berries do not rot before they are ready to pick.
Birds are one of the biggest issues when growing strawberries. This is an easy issue to deal with if you find that your neighborhood birds are enjoying your strawberries before you can. You can use tricks to scare birds from your garden like placing up a string of cans that will clank in the wind or pull out the big guns and get some bird netting to protect your garden.
Ants, slugs, and other pests love sweet juicy strawberries. One thing to be mindful of for protecting your strawberries is that if the berry begins to rot they will attract insects.
Keeping your berries up off the ground with a layer of mulch or straw and harvesting ripe berries often before their fragrance can alert ants to their presence is the best way to protect your berries from bugs. You can use simple bear traps to help deal with slugs and snails after your berries.
While this may be sad to hear the best thing you can do to grow more strawberries is to take off all of the flowers in your first year. This will let the roots become more established and give you a much larger harvest in your 2nd year.
When picking strawberries, it’s important to handle them gently to avoid bruising and damaging the fruit. Here are the basic steps to picking strawberries:
When strawberries are ready to be picked, they will be bright red and fully ripened. They should also be slightly soft to the touch. Avoid strawberries that are still green or white, as they are not fully ripe.
Grasp the stem just above the strawberry between your thumb and forefinger. Be careful not to squeeze the fruit.
Give the strawberry a gentle twist and pull it away from the plant. Don’t pull too hard, as you may damage the plant or the fruit.
After picking, examine the strawberries for any damage or signs of rot. Remove any damaged berries to prevent them from spoiling the rest.
Before eating or storing the strawberries, rinse them gently in cool water to remove any dirt or debris.
It’s best to pick strawberries in the morning when the fruit is cool and dry. Avoid picking strawberries on hot, sunny afternoons, as the fruit can become soft and easily bruised in the heat. It’s also important to harvest strawberries regularly to ensure that they don’t become overripe or spoil on the plant.
Strawberries typically take 3-4 weeks to germinate, and then another 4-6 weeks to produce fruit after that. The exact time it takes for strawberries to grow can depend on several factors, including the specific variety of strawberry, growing conditions, and climate.
The ideal soil pH for growing strawberries is between 5.5 and 6.5. Soil that is too acidic (below 5.5) or too alkaline (above 6.5) can result in poor plant growth, reduced fruit production, and nutrient deficiencies. It’s important to test your soil pH before planting strawberries and make any necessary adjustments to ensure the pH falls within the ideal range.
You can test your soil pH using a soil test kit or by sending a soil sample to a testing laboratory. If your soil is too acidic, you can add lime to raise the pH. If it’s too alkaline, you can add sulfur or other acidifying agents to lower the pH.
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