Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits. I say it a lot, but it is especially true with strawberries, there is nothing like picking a ripe strawberry from your own patch! My go to strawberry variety is the Seascape. Seascape strawberries are everbearing, which means they produce berries all summer long. June bearing strawberries produce all their berries over a 2-3 week time period. Everbearing plants like the Seascape can produce from late spring through early fall. If all goes well our family can harvest strawberries from mid-late June through the end of September!
Before you Plant
Strawberries are a perennial ground cover. They grow along the ground and can yield for several years. They produce runners (new plants) so one strawberry patch managed well can almost go on indefinitely. Before you plant consider your site: sun, soil, and site preparation are essential. Strawberries need a minimum 6-8 hours of sun. Well drained soil is important for strawberries as their shallow root systems don’t do well in standing water. Finally prepare the site by eliminating weeds. All these are important, but you and your plants will really benefit from starting with a weed free planting bed!
Planting
Plants can go into the ground as soon as the soil temperature hits 50 degrees. If you received plants from Northeast Edible by mail they would have arrived bare root and dormant. Open your package and dip plant roots in water. You can hold the roots in water for up to 30 minutes to fully hydrate. Try not to submerge the plant crown for too long. The crowns should sit above the water with the roots below.
Now you are ready to plant. Plant roots should be spread out and pointed down into the planting hole. The plant crown should slight above the soil level. If your roots are exposed your plant is too high in the soil. Press the soil down and water in thoroughly after planting to ensure air pockets are eliminated. Strawberries can be watered 1-3 times a week depending on rainfall.
Plants can be spaced at 12-18” apart in rows with 2-4 feet spacing between rows. Plants will produce runners which will quickly fill the space between plants. We have our berry patch in staggered rows, planted in the ground. There are many ways to grow and plant your strawberries. Some of the ways people grow them include: using plastic mulch for weeds, raised beds, hanging pots, or even in barrels.
Maintenance
Strawberry plants do require a decent amount of regular upkeep, most important are weeds, water, and fertility. Weeding can be tough work so remove weeds prior to planting. A weed free planting bed will save you hours later. Don’t get me wrong you will still need to weed regularly but maybe only a few minutes a week instead of hours. Using mulch is a great way to keep weeds down. Certain mulches can contain weed seeds so watch out of them.
Water is the next important factor. There is no exact number to give as far as watering your plants because we all live in different locations with different soil types. On average my plants like a good soak 1-3 times a week during the growing season. That is the equivalent of 1-2” of rainfall a week. If your plants are in a hot location with sandy soil you might need more. Always read your plants and adjust as you go.
My fertility regiment consists of a thin layer of compost at planting. I typically come back and give another layer of compost at the end of the season. I repeat this by applying compost spring and fall for the following years. The spring and fall compost added to the top of the soil and lightly raked into position on top of the plants root zone.
Wildlife
Seascape strawberry plants can produce berries all season long once established. Make sure you get to harvest your berries by excluding wildlife and pests.
Birds can be deterred by using netting or a similar covering. I have used row cover to keep critters out. If you have a problem with squirrels and rabbits you might need a hardware cloth enclosure. Rabbits can dig, trenching and running your hardware cloth 12 inches deep is an option. Squirrels can climb almost anything; they will climb straight up your hardware cloth so make sure you put a top on it. A dog or other nearby livestock might scare off all these critters.
Harvest
You protected them all season and now its finally time to harvest. The great thing about growing your own everbearing strawberries is that harvest goes all summer and into fall. Our first berries ripen mid to late June and our last pick happens around first frost often late September-October. Growing your own strawberries can provide you with nearly 6 months of fruit!
