When we first started with strawberries, we purchased two varieties.. One of them was a day-neutral type that is grown by commercial farms as an annual. We had visited a local strawberry farm and fell in love with the taste, but we had no clue the work required to maintain this variety. Most growing them here in the south replace them yearly or mow them down at the end of the season so they regenerate for the next. Needless to say, with full-time careers and kids in all sorts of afterschool activities, this high-maintenance variety didn’t work for us. In fact, I don’t remember picking one berry the entire time we babied those plants. We did not have the time or experience to care for them. The other variety we purchased was Carolina Pineberry, a white strawberry. They were advertised to taste like pineapple. We wanted this one because when we started upon this venture, we knew we wanted unique fruits. Well, today, these plants are literally crawling everywhere. They are growing along the edges of raised beds. They’re tucked into pots with fig trees, perennial flowers and even cabbages. When I say they are everywhere, believe me. I don’t know that they taste like pineapples, but they do have a sweet, tart mellow taste. But, be warned. They are disappointingly small. I can’t even say that they need more time to mature, because I’m fairly certain these plants have been growing in our garden for at least four years. That’s more than enough time to get established. After getting some attention to other parts of the garden and flock, we decided to revisit the berries. So this year, we purchased 4 different types of strawberries. All of them are everbearing. This means they produce from early spring through frost. Surprisingly, South Carolina received its first snow in about six years this winter. Strawberry plants were already in bloom, and some still kept their flowers even as the snow melted. They are eager growers. To add strawberries to your home garden, you can purchase dormant roots or started plants. Some people have claimed to grow them from seed, but it has never worked for us. Besides, can you imagine how long it would take to wait until those tiny plants emerged and actually grew large enough to provide you with food? It’s just not worth it to me. So, if you have the money, buy the plants. If you want to save- and I’m all about cheap or free- purchase the roots. You’ll get more for your money. In most cases, the amount you would pay for one plant, you could get 10 roots. And with these gas prices, that sounds like a good deal to me! So let's get those strawberry roots planted! We mail-ordered several plants from a reputable online nursery. Sure, you can go to your local big box store and purchase roots, but in my experience, they are very dry and the success rate is low. You really don’t know when the roots were packaged, how long they’ve been on the shelf, and if you think these roots look dead, I’ve seen worse. Find a nursery you trust that ships healthy plants. If you’re interested in where we got ours, send an email. We’re working people, so when our plants arrived, they were stored in the cold garage for a few days. You can even place them in the refrigerator. When you are ready to plant, remove the plants from the packaging and separate them. Prepare a planting hole about 6-8 inches deep and 4 or more inches wide to allow enough space to spread the roots so they have lots of room to grow. Be mindful of where the roots and crown separate. The crown should nestle just above the soil. The roots should be beneath. The roots will dry out if they are not buried properly. The crown will rot if it is buried too deeply. Once the roots are planted, water them in very well and walk away. The roots will get established. Once the weather begins to warm up, the plants will wake up. Once a few leaves form, the plant will want to begin developing flowers. Snap these flowers off to allow healthier roots to develop. These strawberries were planted on January 29. Here they are just one day shy of a month later, February 28. Some looked as if they were dead for nearly two weeks before showing signs of life.
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AuthorI'm a wife, mother, daughter, educator, writer and hobby farmer. Welcome to my world of simply living. Archives
December 2023
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