Step-by-Step on How Strawberries Are Grown
- 1). Grow strawberries in full sun eight hours a day. Select a planting area that drains within one hour of irrigation or average rainfall. Loosen the ground to a depth of 4 inches. For every 1,000 square feet, incorporate into the turned soil 10 lbs. 5-10-5 fertilizer, 1 pound iron chelate and 4 bushels rotted manure. Rake the bed to smooth it out for planting.
- 2). Dig holes the width of the root system. Remove enough soil to position the root crowns of the strawberry plants just below the soil line. Space them 3 feet apart. Put 4 feet between two rows.
- 3). Irrigate the strawberry roots before transplanting them. Set them in the individual holes. Spread their roots out. Refill the holes with topsoil.
- 4). Dilute 1 tbsp. water-soluble balanced fertilizer in 1 gallon water. A balanced plant food has equal percentages of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, such as a 10-10-10 analysis.
- 5). Irrigate the strawberries at planting with the diluted nutrient solution. Continue to give the plants 1 inch water weekly.
- 6). Hoe the area surrounding the strawberry plants weekly to remove weeds and maintain the ground surface loose. Strawberry propagates through runners, stems that grow from the base of the mother plant, developing roots along the row. Compacted soils make it hard for the runners to root.
- 7). Move the runners back into the row whenever their tips head for the aisles.
- 8). Prune the flowers that bloom in the plants' first season to induce them to develop strong runners instead of making fruit.
- 9). Cover the strawberry plants loosely with a 1- to 2-inch layer of straw mulch after the temperature drops to 20 F for winter protection. Cover the mulch with enough topsoil to keep the straw from blowing away.
- 10
Check the strawberry leaves late winter through spring. Remove the mulch off the plants carefully if the foliage has yellow sections. Reserve the straw in the aisle for as long as there is risk of frost. Cover the plants with it again whenever you expect freezing weather. Uncover the plants when the temperature rises above 32 degrees F. - 11
Control insect pests and diseases as you notice the first signs. Get help from the county cooperative extension office or a local nursery to identify what is attacking your strawberries. Ask for advice on the least-toxic treatment methods. - 12
Harvest strawberries every other day, including any fruit that rot on the plant. Pick fully red strawberries for immediate consumption, separating them from the crown-like caps on the wide side of the fruit. Cut not fully mature pink strawberries off the vine, keeping the crown attached to the fruit, if you want to save them for later. Strawberries do not continue to ripen after harvest, but they last a few days refrigerated.
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