DIY Network

Caring For and Harvesting Strawberries Caring For and Harvesting Strawberries From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-202

Figure A

As mentioned earlier, for the first season you should pinch off the blooms of the strawberry plants (figure A) so that the plants can put their energy into developing runners. A runner is a long shoot that grows from the mother plant. Wherever a bud on the runner contacts the soil, it will produce a new plant.

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Figure B

• Give the strawberries 1" to 1-1/2" of water per week (figure B), and fertilize the strawberries twice during the first summer using 10-10-10 fertilizer. When you apply fertilizer, make sure that the foliage is dry. Using your hands or a broom, gently brush off any fertilizer that has dropped on the leaves, so as to prevent spotting or scorching. Water the fertilizer in well with at least 1" of water.

• If you used the matted row system, by the end of the first summer you should have 2'-wide rows of strawberries. If the berries send out runners that stretch into the aisles, not leaving you room to walk, you may cut off the additional runners. You can pot them up to give to friends or to plant elsewhere, or you can add them to your compost pile.
  

  Figure C

• The number-one rule for growing good strawberries is to keep the berry patch weeded. Weeds compete for nutrients and water and invite pests and disease, so it's essential to keep them at bay. Unless you have a huge patch of berries, the easiest and safest way to keep weeds away is to hand-weed (figure C). For the aisles, a long-handled hoe works great. But close to the berry plants, it's better to hand-pull the weeds or use a small hand hoe. Just don't cultivate too deeply. The roots of strawberry plants are close to the surface, and you don't want to disturb them.

• As the original strawberry plants send out runners and develop a thick matted row, they'll create their own mulching effect by shading out the soil underneath them. But you can add mulch to the aisles of your bed to control weeds and conserve moisture.

• In cold climates add a thick winter mulch to protect your plants from freeze damage. Wait until you've had several hard frosts in your area, so that your plants have developed some cold hardiness, then loosely cover the plants with 4" or 5" of straw or pine straw. When the strawberry plants begin to put out new leaves in the spring, pull back the mulch by lightly raking it onto the side of the row.
  
  
• As an alternate to winter mulch, you can use lightweight fabric row covers to protect your strawberries from winter damage. As a general rule, mulches or row covers are needed only when temperatures drop below the mid-teens.

• Strawberries are subject to a variety of diseases, most of which can easily be controlled by good cultural practices. Remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Select disease-resistant cultivars, buy disease-free plants and keep your berry patch weed-free. To prevent soilborne wilts, avoid planting berries in places where tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants or peppers have grown in the past year. And to keep birds away, put bird netting over your plants as soon berries start to form. With good care, strawberries will give you an incredible harvest of berries for three or four years.
  

  Figure D

• When it comes time to harvest, you can't always tell the ripeness of a strawberry by looking at its color (figure D), since some varieties ripen while still pink and others don't ripen until they are deep red. The best test is the taste test. If they are sweet and juicy, you know they're ready to pick! For the best keeping quality, pick berries in the cool part of the day and refrigerate them, unwashed, as soon as possible.