When to start growing strawberries?

Start growing strawberries

Strawberries are among summer’s favorite indulgences. The fruit is fragrantly sweet and nutritious; it can improve the taste of any meal.

While they are almost available year-round, strawberries are at the peak of their season from April to July. It is also within this season when the berries are best tasting and most abundant.

Growing them can be as easy as planting them at anybody’s home garden or yard. However, for successful gardening, there are techniques to follow, and one of them is the time of the year to start growing strawberries.

Every plant has its own proper time of cultivation. When it comes to strawberries, the best time to grow them is early Spring, except if the locations are in South, Southwest, and the coastal areas of California, where Fall is the best season to plant strawberries.

• Equally important in growing strawberries is the choice of soil. It is best to select an area where it has not been planted with plants such as tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplants, and any member of the Solanaceae family.

• Strawberries are able to contact the soil-borne disease verticillium wilt left by these plants and can cause strawberry plants to stunt and die.

• It is even wisest to ensure that the area is new and fresh and has not been planted with any plants in the last three years. Some home gardeners turn a part of their lawn into strawberry beds by first turning the sod over at least one year earlier.

This will rid the area of grubs that may have been eating on the grass roots. If there have been grubs, the best way to rid them is to turn the soil over and allow the winter cold to kill them.

At times, it is hard to find a new and fresh land to start growing strawberries. If such is the case, the land is best compensated with generous amount of organic matter such as compost.

• In addition, it should be made certain that the area and the organic mulch are free of weeds and their seeds.

• Soil that is infested with perennial weeds such as nutgrass, quackgrass or bindweed is no good unless they are absolutely eliminated.

• To ensure that the soil is fertile and healthy for planting, fill it up with compost or cow manure at a rate of one bushel for every 50 square feet.

If neither humus nor manure is unavailable, then other organic materials will do a good alternative. Sawdust, wood chips or crushed corncobs can be dug into the soil at the rate of 10 pounds per square yard.

To help provide the essential nitrogen, add into the mixture 10 ounces of fish meal or 14 ounces of cottonseed meal.

When you start Growing strawberries at the right time, and preparing the soil are only a fraction of what should be done in maintaining a healthy strawberry garden. Elements such as water and sunlight are very important.

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