Tips for Growing Strawberries

Yesterday's picking

For the first time in years, we have a bumper crop of strawberries! Big, healthy ones too—and with no artificial fertilizers!

Our large harvest has shocked me, to be honest. The last few years, our yields have been dwindling, and last year’s crop was so pathetic we had exactly ½ quart to freeze for winter eating. So this spring, as harvest time approached, my expectations were modest.

But I believe several factors come into play for this year’s berry success.

First, these berries are from the new crowns I planted in late winter of 2020—and the first harvest is always the healthiest, with the largest berries. I follow the recommendations to remove the blossoms from new starts the first summer, to give the plants a chance to build their root system.

Glossy, plump berries!

I also rotated the beds. This is more important than I realized.

For years, after pulling out spent strawberry plants (which need to be replaced every 3-5 years), I would just replant the new starts into already existing strawberry beds. But a couple of years ago, I noticed withering plants that were just a couple of years old. Even first-year plants were struggling, and seemed to be afflicted with what looked to be viruses or fungus.

So I planted the new crowns into beds that hadn’t contained strawberries for 3 or 4 years. My current plants look vigorous, with no signs of disease.

Additionally, I focus on building and feeding the soil. Each fall, I top-dress my planting beds with leaves and compost. The size of these berries tell me I’m on the right track!

Mother Nature has been cooperative too. Our spring was a little on the drier side, but rainfall throughout the season has been frequent.

But here’s something else I can’t take credit for: this year’s crop is not getting hit by any serious predation. Which really surprises me, given the fact I just sort of schlepped the nets over the fencing. Because true confessions: the predators had been pretty much winning so I figured, why bother?

In past years, we’ve battled birds, mice, voles, chipmunks and even rats to get any kind of harvest. These days, seeing so many gorgeous, un-mutilated berries, I will give the credit to two of our neighbors. Even though our garden is some distance away from both—several hundred yards or so, with lots of woods between our properties—one neighbor has a cat that occasionally patrols our place. It seems to be taking care of our rodent problem!

The other neighbor has put out a bird feeder. I think the neighborhood birds (also squirrels) are feasting at their place instead of here—since they don’t have to worry about trying to get through a maze of poultry wire and netting to have a snack.

I won’t count on this kind of harvest every year, or being so casual with my netting. But for now, John and I will revel in every beautiful berry!