Speed-Raising Your Strawberry Crop!

 What can you do when your strawberry beds are pretty much played out, but you haven’t started any crowns for next year?

This summer, I found myself in this exact situation: our garden had only one strawberry bed (which was marginal at best), and the other three beds were completely petered out. This past spring, I had never found the time to buy any new crowns, much less plant them.

I was left with two options. I could either resign myself to no berries next spring…or start my own crowns!

But first, a little about growing strawberries:

Strawberries are one of those crops that require a fair amount of planning. In early spring, you plant bare-root strawberry crowns from the nursery, and keep your baby plants well-watered and mulched that summer and fall while they develop their root systems. Any flowers they produce, you pinch off—so the plant is continuing to put its energy in the roots, and not in fruiting.

The following spring, the now vigorous plants will begin to sprout flowers, and soon you’ll see fruit setting! Once established, the plants should bear for the next few seasons.

Strawberry runners in pots

Earlier this month, I blogged about trying a new strawberry-growing technique. This new (for me) method involved potting this summer’s strawberry runners.

Strong “mother” plant setting runners

I got the idea when I found a really vigorous volunteer in the garden that was producing gigantic berries. Not only that, but after bearing, this plant began sending out very sturdy runners, which were taking root nearby.  

Before I knew it, this plant had gifted me with at least eight new baby strawberry plants. A great start for next spring, they should eventually fill this bed. But eight plants is definitely not enough for a decent crop.

Then I noticed this strong “mother” plant was continuing to pump out additional runners, besides the ones that had already taken root. I had a brainwave: I could plant these new runner ends in pots, and let the roots develop in the pots. Once the roots of each plant were established, I could cut the runner, and replant the new plant in a fresh bed!

That’s exactly what I’ve done. Last week, I filled lots of little pots with garden soil and a little well-composted chicken manure for some organic matter. I then set a runner end into each pot.

In the photo, you’ll see little rocks in the pots. Long ago, John came up with the idea to weigh the runner end down with a small stone, so the runner has contact with the soil from the get-go, and that works even better.

Now producing crowns for another bed!

I do have one marginal strawberry bed—its best years are done, but the plants have sent out a few fairly good runners. So I started six more runner pots going in this bed, and today, I’ll check out a bunch of strawberry volunteers in my bee balm. If there are any runners worth potting, I’ll start some new plants there as well.

My plan for these pots: I’ll let the plants’ roots grow for the next month and a half, into early fall. Then, before the first frost in October, I’ll transplant the new crowns into a bed to winter over, top dressed with lots of compost and mulch. By spring (fingers-crossed) the new plants will be ready to start growing in earnest.

Instead of mourning a summer without strawberries in 2023, I’m now full of hope for a crop, and eager to see how well these home-grown crowns bear fruit!