I learned how to grow strawberries from years of experience and from Carla… The farmers daughter! Learn how to grow more and tastier strawberries! I hope what we’ve learned helps you harvest more strawberries that taste better than ever before!
Growing your own strawberries in a home garden is rewarding and delicious. I love to stock my freezer with strawberry freezer jam that I make from these strawberries every spring! And, who doesn’t love a fresh strawberry pie, a fresh strawberry salad, or strawberry pavlova?
With a little care, you’ll enjoy a bountiful harvest of ripe, juicy strawberries throughout the growing season. If you take good care of your strawberry patch, it will continue to produce for years to come!
You can purchase new plants or use mother plants from existing strawberry beds. By choosing the right type of strawberry, providing good drainage, and using organic matter to improve soil fertility, you can enjoy a large harvest of ripe, juicy strawberries throughout the growing season.
Learn how to prevent funguses like powdery mildew and verticillium wilt so you can enjoy the delicious fruits of your labor for years to come!
Where To Grow Strawberry Starts
Strawberry plants need a sunny spot with good drainage. I live in the northern hemisphere, so I like to plant strawberries with southern exposure so they get the most sunshine.
Add organic matter to the soil to improve fertility and water retention. For best results, plant June-bearing varieties in rows with a matted row system. This allows the plants to produce more daughter plants and flower buds, far a larger harvest in the second year.
Everbearing strawberry plants should be spaced further apart, and produce fewer runners, to encourage large fruit production.
I’ve found the easiest way to grow strawberries to be in raised garden beds! Raised beds have the advantage of a weed barrier or grass between them, so there is much less weeding than in traditional ground rows. Plus you retain more nutrients in the garden soil!
Raised beds limit weeds and they’re easier to weed than at ground level! If you plant strawberries where grass was recently dug out, you can get overwhelmed with weeds, or get infested with lawn grubs. Weeds and grubs can devastate a strawberry patch.
Raised garden beds also drain well, which strawberries need!
Place your raised strawberry garden beds in an area that gets full sun, and doesn’t stay too wet in the spring.
*Caution – Don’t plant strawberries in areas where tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, or peppers grew in the last 4 years. These plant crops carry a root rot fungus called Verticillium, and it will kill strawberry plants!
Soil Prep For Growing Strawberries
Fill your raised garden beds deeply with miracle grow, or a deep sandy loam with lots of organic material in it!
Strawberries grow the best in soil with a pH of 5.8 – 6.2. You might need to apply ground limestone to increase the pH of acid soils. Soil testing is done by private & public labs.
If you are like me and don’t get your soil tested, broadcast 20 pounds of 10-10-10 garden fertilizer per 1000 square feet of the site a week before planting strawberries! Then mix fertilizer into the soil and break up dirt clumps and hard areas. Instead of synthetic fertilizers, use organic ones like plant meals, seed meals, sulpomag (or K-Mag Natural), and rock phosphate.
Planting Strawberries
Early spring is the best time to plant strawberry plants in your home garden. Strawberries should be planted as early in the spring as you can work the soil. Make holes for strawberry plants about a foot to 18 inches apart in rows that are a few feet apart each.
If you’re planting June-bearing strawberries, plant them in late spring to ensure a good crop in the first year. Ever bearing strawberries can be planted throughout the growing season, but they produce smaller fruits the first year.
Each hole should be wide enough to spread the roots a bit when planting them. Put your strawberry start into your hole, spread the roots a bit, and cover with soil halfway up the “crown”.
Pack the soil firmly around each strawberry and start after getting them into the ground!
The space between rows will get filled in by the new strawberry runner plants (strawberry starts) that each plant will grow several of in the summer! If runners grow into areas you don’t want them, just move them over… Do not pick them off! These are free new strawberry plants that will fill in your patch for free!
Maintaining Strawberry Plants
To ensure the optimal growth of your strawberry plants and bountiful harvests, it’s essential to pay careful attention to several key aspects of their care and maintenance.
Mulching for Weed Control and Moisture Retention:
To maintain strawberry plants, begin by mulching the soil with straw or any organic mulch. This serves a dual purpose: it suppresses weed growth and helps the soil retain moisture.
Weeds can quickly compete with your strawberries for nutrients and water, so a good layer of mulch can keep them at bay. Moisture retention is crucial for strawberry plants, as they need consistent soil moisture to develop plump, juicy berries. Make sure the mulch is spread evenly around the plants, but avoid piling it too high against the stems, as this can lead to rot.
Runner Maintenance in Late Summer:
In late summer it ‘s time to manage strawberry plant runner growth. Runners are the long, thin stems that extend from the mother plants and eventually take root, creating new plants.
Runners are essential for strawberry patch growth, but they can also cause overcrowding, which can cause small fruit. To maintain a productive strawberry patch, trim or remove runners so that plants are about 10 inches apart. If overcrowding becomes an issue, thin out the bed by removing older plants or any weak ones;)
You can also propagate new plants from runners to expand your strawberry bed or give plants away!
Watering – How To Grow Strawberries
How you water your strawberry patch makes a HUGE difference in how they turn out! If you don’t water enough, you’ll get tiny berries, and not many of them. However, if you over water your berries will be big and juicy BUT have no flavor!
Drip Irrigation for Precise Watering:
Instead of overhead watering or hand-watering, consider using a drip irrigation system for your strawberry bed. Drip irrigation delivers water directly to the root zone of the plants, reducing the risk of wet foliage. Wet foliage can make your plants more susceptible to powdery mildew.
Consistent moisture at the root level promotes plant and strawberry growth. Be sure to adjust your drip system to provide enough, but not too much, moisture. Strawberries typically need about 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week, so monitor the soil moisture to ensure it’s getting the right amount.
There is an important balance that must be maintained to make sure strawberry plants produce large juicy and tasty berries!
- Do not soak strawberry patches! Too much water makes strawberries tasteless.
- Do not use sprinklers to water your strawberry patch, they need ground level water.
- Water strawberry plants with a soaker hose or drip hose. If plants get too wet (from sprinklers) they become subject to pests, and mold.
- Water your strawberry patch regularly from spring through fall (unless you get a lot of rain) and make sure the ground is moist, a darker color, but not drenched. Soil should feel slightly moist to the touch, and the color should tell you it’s moist.
Weeding to Grow Strawberries For Years
Enjoy a few minutes twice a week in your strawberry patch and pull out any weeds that have come up! Keeping your patch weed-free ensures that the strawberries get all the nutrients they need to produce more berries. Weeds will quickly overtake strawberry patches and decrease the number of berries you get to harvest!
Regular weeding will actually prolong the life of your patch because the plants get all the nutrients they need.
How Do You Get Strawberries To Produce More Fruit? Harvesting!
Believe it or not, but the more you’re out harvesting your strawberries, the more they’ll grow! If you leave strawberries on the plant longer, the plants will put their energy into those berries till they rot or get picked.
However, if you pick a berry when it turns red, the plant will put its energy into growing more new berries! Thus picking often gets strawberry plants to produce more fruit!
*And what will you do with all Your Strawberries? Preserve them the easy way… Make Strawberry Freezer Jam or the Sugar-Free Strawberry Freezer Jam that will last for another year! or Try a Fresh Strawberry Pie! or my favorite… Strawberry Salad! *
Harvest ripe fruit as soon as possible to prevent spoilage and encourage continued fruit production. June-bearing plants produce fruit in early summer, while day-neutral plants can produce fruit throughout the growing season. Alpine strawberries are a good choice for pot-grown plants and require less space than traditional strawberry varieties.
Fall Strawberry Patch Care: Mulch, Trim & Fertilize
After your last fall harvest, MOW or trim your strawberry patch leaving an inch and a half above the crowns.
Then remove plants between rows (they’ll fill in again next summer).
Now, Fertilize your strawberry patch! Broadcast twenty lbs of 10-10-10, or organic fertilizer, per thousand square feet.
- Fertilize June-bearing strawberries annually in late summer, after the last strawberries have been harvested.
- Fertilize ever bearing strawberries when you see the second flush of flowers, then apply fertilizer every six weeks till fall.
Cover your strawberry patch with 3-6 inches of mulch in late fall to protect them from extreme cold that causes root damage. Good mulches include straw, pine needles, wood shavings and loose organic material that will provide cover and won’t mat down. Avoid using mulch that has seeds in it, because those seeds would come up in your strawberry patch the following spring.
When spring comes back around and there is no longer the threat of frost, rake mulch off strawberry plants into middle rows to make walkways!
Trouble Shooting
To prevent fungi problems avoid planting strawberries in the same location for several years.
FAQ’s
Are Strawberries Easy To Grow?
Yes, strawberries are easy to grow and are a great addition to your home garden. They’re hardy plants that can tolerate a wide range of growing conditions, although they do have a few requirements for success.
Strawberries can be planted in a variety of ways: in traditional garden beds, raised beds, containers, or hanging baskets. So they’re a great choice for gardeners with limited space or for container gardening.
Strawberries are low-maintenance! They barely need any attention once established. And they’re pretty resistant to pests!
Strawberries just need full sun exposure, good drainage, and fertile soil with organic matter in it. Regular watering, especially during dry or hot months, and regular fertilization to promote growth.
What is the Best month to Plant Strawberries?
The best time to plant strawberries depends on the type of strawberries you want to grow and your geographic location.
For June-bearing strawberries, the best time to plant is in early spring, as soon as the soil is workable and before the last frost date. This allows the plants to establish their root systems before the growing season begins, for better fruit production in the first year.
For day-neutral strawberries, or everbearing strawberries, the best time to plant is in late spring to early summer… After the soil has warmed up and the risk of frost has passed. This allows the plants to establish quickly and produce fruit in the first year.
What is the Secret to Growing Strawberries?
Choose the right type of strawberry: There are several types of strawberries, including June-bearing, day-neutral, and everbearing varieties. Choose the type that is best suited to your climate, growing conditions, and desired harvest time.
Plant in the right location: Strawberries grow best in sandy and well-draining soil. They also need full sun exposure to produce the best fruit, so choose a location that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. Additionally, ensure that the soil has good drainage and is rich in organic matter.
Regular watering: Strawberries require regular watering, particularly during dry periods, to prevent stress and ensure optimal growth and fruit production.
Soil Prep: Incorporating organic matter into the soil, such as compost or well-rotted manure, can improve soil fertility and structure, which can benefit strawberry growth.
Control Pests: Regular monitoring and treatment for common pests and diseases, like aphids, spider mites, powdery mildew, and gray mold, prevents damage to the plants for a nice crop.
Fertilization: Strawberries thrive from regular fertilization with a balanced fertilizer, applied at the right time and rate. Avoid over-fertilizing, which can lead to excessive growth and fewer fruits.
Mulching: Mulching the soil around the plants with straw or other organic matter helps retain moisture, regulate soil temperature, and prevent weed growth!
Can You Grow Strawberries from a Strawberry?
It is possible to grow strawberries from a strawberry fruit, but it is not the most reliable, or recommended, way to propagate them.
When you grow strawberries from a fruit, you are starting with seed. Strawberries are not true-to-type from seed… The fruit that grows from strawberry seeds is not identical to the parent plant. This means you’ll get variations in fruit size and taste.
The most common and reliable way to grow strawberries is by planting starts or runners. Starts are sold at garden supply stores during the spring. Runners are stems that grow from the mother plant and develop into new plants 😉
If you use this info to grow strawberries and love it, Tag me on Instagram @farmhouse_harvest with your crop!
