Easy Recipes From The Garden

I’ve had some readers ask about how to grow strawberries, so here is a short primer.

Strawberries are quite easy to grow. The plants are perennials and thrive in full sun. Soil should be fertile and well drained. Healthy plants will produce an abundance of berries for three to four years, after which they should be replaced, either with new plants or with the runners that will shoot out from the mother plants.

There are several types of strawberries:
June bearers usually begin to bear fruit in June. By the plant’s second year after planting, it will produce a single large crop over a three- to four-week period.This type also produces many runners and will spread rapidly.

Ever bearing plants will bear fruit beginning the first year they are planted- from June through August. This variety works well in northern areas, where summer days are long. The plants produce fewer runners so they are easier to control in a garden bed.

Alpine strawberries produce small but flavorful berries. The Alpine is one of the parent species of the other varieties.

Planting time depends on your growing zone. In areas with severe winters, dormant plants should be set out in early spring, while temperatures are still cold. In areas with milder winters, plants should be put in the ground in the fall, which will provide a crop of strawberries in the springtime. Any flowers that appear should be picked off during the first month to allow the plant to get established.

See tag instructions for more details on planting in your growing zone.

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