If you’re looking for a low-maintenance, low-cost fresh fruit to grow in your garden, look no further than Strawberry. They’re one of the easiest fruits to harvest at home, and they don’t take up much space. That said, there are still some things you should be mindful of if you want your strawberries to thrive and produce the tastiest berries possible. Keep reading for my best tips on how to grow sweet and juicy strawberries in your own backyard!
Pick the right variety.
The first step to picking the sweetest strawberries is knowing which varieties are best suited to your climate and soil conditions. The following list includes the top ten varieties of strawberries that consistently produce juicy berries with a good balance of sugar and acidity.
- Allstar
- Camarosa
- Chandler
- Earliglow
- Lateglow (aka Latham)
- Seascape (aka Meehan’s or Krimson Queen)
Wear the right clothes.
- Wear long pants and closed-toed shoes. Long pants are helpful in keeping your legs from getting scratched by the thorns on the plants. Closed-toed shoes protect your toes and keep you from stepping on sharp objects while you walk.
- Wear a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses. You don’t want to get sunburned while picking strawberries, nor do you want to be squinting into the sunlight when trying to find ripe berries among all of those green ones!
- Wear gloves if you are going to be picking strawberries for a long time. It is common for people who pick strawberries for an extended period of time (e.g., resellers) to use gloves in order to prevent irritation from prickly stems and leaves that can get stuck under fingernails or poke through thin fabric like cotton t-shirts worn during warmer seasons; however this may also depend on whether or not there is shade available where one plans on doing their harvest season activities because sometimes even wearing protective gear will not fully shield against pain caused by being exposed directly under hot summer rays which can lead one being injured by some type of chemical reaction due heat transfer along with direct contact between skin surfaces causing burns/scalds once they’ve had enough exposure time under such conditions without proper protection measures taken beforehand.”
Choose your spot carefully.
Strawberry season is here, and if you want to get the most out of your berry-picking experience, then it’s important to choose your spot carefully. Strawberries prefer full sun and a well-drained soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. The ideal soil temperature for strawberries is between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit—anything warmer than that can cause them to ripen too quickly and make the fruit taste bitter. When it comes down to it, choosing the right strawberry plant for your garden depends on many factors: where you live (or plan on visiting), what time of year you will be picking them from their plants, how much space you have available in which to grow berries…and even what kind of soil is present in those areas!
Prepare your soil.
Preparing the soil is an essential step to growing healthy strawberries. To do this, you’ll need to remove weeds and dead leaves, add compost or organic fertilizer, and add gypsum (to improve drainage), lime (to raise pH levels) and aged manure. The following ingredients can also help: straw, leaf mold, peat moss and seaweed; horticultural sand; perlite.
Irrigate judiciously.
If you’re not already harvesting your strawberries, it’s time to start. While most people think of strawberry picking as a fun activity for children and families, it also has health benefits. Strawberries are high in Vitamin C, manganese and potassium—and they taste great!
If you want to get the best tasting strawberries possible, there are some important things you should do when watering them:
- Water early in the morning or late in the evening so that the sun doesn’t scorch them before they have time to soak up some moisture from the soil.
- Use an irrigation timer so that each plant gets its fair share of water without being overwatered during dry periods (which can cause mold).
Don’t be a plant hog.
If you’re planning on growing strawberries in your garden, don’t be a plant hog. That is, unless you have the space for these high-maintenance plants—strawberries are not a good choice for small gardens.
Strawberries are perennials that grow best in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 5 through 8 and require lots of sun, water and nutrients to thrive. They do well in raised beds or containers but thrive best in full sun exposure with well-drained soil—and they’re heavy feeders! If you’re planning on planting them directly into the ground where they’ll live out their lives (or at least several years), make sure there’s plenty of room around them so they have access to water and nutrients from deep underground rather than just from topsoil that can dry out quickly during hot summer months when temperatures soar over 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 C) each day for weeks at a time (not uncommon!).
Fertilize lightly, if at all.
You don’t want to fertilize until the plants are well established and growing vigorously. Fertilizing too soon or too heavily can cause a plant to set fruit before it’s ready, which could lead to small or poor-quality berries. If your strawberries are grown in containers, they’ll need even less fertilizer than plants that are in soil.
The best advice is not to fertilize at all during the season—the plants will get plenty of nutrients from what they absorb through their roots as they grow. If you do decide to fertilize, use a low-nitrogen (10% nitrogen), low-phosphorus (0-0-24) and high potassium (15%) fertilizer such as Espoma Organics All Purpose Plant Food Mix at planting time only; never use high-nitrogen fertilizer such as Miracle Grow Tomato & Vegetable Food nor anything with more than 15% nitrogen content; also avoid high phosphorus products like bone meal or blood meal.
Mulch to control weeds and conserve water.
Mulch is a great way to control weeds and conserve water. Mulching also helps retain moisture in the soil, which can be beneficial if you don’t have regular access to water for your garden.
The best mulches are those that are easy to remove from the beds when it’s time to plant again, such as compost or shredded leaves. These materials decompose quickly and don’t need much maintenance after application. You should avoid using toxic materials such as black plastic because they don’t break down over time and can contaminate the soil with heavy metals or other toxins that may harm plants growing in that area later on down the road when they’re ready for harvest!
Protect your plants from pests and diseases.
Begin by protecting your strawberry plants from pests and diseases. A good organic pest control product is one of the best ways to keep strawberries healthy, so make sure you use one that’s right for your region. If you’re not sure what kind of product to use, ask a nursery employee or search online for “organic pest control products” in your area.
You can also help prevent pests with good mulching techniques: placing straw around the base of each plant will help keep moisture levels consistent and discourage bugs from taking up residence on top of berries during harvest season (especially beneficial if you have an organic mulch available).
Harvest strategically—and don’t overdo it!
The best time to harvest strawberries is when they’re fully red, firm and ready to eat. If you pick them too early, they’ll be smaller and less sweet; if you wait too long, they’ll be soft and unappealing.
To pick your berries at just the right time, look for some key indicators: The berries should be fully red (no white spots), firm (not soft or mushy) and small (if they’ve gotten large). You can also tell that it’s harvest time when you see green leaves emerging on the plants—this means new growth is taking place in preparation for next year’s crop!
Growing strawberries is easy, but growing great strawberries takes a bit more attention to detail!
Growing strawberries is easy, but growing great strawberries takes a bit more attention to detail!
- Choose the right variety. Strawberry plants need lots of sun and well-drained soil to produce sweet fruit. If you have sandy or clay soils, consider planting in raised beds with organic matter added to improve drainage and increase fertility.
- Keep them moist but not too wet. Strawberries don’t like soggy soil, so if your soil is on the heavy side try adding pine needles or sphagnum peat moss before planting to help keep it light and fluffy (both are also natural pH buffers). Too much water can cause diseases such as crown rot, so make sure there are several inches between your rows for good air circulation and allow plenty of time for each variety to ripen before harvesting all at once!
Conclusion
I hope these tips for growing great strawberries have helped you get started on the process of choosing just the right variety and getting them off to a splendid start. With some luck, you’ll be picking your own perfect berries in no time at all!
