by Grow Food Easily
Growing strawberries in pots, raised troughs, or in the ground at home is easy, just follow these steps.
Growing fruits like strawberries are straightforward and will allow us to enjoy much tastier fruits than we can acquire in any establishment.
If you have a garden or a garden large enough, you can plant them on the ground, but there is also the possibility of planting strawberries in pots.
In this article, you will find seven steps to growing strawberries easily.
Details for Growing Strawberries
| Planting Months | Seed 6 weeks before the last spring frost |
| Harvest Months | 2 months from planting |
| Temperature to Plant | 60 – 80 F |
| Planting Depth | 4 inches |
| Spacing | 18 to 24 inches apart – rows 4 feet apart |
| Sunlight | 6 + |
| Direction | North to south |
| Drainage | Well-drained avoiding rotting |
| pH Level | 5.8 – 6.2 |
| Companion Plants | Horseradish, rhubarb, lettuce, marigolds, onions, chives, sage, and spinach |
| Health Benefits | vitamin C, manganese, folate (vitamin B9), potassium, antioxidants |
Seven Steps to Growing Strawberries
Many soil concerns need to be taken into account. However, they are likely to be cultivated in nearly all soil conditions; strawberries favor a sandy loam that is deep and also carries quite high volumes of organic material.
Rich Compost
Additional rich compost, peat moss, as well as some sand or even grit could be added to the chosen site to produce the ideal place for cultivating strawberries.
Containers
Container soils often have enough compositions as you are planning on growing fruits in a pot. If so, include an added inch or even two of new manure to the surface area of the container blend.
Rotate Strawberry Crop
The historical past of the soil patch is essential to your ability to succeed in planting strawberries. When some other Verticillium-susceptible plants had been harvested at the same place in the previous three years, it is advisable to opt for another site.
Soil pH Level
The pH of the site’s dirt is vital for cultivating strawberries. If you want to grow berries effectively, the ground must be moderately acidic. Strawberry crops develop well in soil containing a pH between 5.0 – 7.0; however, 5.8 to 6.2 is perfect for the highest possible production and growth.
Soil evaluation kits are obtainable online and from garden supply shops.
Soil pH Testing
You need to make sure that you accurately test your soil to give your plants the best chance.
The best option when cultivating strawberries is to make them from seedlings or seedlings that you can find in your garden center or nursery. It is also possible to grow your fruits through seeds, but the truth is that it will be more expensive to plant and may be complicated.
Germination
The best way to germinate your seeds so that they have a great start is with a germination kit. Seeds that are grown this way produce greater results.
Strawberries can be grown either in a pot or directly on the ground if you have enough space in your garden or garden. And it is noteworthy that the strawberry is a plant that is rooted very quickly and does not pose too many problems when planting.
Surviving Frost
Likewise, this plant is very resistant to cold and heat, and is even able to survive frost; so you should not worry if you live in a cold climate zone. The best time to grow strawberries will be in late winter and during spring.
Drainage
When it comes to growing strawberries in containers or pots, it will be necessary to have a proper drainage system, to avoid the irrigation water being flooded and the berries rotting, since this is a susceptible plant in this aspect.
Sunlight
Strawberries in a pot should be placed in a place where they receive sunlight to be well-lit and able to grow strong and healthy. Also, they will need paid land to increase their production.
Dig Ridges
If we prefer to plant the strawberries directly in the soil of the garden or orchard, it is recommended to do it in ridges, that is, furrows with raised seams. So we will place the seedlings in the upper part and leave a separation of about 30 cm between them.
One of the most critical points of the cultivation of strawberries will be irrigation since they need to receive the water regularly but always avoiding that they are puddled.
Stepped Irrigation
In this way, the most appropriate will be stepped irrigation so that they still have moisture in the earth but without passing us.
Drip irrigation is one of the most appropriate ways to supply water to strawberry plants, and flood irrigation should never be used, as the plants would rot very quickly.
For the strawberry plants to grow properly, we must follow specific care that will help us to make the fruit juicy and delicious. For this, in addition to the notes that we have given you about watering, you should also consider aspects such as the following:
Fertilizer
Use organic fertilizer: manure, for example, is one of the best fertilizers for strawberries to grow healthy, large, and tasty.
Raised Beds
The elevated strawberries: we must not allow the fruit to touch the ground because, if it does, the excess humidity could end up rotting them or, also, they could be attacked more easily by insects. The best thing is that you mount an extensive system that allows you to grow without reaching the ground.
Frost Protection
Protect them from frost: in cold weather, it is essential that you protect the plant to prevent it from spoiling. It is a very resistant plant, but it will need minimum protection, for example, a bit of straw or put indoors in a cool and dry place.
Harvest: Strawberries ought to be entirely ripened on the fruit before harvesting. Almost all species have to remain on the plant for a day or two after the berries obtained full color. Finally, even so, it is essential to consume one to find out when they are ready!
Dehydrating
One of the issues people have is that their crops produce all at once. The best way to overcome this is with a dehydrator so you can store your food for years and the flavor is amazing.
Careful Picking
Strawberries are sensitive as they are effortlessly bruised and destroyed. Mild palms and delicate attention must be applied while plucking them from the berry plants.
Picking a ripened strawberry, ease it by employing the fingernails of the thumb and the forefinger to sever the stem straight above the plant rather than drawing on the strawberry by itself.
Ripe Strawberries
Support the fruit in the palm when you pluck it to ensure that it doesn’t drop and then bruise or become dirty. The cover and a part of the stem have to be connected to the fruit. It is possible to harvest the strawberries as frequently as each day to have ripened, top-quality berries.
Avoiding Mold
Strawberries ought to be dry as they are harvested. Wet berries will never thrive tending to mold rapidly, not like tomatoes, and cannot ripen after it’s picked. Right after they are collected, it is advisable to keep unwashed fruit in a cool, dry, low light place (a freezer or fridge is ideal).
The same as almost all garden crops, strawberries grow in a period. Although the seasons can vary, it is not easy to retain a fruit cultivating year-round (and also, this is tough on the crops!). Therefore, harvesting and then storing them for future use makes sense.
Strawberry Jam
Whether they are dried, jellied, jammed, or even preserved in another form, a lot of people like Strawberry Preserves. When you have no standard family recipes for berry preserves, you can make use of any one of those.
Freezing Strawberries
Or perhaps, should you favor extra Fragaria delightfulness at a reduced temp, attempt one among the eight primary ways of Freezing Strawberries to store the crops. Additionally, ensure you employ as many as possible in tasty strawberry recipes.
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