13 secrets for planting and growing strawberries (+video)
March 9, 2022 83 Comments
Strawberry, the favorite fruit of young and old with its unique juicy taste. The best way to enjoy the most delicious strawberries, full of rich aroma, is to grow our own strawberries in the garden or on the balcony.
Strawberries are very healthy and have significant nutritional value. They are rich in vitamin C, potassium, phosphorus and calcium, while at the same time they offer significant antioxidant activity.
Strawberries are the ideal fruit for novice gardeners of all ages, as they don’t require too much care, can be grown in a pot or in a flower bed, and each plant gives us enough fruit.
The strawberry plant is a perennial and herbaceous that spreads on the ground and climbs. The strawberry has a central stem, of low height, from which the leaves, flowers and fruits that are formed in spring and summer emerge.
Strawberry cultivation lasts about 3-4 years before the productivity of the plants starts to decrease significantly and we will have to replace the crop by planting new strawberry plants to ensure new strawberry plants.
So let’s see the main strawberry varieties, how we plant strawberry plants and what care they need to enjoy the most delicious strawberries from our garden or balcony.
1. What are the most famous strawberry varieties?
There are many types and varieties of strawberries to grow, some early strawberry varieties that are grown to produce early and late varieties that are harvested later. Below, we list different strawberry varieties according to harvest time, fruit size and color.
- Diverse and multi-fruited varieties : Varieties that produce twice or more in one growing year.
- Wild strawberries : The varieties of wild strawberries that grow alone in the forests of the Greek countryside, with small fruit size and which are referred to as «European strawberry».
- Large- fruited strawberries : Of the strawberry varieties and hybrids that we find in nurseries, very popular varieties in the Greek area are the Ponderosa, Camarosa and Formosa varieties that have a large fruit size.
- Colored varieties: In addition to the classic strawberry varieties with the characteristic red color, there are new strawberry varieties with impressive white, black or green fruit color.
- Pineapple Strawberry: Special mention must be made of the pineberry, a variety that resulted from the crossing of a white variety from Chile and a red variety from North America.
Cultivation of a wild strawberry variety in a raised flower bed
2. When is the right time to plant strawberries?
The strawberry can be planted in September and bear fruit in the spring, as the plant forms an extensive root system during the winter. Of course, in this case, we must protect the plants from the intense frost of winter and cultivate in low tunnel greenhouses.
The simplest way is to plant in early spring, especially for amateur cultivation that we do in the garden or in pots on the balcony. It is worth mentioning that the spring strawberry crop, in the first year, gives a relatively smaller production during the summer period and a much larger one the following year in the spring.
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3. What conditions does the strawberry crop need to grow?
Strawberry cultivation thrives in sunny locations, as the plant needs at least 6-8 hours of sun per day to produce quality produce.
We must know that strawberry plants are sensitive to high temperatures that exceed 30 degrees Celsius. For this reason, in areas with a very hot climate, we prefer to plant in semi-shady places.
When planting the strawberry in our garden and field, we form raised planting positions in «shacks» to allow the water to drain well and achieve early production.
In addition, we can cover the soil with geotextile or use natural mulch materials to limit the growth of unwanted weeds and help the strawberry plants grow better.
Geotextile, how we use the ground cover fabric and what it offers us
4. At what distances is the strawberry crop planted?
Suitable planting distances for strawberry cultivation in the garden are 30-50 cm between plants and 70-80 cm between planting lines.
We avoid planting strawberry plants more densely as due to the lateral growth we will have poor ventilation conditions that can cause the development of fungal diseases.
Planting of organic strawberry culture in beds using nylon ground cover
5. How can we grow strawberries on the balcony?
In addition to growing strawberries in flower beds in the garden, the strawberry plant is very easy to grow and allows us to think of many ideas and inventive ways to grow strawberries with impressive results. When we grow strawberries in the yard or on the balcony, we prefer places with a south or west orientation.
– Planting strawberries in pots and planters
Planting the strawberry in the yard and on the balcony is quite easy in pots and planters. On the market there are pots and planters suitable for planting strawberries with special openings for planting several strawberry plants.
Particularly impressive are the hanging pots that are placed at a high point, so that the strawberry foliage falls vertically and its fruits form.
We can also create homemade pots by recycling various materials, such as wooden or metal barrels, old water heaters, plastic or styrofoam crates used in fishmongers.
– Planting strawberries in tubes
A quite original way that allows us to save space is the strawberry cultivation with the pipe system. We choose plastic pipes with a diameter of 15-20 centimeters and a length of about 2 meters and we make holes to plant the strawberries in, adding fertile and fluffy topsoil.
We can have the pipes in a horizontal or vertical position for planting the strawberry, although in the second case it is much more difficult to water our plants effectively.
– Strawberry planting in a small greenhouse
Planting the strawberry on the balcony or in our yard can be done in small greenhouses. In this way we plant the strawberry plants during the autumn season so that they can grow without a problem during the winter season when low temperatures prevail.
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6. How often does strawberry cultivation need watering?
Strawberries need regular watering, as they have a shallow root system and only absorb surface water. During the spring season, we water 2-3 times a week. On hot summer days, strawberries need watering every day to keep the soil relatively moist without flooding.
If we notice that the strawberry plants have very small leaves or do not produce many strawberries, it may be an indication of a lack of water, so more regular watering and a larger amount of water may be needed.
In hours of intense sunshine and heat, we avoid wetting the strawberry foliage as it creates burns and dryness on the foliage while there is a risk of developing fungal diseases, especially if we have a dense strawberry planting.
7. How often do we fertilize strawberries?
Strawberry cultivation is demanding in nutrients to have rich growth and significant production. When transplanting the strawberry into the field, we incorporate digested manure, compost and complete organic fertilizer to fluff up the soil and enrich it with organic matter.
Then it is necessary to add complete organic fertilizer, once a month, so that our strawberries acquire a satisfactory size and a rich sweet taste.
Many times, the strawberries we eat are somewhat sour and do not ripen quickly. In this case, we additionally add organic potassium fertilizer to sweeten the fruits.
Potassium, what it offers as a fertilizer to plants and crops
8. What diseases and insects affect strawberry cultivation?
The strawberry is a relatively sensitive crop and suffers from several diseases, such as phytophthora which causes root rot and powdery mildew which causes blanching of the leaves. It is also often affected by carbonization, which causes brown spots on the foliage, and botrytis, which creates gray mold on leaves and fruits.
For the preventive treatment of diseases in an ecological way, we can spray our plants every 2 weeks with an improvised solution made by dissolving 1 tablespoon of baking soda in a liter of water. In case of severe infestation, we spray with wet copper and sulfur that we get from agricultural stores.
Of the insects that attack strawberries, significant damage is caused by the mealybug (aphids), the mealybug, the thrips and the four-fingered beetle. To deal with them, we source organic insecticides such as potassium salts, summer pulp and natural pyrrhotite to spray our plants.
Alternatively, we can use improvised ecological preparations that we make with homemade materials such as green soap and baking soda, as we describe in detail in the article on protecting plants with natural materials.
Ecological ways to protect plants with natural materials
9. What are the main problems we may encounter in strawberry cultivation?
The main problems presented by the strawberry during cultivation are the yellow leaves and the drying of the leaves. We may also have strawberries small in size or strawberries with a sour taste.
- Why do strawberry leaves dry up?
Strawberry leaves can wither and dry when we wet them with watering in conditions of intense sunshine, as fungal diseases develop. Also, strawberry foliage can dry out when the plant is left in hot conditions during the summer months or when we apply an excessive amount of nitrogen fertilizer.
- Why do strawberry leaves turn yellow?
Strawberry leaves turn yellow in conditions of excessive humidity, when we water frequently and the soil does not have good drainage. Also, strawberry leaves may turn yellow when there is a lack of nitrogen and iron nutrients and fertilizer is required.
- Why do strawberry leaves turn red?
During the winter season, strawberry cultivation needs protection from the cold. During the winter months, it is normal for strawberry leaves to turn red. The red color is due to a group of pigments produced by the plant called anthocyanins, which contain antioxidants to protect the plant from frost.
Why do plant leaves turn red?
- Why don’t strawberry fruits grow?
Strawberry fruits may remain small and not grow when we have planted a small-fruited variety. Also, very often, strawberries don’t grow when we don’t water enough, when our plants don’t get enough sunlight, and when we don’t add a complete organic fertilizer.
- Why aren’t my strawberries sweet ?
In many cases strawberries are sour and unsweetened when we harvest early or when they don’t receive enough sunlight. Also, when we have a large strawberry production, we should add potassium fertilizer quite often to sweeten the fruits.
10. Does the strawberry plant need pruning?
Strawberry cultivation does not need special pruning to grow and bear fruit. Initially, after the first transplant of the strawberry, it is good to remove the first buds so that it takes root better, the plant grows and then it can produce more and better fruit in the summer.
The following year, at the beginning of spring, we remove dry and weak shoots or yellowed and rotten leaves so as to strengthen the vegetation of the plant in the spring period and consequently its production.
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11. When do strawberries ripen and how do we preserve them?
The strawberry harvest is done gradually, as it starts in the spring and progresses through the summer. Each strawberry plant can give us up to half a kilo of strawberries in fresh weight.
We usually notice that on the same strawberry plant there are flowers and fruits at the same time, so we are careful when we cut strawberries not to damage the flowers that will give us new strawberries after a while.
We collect the strawberries gradually, always by hand, early in the morning or late in the afternoon when they have a stronger aroma. Suitable harvesting stage is when the strawberries have started to gradually turn red and lose their original pink color.
If the strawberry fruits are bright red, we have picked them too late and they may rot before we can eat them. If we do not eat them fresh, the strawberries must be refrigerated immediately after harvesting so that we can keep them for 4-5 days until we consume them.
12. How is the strawberry propagated?
We can create new strawberry plants by seed, by plant division, but mainly by stolons, the thin long shoots that have the ability to form roots when they touch the ground.
a) Propagation of the strawberry by seed: We must mention that the propagation of the strawberry by seed is much more difficult, with a small success rate, while it does not give exactly the same plants as those from which the seed comes.
Strawberry seed is planted in early spring at a depth of about 1 cm and takes 2-3 weeks to germinate. To improve the germination of strawberry seeds, we can put them in the freezer for 2-3 weeks and then plant them in a fluffy and fertile potting soil.
b) Propagation of strawberry by division of rhizomes : To create strawberry plants by division, we divide the rhizomes of strawberry plants at the end of winter and then plant them in nursery pots or directly in the ground. If we plant them in nursery pots, we keep them for 2-3 weeks in a cool environment until they take root and the strawberry plants are ready.
c) Propagation of the strawberry by stolons: Propagation of the strawberry by stolons is the easiest and simplest way with the highest success rate. In particular, we can put part of the strawberry stolons in a nursery pot so that it can take root gradually.
After 4-5 weeks, when the strawberry stolon is well rooted in the pot, we cut the new strawberry plant from the mother plant to transplant it to its final position in the soil or in a larger pot.
Strawberry propagation, how we create new plants
13. And one last secret for growing strawberries
The strawberry is perhaps the only plant whose seeds are not contained inside the fruit of the plant but are found outside. Specifically, strawberry seeds are the characteristic yellow spots that we see on the surface of the plant’s fruits.
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