Category Archives: Strawberries
Strawberries—What Type is Right for Your Garden?
Who doesn’t love a juicy, red, ripe strawberry? Most gardeners welcome their concentrated harvest that comes fast and furious in June (or a bit earlier in some of the warmest southern states) but lament how fast it is over; here for Father’s Day, gone by Fourth of July. Did you know you can eat your strawberries […]
Dealing with Raised Beds, Strawberry Pyramids, and Containers in Winter
Situations where strawberry plants are more exposed to soil freezing and the root and crown damage that accompanies it bear special consideration. This would include plants grown in raised beds, pyramids, barrels, and pots. Ideally moving container grown plants to a protected but unheated garage may help protect them from wind dessication and mild freezing. […]
Floating Row Cover vs. Natural Mulch for Strawberries
In my last post, I talked about using straw or other natural mulch to protect strawberries from winter freeze damage. Floating row covers can be used as an alternative or adjunct to natural mulches. They offer the advantages of increasing yield and an earlier harvest because light penetrates the row cover and more flower blossoms […]
And THIS is Why we Mulch Strawberries in the Winter.……
From 44°F to 14°F in 2 days; it’s these dramatic temperature fluctuations in a short time that wrecks havoc with fruiting plants. Add to that a wind chill that put temperatures in the single digits and you have a recipe for tissue desiccation (drying out) and crown injury to exposed strawberry plants. Early in the winter, the […]
Winter Protection for Strawberries
Why Mulch? As temperatures drop and day-length shortens, strawberries begin to go into dormancy to protect themselves from winter cold. New leaf growth stops, old leaves turn red, and the plants take on a low profile “flattened” appearance. By late November the plants have gained considerable hardiness or ability to withstand cold. As temperatures remain […]