plant info - strawberries

NB - position - no hot sun, no wind. Part shade, morning sun, protection from midday rays...

slightly acid soil (pH of 6 – 6.5), with a shed-load of compost, some well-rotted poo (worm and cow is good) and a lovely thick mulch layer. Whack them into a slightly raised bed (about 15 – 20cm) or a suitable pot, keeping about 20 – 30cm between plants. This will give them space to grow, nice air circulation and room to run. Mulch well in between plants with a lovely straw to prevent fungal diseases, and reduce weed invasion.

Feeding:

Weak manure tea at about week three, then a full strength slug of seaweed tea when they start flowering. This will give them a good feed, and the seaweed solution does wonders in preventing fungal infections. Ever bear strawbs need a bit more nitrogen than other varieties.

If you are growing strawbs in pots, fertilise them at half the strength but up the frequency.

Watering:

They like it moist (but not soaking) and hate water on their fruits and foliage (it causes bad things like fungus to happen). They need regular watering and, due to their shallow roots, can dry out pretty quickly, so keep a close eye on it and water when necessary. It’s not a bad idea to ease up on the watering when you see the first wee fruits – this will significantly improve their flavour.

Propagating runners:

Use runners with healthy white roots, removing any crusty old roots and leaves from the crown. Dig some nice wide holes, and, in the centre, pop a little pile of soil. Then, gently place the crown on the soil, fanning out the roots over the mound, like lava running down a volcano (or chocolate topping on ice-cream).. Back fill the hole with soil and firm, making sure the crown is kept at ground level and not buried. Water in well and mulch, avoiding the sensitive stems. Use either a straw mulch or collected pine needles! Too easy!

Issues:
Worst is a suite of viruses that can, over-time, build up and destroy your plants. One tell-tale sign of virus is yellow stripes appearing through the leaves. Plants displaying this virus should be yanked out of the ground and either bagged, or burned.

Crop rotation NB - it is recommended that strawberries move to a new bed, with fresh soil, every three years. Strawberries shouldn’t be planted where tomatoes, eggplants, capsicums or chillis have been for at least three years as, being a caring, sharing lot, they have a tendency to pass on a strawberry slaying disease.

Mould and fungus can be an issue, especially when the air is cold and there is water hanging around on the foliage. Best way to prevent these issues is to avoid overhead watering, and give them a great straw mulch (they are called “straw”berries after all!).

Keep an eye on slugs and snails in the strawberry patch... Mabe some beer traps, coffe grounds, etc.

And a nice net or cage covering for the BIRDS!