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Monday, September 12
Strawberry Plants for Your Home Garden
10 Tips on Planting Strawberry Plants
Sun-kissed strawberries are a must-have for every home garden. The beautiful red color, distinctive aroma, and irresistible taste make it every gardener's favorite fruit.
The versatility of strawberries is such that it is used in a wide range of preparations like jams, jellies, cakes, syrups, pies, ice creams, shakes, etc. You can prepare delicious and mouthwatering deserts with homegrown strawberries; everyone would love them.
Selecting Strawberries for the garden: Garden strawberries come in three wide varieties, which are Day-neutral strawberries, June-bearing strawberries, and Everbearing strawberries. Everbearing and Day-neutral can be grown if you have limited space. These varieties take less space as compared to June-bearing strawberries. The June-bearing plant produces larger fruit than the other two types.
Planting Strawberry plants: Strawberry plants are planted in spring as soon as the ground is wet. Make sure not to plant them in wet soil; otherwise, the plants will die when the ground freezes during the winter season. Choose a spot that is well-drained and gets a good amount of sunlight, as strawberries thrive well in the sun. The plants can be grown in almost any soil rich in organic matter. You can alternatively use compost or manure to make it fertile. There should be enough spacing between the plants as they produce runners.
Maintenance and Care: Once the plants have grown and started flowering, it is advisable to remove the first flowers as this practice ensures a higher yielding crop for the next season. It also helps in strengthening the roots and stems. Pinching off the excessive runners also helps in increasing fruit production. Mulching the plants helps keep the soil's temperature low and prevents weeds from growing near the plants. Fertilizing the strawberry plants will ensure they yield fruit to their maximum potential. However, ensure not to over-fertilize as the excess nitrogen can damage the fruit.
