Topic: Strawberries this time of year?

[Dianna]

They are already blooming...



Are the red leaves healthy?

[Patty S]

  Mine aren't flowered up yet, but when I checked on them this morning (after seeing yours), I saw that they're thinking about it, cuz little buds were forming.
This is what my strawberry towers looked like after winter did its thing to them....
   
As you can see, I didn't harvest the baby plants from the runners last year... I was already overrun with strawberries, cuz I also have planter boxes of strawberries hanging on both sides of my 20 foot veggie garden fence! I only set the planters out of the weather (under the eaves) & didn't even cover them up this winter (we got down to 25° for almost 2 weeks), but they wintered over just fine!

My granddaughter & I got busy today & cut off all the dead stuff & gave them a big drink, so they look pretty good now....
   

This will be the 3rd year for most of them, so I'll be rooting runner babies & getting new plants started this fall, to replant the towers for next year.

This is what they looked like in the middle of September, last year....
   
I usually let the runners go on my towers (cuz I just love the looks of it when they cascade down & hide the whole plant stand), but last year I trimmed off some of the runners, to increase the berry yield.

Are the red leaves healthy?

Dianna, the red leaves are of no consequence... they're just red, that's all. They'll most likely turn brown & die away, but I think the red looks sorta cool so I didn't cut mine off when I trimmed all the dead stuff away from the plants. During the growing season & especially on into fall when the weather starts turning, many of the leaves will turn shades of red & orange... Gorgeous!

BTW, you may not like doing it, but it's good to snip off those first flowers to force energy back into the plant early in the spring, cuz it'll increase your berry yield. (Those first flowers probably won't turn into berries anyway, cuz the plant is barely regaining its strength right now... & besides, there aren't enough insects out yet, to pollinate them.)

[Dianna]

Patty, your plants look great! I remember you posting about them somewhere else, but didn't really pay that much attention because I wasn't trying to grow them myself then...

How in the world do you keep them looking so lush? I won't mind pinching or cutting the flowers off if mine will start looking like that, but I do have them planted in the garden bed instead of a planter/pot. Do the same rules apply?

[Patty S]

Yup! The same rules apply to container strawberries, as for in-ground strawberry beds. I raised strawberries in Montana, where winters got to be -30° for long periods (many weeks) but they had to be mulched over pretty well to survive. Strawberries are extremely hardy, but are kind of fussy about how they're planted. Other than that, they're fairly low maintenance & can be prolific plants when they're treated right. (I don't think that mine look any "lusher" than yours... I think I just may have a few more showing in my pic than you do!)

If you need tips & info about care requirements, I'd be happy to put a tutorial together. For the most part, I'm still learning about gardening, but I've raised veggies for longer than I can remember... so you just might see me around a lot, here in the Vegetables and Fruit forum! (Strawberries & Basil are my specialties.)

[Dianna]

Patty, all I have is the one little plant that I posted, period!  I killed the first ones I tried, so wasn't about to buy more until I learned what I was doing wrong. I might get the nerve to buy some more now,though, since you are here to give me some info! 

Eventually, I would like to use the strawberry plants as sort of a mulching system for my bulb bed to keep the weeds out. Is that feasable?

I have lemon-seeded basil that I bought because I read somewhere that it will deter mosquitos. I would be happy for any tutorials you can post about either one. My thumb is not quite all the way green yet!  My plants will love you for it!   

[Patty S]

Mosquitos stay away from ALL Basil... & so do deer!
You don't need to be in a hurry to get Basil seeds started just yet, cuz they need heat in order to grow well. Also, even though the plant places might be selling Basil starts right now, DON'T get them yet (unless you plan on keeping them indoors) cuz the air AND ground temps need to be a lot warmer that they are right now, for Basil to survive. (Steady, 55° minimum temp.)

I don't know how you managed to murder your other strawberries. but a guess off the top of my head, is that you planted them too deep... which is the most common method of killing off Strawberry plants! (Now WHY doesn't that work for weeds?)

When planting strawberry plants, it is very important not to cover the crowns with soil. The crown should sit on top of the dirt & left to decide on it's own, when & where to send its roots down. They need to be moist (but not too wet). Covering the crown will smother & kill the plant, & too much water will deteriorate the root system.

I know that might sound like there's a delicate balace to waterng, but the secret lies in good drainage... strawberries like a lot of sand mixed into the soil, cuz that makes it easy for them to send down roots, & prevents water from pooling up in the soil. (I think that my strawberries are proof of that, cuz we get more than our share of rain here in the spring, fall & winter, yet my plants don't seem to notice! I have them in regular garden soil mixed with an equal part of sand.) With such generous drainage, a weekly dose of general veggie plant food is a must... & during our dry spell I collect aquarium water in buckets when we clean the tank every 2 weeks, & use that water in my planters.

I'm working on a (lengthy) post & will start a new topic with more strawberry tips when I get it done. Meanwhile, I'll give you a sneak peek at what 36 feet of happy strawberries look like...



Partially because of my lack of garden space for a bonafide strawberry bed (nowhere to go but "up") & partially because I can't be on my knees (the only ones I have are made of titanium), all of my strawberries are in planters.
     *Handy to pick
     *Virtually weed free
     *Definitely Slug free
Works for me!

[Bonnie]

Patty, Those strawberry plants look real good.

I had one pot of bazil on my porch last year. I didn't know they keep mosquitos
at bay. I might have to have more than one this summer.


Bonnie

[Dianna]

I will be potting up basil all around the deck AND in the garden to keep the deer out. Little critters tried to eat the whole garden last year. I didn't get many quarts of peas out of it...

Yes, Patty, I would say your strawberries look quite content where they are. Are they all potted up or are some in the ground along that fence?

I am looking forward to your tutorial. I already have a bunch of questions....

[Dianna]

Okay, Patty, I changed the picture up in the first post. Does it look sharper to you? 

I was shocked when I went out to take a better picture and saw the strawberry! No, I haven't removed the flowers yet. I am working on it! I didn't want to set my camera down in the dirt while I was playing in the dirt! 

[Patty S]

Yes, that pic is MUCH clearer Dianna! I'd say that your thumb is greening up nicely! Have you snipped off those blossoms yet? (I know it's hard to do after spending a long winter without flowers, but it really will make a difference in how well that lonely little plant performs.)

You asked if I had strawberries growing on the ground as well as in the planters... I ran across this pic from last year when I was looking through my PhotoBucket, & I think it'll answer your question...

   

I like this setup I have... My strawberry planters are on both sides of the fence, & when the water drains out of them, my beets & watermelons get watered too!

The beets are on one side of the fence & the melons are on the other side. I had a cuke there too, but accidentally chopped into the roots with the hoe.

Oh... I should explain the shelving racks. I have this "thing" about my food being on the ground (just doesn't seem right, somehow)! I can't do anything about the beets, cuz they need to be in the dirt, but putting my melons & cukes up on those shelves keeps them clean, makes it real easy to weed & keeps the slugs & earwigs off the fruit!
Pretty clever, eh?

[Dianna]

Have you snipped off those blossoms yet?

Did that yesterday while walking outside and checking for new bloomers. Sure hated to pull that little strawberry off and throw it away. I wasn't about to eat it, though. It probably would have puckered my mouth off like a green persimmon!

but putting my melons & cukes up on those shelves keeps them clean, makes it real easy to weed & keeps the slugs & earwigs off the fruit! 

Sounds pretty smart, to me! I will be checking out the local Goodwills and other thrift stores to see if I can find some racks. I am all for keeping them up where the slugs can't reach them...

Year before last we put up a little fence by the canteloupes and tied them up with pantyhose to keep them out of the dirt. I am hoping that the watermelon are just a little bit too big to try this with them...

I sure do appreciate all these pointers, Patty!

[Bonnie]

That's is a neat set up you have there Patty.

Bonnie

[patches]

Hey Patty, here's the new strawberry bed I built for my babies.  I stiil have to bring in some more dirt and sand to fill it, but I'm waiting until I'm sure we aren't getting another freeze warning.  Geesh, the weather we had last week really took a toll on all my perennials, shrubs, and bushes.  My Hostas that had already come up are now mush!  Everyone here is suffering and the orchards are certainly going to be hurting this year.  The peach crop may be gone and they don't know yet about the apples.   

Patty, the bed is actually two landscaping timbers high, but you can't see that from the angle the picture is taken.  The raised bed in the background is where the babies spent the winter all tucked in and "snug as a bug in a rug".  Well, I guess they liked it, because they ALL survived, in spite of, our HUGE ice storm last November.  If you look close you might be able to see the tops of the babies in there right now. 

   

This is going to be so exciting!  I just hope I've done everything right and get some great strawberries this year.  Geesh, I've been waiting for this moment every since they arrived last year.  I can't wait to get all my babies settled in their new home, so they can start producing some juicy strawberries. 

  

[Patty S]

             

Patti, that looks GREAT! (Appears that there's a whole lot of bending over work involved there! UGGGH!)  You've been telling me about this setup since you started it last fall, & I gotta tell you... That isn't what I had visualized, but I'm really impressed!  NICE JOB! (I told you over & over, to quit worrying about those strawberry plants not making it through the winter... NOW do you believe me?)

I was pleased that my strawberries did so well, being more exposed to the freezing temps by sitting in those planters & pots throughout our unusually low temps this winter. (I usually cover them for the winter, but didn't do anything this year!)  I was going to take a pic of them today, but I got busy with other things & forgot... my towers look LOTS different than they did just a month ago! Since they woke up, the blossoms have been coming on almost faster than BG & I can clip them off... (and runners already, too!) I think we're going to have a real good berry year! (I'll take a pic tomorrow, to show you what you have to look forward to!)

I'm sure sorry that your weather has taken a toll on some of your other plants! (Will your Hostas come back next year, or are they done for?)  I heard about the peach crops on the radio... & the oranges, & everything else that's going to cost a fortune for us this year because of those freezing temps ruining crops all over the place!   At least we'll be able to offset that cost with lots of free strawberries, huh?

[littlebrat]

I agree that does look pretty. I wish I could grow strawberries. I think it would be cool. Plus they are soooo yummy. Being my luck I would kill them. Lol. But you guys do sooo well with your plants. Awesome work guys!

[Dianna]

That is a great bed for your strawberries, Patti! Maybe I need to just get mine out of the front flower bed and make them their own little plot. I think your strawberries will be very happy there.

The plants that I can see look very healthy. It gives me hope that maybe mine survived the cold snap that we just had, too!

[Patty S]

(I'll take a pic tomorrow, to show you what you have to look forward to!)

           
             Here it is...

     

Amazing, what a difference there is from the way they looked (above) just 35 days ago!

[patches]

Thanks Patty, I just wanted to make a nice home for them where they would be happy!  I guess I feel kind of responsible for them since you entrusted them to my care. 

You've been telling me about this setup since you started it last fall, & I gotta tell you... That isn't what I had visualized, but I'm really impressed! 

What did you think it was going to look like?     Okay, now I do believe they can make it through the winter; but I was really worried about the freezing temperatures we got last week, so I covered them with some commercial landscaping fabric at night. 

Patty, they are saying that the Hostas and most of the perennials should make it but they may look pretty sick for while.  The Hostas that were just starting to come up when the freeze hit are looking very healthy right now.  Unfortunately, the ones that were well-formed with a lot of leaves turned to mush and looked like they must melted.    If they have enough energy left, I may still get some decent looking Hostas this year.     Fortunately, I took some starts from a lot of my Hostas last fall and have been trying to grow them in the basement this past winter.  Now, if I end up losing some of mine I still have something to fall back on, but I'm not sure I got starts from all the ones I had in planted in my beds.  Geesh, they said it hadn't hit these lows at this time of year since 1938, and I wasn't even born then.   

[Dianna]

The strawberry plants look so healthy, Patty! That is an amazing difference from a month or so ago.

I haven't been outside to check mine. Probably couldn't see them for the weeds, anyway...

[Patty S]

What did you think it was going to look like?

Actually, when you talked about raised beds,I was thinking more about the taller raised beds (like knee high), that are a handy height for disabled people (& us old folks). 

Okay, now I do believe they can make it through the winter; but I was really worried about the freezing temperatures we got last week, so I covered them with some commercial landscaping fabric at night.

So you believed me after they made it through your bitterly cold & lengthy winter, yet you ran out there to tuck them in as soon as you heard it was going to freeze at night!   (When will you really believe that strawberries are die-hard hardy?)  

[patches]

(When will you really believe that strawberries are die-hard hardy?)   

Okay, Patty, I really do believe the strawberries are die-hardy, but are they rabbit- hardy?     Geesh, it seems like the little bunnies are chewing off the tops of the strawberry plants.    They don't eat them, they just bite them off and then leave them laying there. 

Patty, how tall do these strawberry plants actually get?  I'm thinking of making a cage cover to put over them and hopefully it will keep the rabbits and other critters out.   :-\

[Patty S]

Apparently your strawberries are about as rabbit proof as they are squirrel proof!  I don't have that problem myself, but the birds like them & I use leftover netting from wedding reception tables to keep them out. I'm sure that's not going to work for your critters though, cuz they have "hands", & will just lift the netting & march right into the bed!

Strawberries can get tall. (The ones in my towers get to be about 8", but the ones in my long planters only go about 5 or 6".)  I can't tell by your earier pic if the plants are taller than your landscape timbers, but I think they were just getting started at that time anyway. I would suggest that you buy some 1" poultry wire, & build manageable size frames to go across the tops of the beds. You might have to build up the sides of your raised beds, but if you want to keep the critters out that's the only solution I can think of... unless you want to set traps or pitch a tent out there & stand guard 24/7!  (Don't worry about it if the plants touch the wire, cuz it won't make any difference to them.  If the leaves poke through to the outside, it won't even hurt the plants if a couple leaves get ripped off when you lift the covers, cuz each plant has enough to do the photosynthesis thing)

It sound like critters are as rude as the birds are!  You would think that they'd have the decency to stick with one berry when they start their snacking, but ohhh no.... they take a bite out of every one they see! BG say's they're probably just checking them to see if their poison!

This week I'm finally leaving my blossoms alone & not picking them off.  Six weeks of doing that was all I could stand!  There have been plenty of runners as well (could be because my plants are so close together in the planters), but I'll continue to pull those off until late in the season.

[patches]

the birds like them & I use leftover netting from wedding reception tables to keep them out. I'm sure that's not going to work for your critters though, cuz they have "hands", & will just lift the netting & march right into the bed!

Patty, I actually, have bird netting I bought on clearence last year in anticipation of keeping the birds away from my strawberries.  I know it won't work for the critters, but I wasn't even thinking about them at the time.  I have an idea that I would like to try, but I've been told the 1" poultry wire won't necessarily keep them out either, because they can chew right through it if they want to get at something.  I was informed that it's not made a strong as it used to be since they are now using a lighter gauge wire.  It's  just like everything else they are cutting back on (e.g. 4 lbs. of sugar for the same price or more as the 5 lb. bag used to be).  A couple of weeks ago, I bought some landscaping timbers to replace a few of mine and they don't match up since they are much smaller in circumference.  Geesh, if they keep shaving more off and more each year, eventually, they will be the size of toothpicks.      

[patches]

Last year, Patty sent me some strawberry plants, so I spent the summer making some babies to have for this year.  I ended up with 42 plants that I wintered over and then built a raised bed for them.  When I planted them in their new home some of my resident rabbits decided to chew off the whole tops some of them.     Well, the war was on and I needed to do something.  I checked with some of the nurseries and they had various products that they said MIGHT work,  but they weren't sure about discouraging the squirrels and chipmunks.  Evidently, I needed to come up with a new strategy and method of attack.  I was determined to win this war, and finally came up with what I thought would be a workable plan.  So, one of my high school classmates and I built a cover for the bed and here's the results.   



Okay, maybe it's overkill, but I was NOT going to be defeated by some little critters smaller than I am.  I think it turned out great.     You have to admit, it's really not too bad for two old ladies with a truck to pick up supplies.  It's SOOO nice to have a friend with a truck.   

[Patty S]

Hey, I don't think that's "overkill" at all!  Good job!
I don't know the dimensions of your strawberry bed, but I think I might have made two frames, to cover each half, rather than to mess with moving the whole thing.  (Do you prop it up with something when you want to pick berries & weed, or did you go so far as to put hinges on one side?) 

You didn't mention what you used within your frame to keep the critters out. (Also didn't mention if it's working!)  Tell us more!

What the devil is that building-looking thing behind the strawberry bed?
Please don't tell me it's a squirrel feeder!