How To Grow Strawberries In Your Backyard – The Simple Secrets To A Great Harvest!
Choose a strawberry for your climate and soil. For year-round harvest, choose everbearing or day-neutral cultivars.
1. Choose the Right Variety
Give your strawberry plants 6-8 hours of sunlight daily. Plant them in well-draining, pH 6-6.5 soil.
2. Sunlight and Soil
Your climate determines whether you plant strawberries in spring or autumn. Early planting establishes roots before summer heat.
3. Planting Time
Space strawberry plants for airflow to prevent infections. Usually leave 12-18 inches between plants.
4. Plant Spacing
Maintain moist but not saturated soil. Due to their thin roots, strawberries need constant watering, especially during dry spells. Soaker hoses or drip irrigation can keep foliage dry.
5. Proper Watering
Spread mulch around plants to control weeds, conserve moisture, and prevent soil from splashing onto fruit. Strawberries are often mulched with straw.
6. Mulching
Use a balanced fertiliser with slightly more phosphorus (P) at planting. Avoid excessive nitrogen (N), which promotes foliage growth over fruit yield.
7. Fertilization
Strawberry runners are shoots that can be rooted to grow new plants. Allow enough daughter plants to grow for ongoing production, but thin them to avoid overpopulation.
8. Runners and Daughter Plants
Slugs, snails, birds, and insects should be monitored. Protect your berries with row covers or netting.
9. Protect from Pests
Rotate strawberry plants annually to prevent soil-borne illnesses. Your location may need fungicides if it has fungal illnesses.
10. Disease Prevention
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