Growing strawberriesis becoming more and more popular, both in allotment and home gardens, as well as on balconies and terraces. It is hardly surprising since strawberries are famous for their good taste and rich nutritional value. And they taste best when picked straight from the bush on your own plot. See how to choose goodstrawberry varieties for growing on the plotand how to provide strawberries with the best growing conditions. Here's everything you need to knowabout growing strawberries in the plotif you want to enjoy a bountiful harvest of sweet fruits!
Growing strawberries on the plot
Varieties of strawberries for growing on the plot
Strawberries are low herbaceous perennialsthat can be grown in most gardens, both in soil and in containers. Climbing strawberries, which have recently become more and more popular, are predisposed to pot cultivation. Strawberries can be eaten raw and are also perfect for frozen meals, jams and preserves. They contain a lot of vitamins and minerals as well as pectin, a water-soluble fiber that lowers cholesterol and neutralizes toxic substances. The numerous advantages of strawberries make it worth tryinggrowing strawberries on the plot
"Growing strawberrieswe often do not realize that the strawberry is a hybrid of two types of wild strawberries. Wild strawberries are found in the wild (in Poland, you can meet 3 species in their natural state), and strawberries are simply domesticated wild strawberries.
Strawberries can be divided into once-fruiting and repeated fruiting. Single-fruiting strawberry varietiesbloom in early spring and bear fruit at the turn of spring and summer. In regions with a mild climate, they can bear fruit again in early autumn, but yield a small fruit harvest. We can distinguish early, mid-early and late varieties among them. To ensure a harvest of strawberries throughout the season, it is worth planting several varieties. "
Strawberry varieties that repeat fruitingbloom and bear fruit from spring to autumn, but never harvest abundantly at any one time, although the total yield over the entire season is high. They do not stop flowering and fruiting also after the first autumn frosts, which makes them suitable for cultivation in regions with cooler climates.
In addition totraditional varieties of strawberries , more and more interesting facts with unusual characteristics appear in the cultivation. In this group it is worth mentioning, for example,decorative strawberry 'Pink Panda' , producing large pink flowers, or pineapple strawberry 'Pineberry', producing white fruit with a pineapple flavor.
In amateur crops,wild strawberry(Fragaria vesca) is also often found. Wild strawberries bear small but very aromatic fruit from spring to autumn. They grow in partial shade positions and can be grown in pots.
Strawberry seedlings for growing on the plot
Commercially available strawberry plants can be divided into green (fresh), potted, and so-called frigo.
Green strawberry seedlingsare those that are planted permanently immediately after being taken from the nursery. The best time to plant such seedlings is autumn (if planted too late, they may freeze).
Potented strawberry seedlings(i.e. rooted in pots) take on more easily, grow faster and bear fruit more abundantly. Unfortunately, they are also more expensive than green ones.
Both of the above-mentioned types of seedlings allow forcultivation of strawberries in a two-year system , i.e. in the first year we plant the plants in the beds, and only in the next year, the first harvest of fruit is possible.The harvest is repeated for another 3-4 years, and then the plants are replaced with new ones.
An alternative to these traditional strawberry plants is frigo plants.Strawberry seedlings frigoare taken from the nursery during the winter dormancy, sorted and stored in a cold store. They are used for grower-controlled cultivation, but are also becoming more and more popular in amateur crops. Their advantage is the possibility of harvesting fruit throughout the growing season (they bear fruit after 8 weeks from the planting date), as well as saving time, because the harvest is already in the first year of cultivation.Strawberry frigo seedlingsrequire more careful care after planting (especially watering) and, like potted seedlings, are more expensive than green seedlings.
Growing conditions for strawberries
Strawberry cultivation site
In order forstrawberry cultivation on the plotto have a chance of success, first of all, you should choose the right site for these plants.The best growth and fruiting of strawberries is obtained in sunny locations (they bloom and bear fruit less in the shade, the fruit is not so aromatic and sweet) and in fertile, humus-rich, well-ventilated soils with regulated water conditions. Heavy, waterlogged and waterlogged soils are bad. The optimalsoil pH for strawberryis 5.5 to 6.2. In more acidic and alkaline soils, strawberries grow and bear fruit worse.
When choosing an appropriategrowing position for strawberries , it is also worth paying attention to the plants growing nearby. Strawberries should not be grown near raspberry and blackberry bushes, as well as beds with cucumbers and cruciferous vegetables, as these plants adversely affect the growth of strawberries. However, it is worth planting garlic and onions next to strawberries (e.g. around the perimeter of a row with strawberries), which help protect the strawberries against gray mold.
Preparation of the stand for strawberry cultivation
If we want tostart growing strawberries on the plot in early spring , we should prepare the soil in autumn by digging it with manure.Before planting strawberries, the soil should also be thoroughly cleaned of weeds, because then the control of weeds in already growing strawberries will be very difficult (requires labor-intensive manual weeding of strawberries).
Planting strawberries
For planting, select seedlings with a strong root system (without green mold or black spots on the roots) for a sunny position.Strawberry seedlings in the seedlingshould be planted in such a way as not to cover the base of the leaves with new buds, with a spacing of 40-50 cm between the seedlings and 70 cm between the rows. The soil around the seedlings should be patted and watered, and also covered with straw or foil.
Strawberry care
In late spring, ripe strawberries should be harvested daily, as the ones that become ripe tend to rot. In summer, when the mother plants have grown up the runners, they should be removed right at the base of the leaves. In late autumn, we protect the plants against frost by mulching them with straw without weeds.In the spring of the next year, we fertilize strawberries with multi-component fertilizer, preferably liquid.
Growing strawberries in pots
People with a small plot area or, for example, a balcony or terrace, cangrow strawberries in containersFor such cultivation, the best varieties that repeat fruiting, and also produce a lot of runners - are suitable for guidance at supports. Climbing strawberries, which bear fruit from July until late autumn, are currently becoming the hit of balcony cultivation.
Cultivation requirements as to the exposure to sunlight and soil pH are similar to cultivation in soil. A good substrate for cultivation in containers is peat substrate, to which a slow-release compound fertilizer is added at the beginning of the season (or watered with liquid fertilizer throughout the season).
Strawberry propagation
The mother plants of all varieties of strawberries and wild strawberries form 30 to 60 cm long runners, on which progeny are formed.When the length of the runners reaches 40 cm, you can select the strongest daughter plants and attach them to the ground with wire clips, about 15-20 cm from the mother plant, and then sprinkle with soil 1 cm high. After rooting (after 4-6 weeks), they can be detached from the mother plant.
