Strawberry Fields Forever, a crash course in strawberries

Spring has most definitely sprung, and with that the Redwood Farm's seedlings and plants are flourishing. This week especially, our farm came alive. And after a winter of hard work, bed prep, cover crops, and weeding, it feels very satisfying to see our farm's success. I, especially, have begun to notice the wonderful strawberries popping up in the strawing bed. So I decided it would be interesting to look into how strawberries are grown and how we can maintain the most successful strawberries. According to the University of Illinois, it is best to plant strawberries as soon as the ground can be worked in the spring. This is usually in March or April because it allows the plants to become well established before the hot weather arrives. Strawberries should be planted on a cloudy day or during the late afternoon. For best results, plant the strawberry seedling in the soil so that the soil is just covering the tops of the roots. Do not cover the crown. After four or five weeks, the seedlings will produce runners and new daughter plants. There are many different systems for growing strawberries, however, the preferred system for growing Junebearer's (recommended for a home garden) would be in the system where the strawberry plants are set eighteen to thirty inches apart in rows three to four feet apart. After planting, general care for strawberries is fairly simple. They need about one inch of water a week, well drained soil that is high in organic matter, and lots and lots of sunlight. Some tips and tricks for growing the best strawberries are to keep the plant bed well mulched to retain moisture, control weeds and prevent the fruit from contacting the soil. Some straw will do the trick, hence the name "straw" berry. Also, for the best flavour pick berries when they are fully ripe on a sunny afternoon. And that concludes my little crash course on growing strawberries! With this information, I can confidently say that the Redwood farm, is doing a good job with our strawberry growing!

Thanks Sustainable Agriculture!

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