Hi! I would love to hear from someone that does well with strawberry plants. Mine NEVER make more than a few berries. THANKS! Btw I am in zone 6b.
Love caryn "Come into my garden, my flowers want to meet you!"
The message from snipped-for-privacy@aol.comgarden (NAearthMOM) contains these words:
They grow brilliantly here(cool summers).
They like a temperate climate, rich humusy slightly acid soil which is not too dry, and a mulch to keep the roots cool. Mulch the bed thickly in winter with home made compost, well-rotted manure, leaf mould, pine needles.
There is just one thing better than strawberries and cream. Rinse, drain and pat dry a half pound or so of raspberries and put them in the blender with some fine sugar to taste and a big squeeze of lemon juice for a minute, until it's a red smooth sauce. Pour it over strawberry mountain. Eat. Eat a second helping. No point leaving a few in the bottom, you might as well finish the bowl....
:-) Janet. (Scotland)
Caryn , IME strawberries need a rich, fertile soil in lots of sun with regular irrigation. Add compost in quantity! Look for everbearing varieties suited for your area rather than just the June bearing forms - berries will be a bit smaller, but very plentiful over a long season. Here, I'd recommend Tristar or Quinault, but they tend to be NW forms and perhaps not the best choice for you. Also, strawberry pots are a waste of time - plant them in mounded rows directly into the garden and be sure to protect from marauding birds and other wildlife!
good luck, pam - gardengal
Strawberries will tolerate quite poor soils. In the wild they are a pioneer plant and will grow in places where other plants won't grow. They will not tolerate competition with weeds. They will not set flowers unless they get lots of sun. They will not grow large berries unless they get good moisture. They are frequently grown on raised ridges of soil so the berries don't rest on the ground and rot. An old plant will do better if it is divided and transplanted into less crowded conditions.
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