How to Start a Strawberry Patch: Tips for Starting a Strawberry Patch

For anyone who wants to start a new strawberry patch, the secret to success lies in the ability of the strawberry plant to self-propagate. Strawberry plants are easy to grow, but there are important things to take into consideration when starting a strawberry patch.

Consider the following tips:

Choice of strawberry plants

There are three kinds of strawberry plants. June bearing strawberry plants will produce their fruit over a several week period in the spring. Ever-bearing strawberry plants will produce several harvests in the spring, summer and fall. Day neutral strawberry plants will continue to produce throughout the growing season. Note that these kinds of strawberry plants vary depending upon the size of the berries they produce and the number of runners that they grow.

Choice of soil

Wit respect to Soil, plan to start your strawberry patch in a well-drained, sunny area with sandy loam that has a ph of 5.8 to 6.2. The soil should be well fertilized or composted ahead of time for the best results.

Planting time

Strawberry planting can be done early in the spring, as soon as the frost is out of the ground and the soil can be worked or in the late fall, before there is a heavy frost or snow on the ground.

Plant selection

Choose strawberry plants with large, green leaves and healthy looking, light colored roots. Note that as a strawberry plant begins to self propagate, it will continue to grow runners that will develop new plants with roots. Under the right conditions, self-propagation will continue indefinitely.

How to plant

Dig holes several inches into the soil for each strawberry plant. Place the plants about eighteen inches apart in two-foot rows that have between four to five feet between them. Spread the root of the strawberry plant out in the soil and then cover it, leaving the crown exposed. You may also cover the runners.

Note that strawberry plants with runners leading to new plants, do not need to be cut from the mother plant and will thrive if planted about 6-9 inches apart. As the strawberry plants develop more runners or shoots that lead to new plants, you may begin to transplant them and create new rows.

Hill the soil around the plants and mulch them with leaves or straw to cut down the weeds. Placing straw between the rows will make picking easier. Mulching will prevent frost damage, but in the spring, the tops of the strawberry plants should be uncovered and exposed to the sun.

Blossoms

Removing the first strawberry blossoms will enhance the growth of the strawberry plants. The initial strawberries may take another year to grow again, depending upon the kind of strawberry plant started, but the strawberries will be larger.

Fertilizer

A well-balanced fertilizer applied to the soil around the strawberry plants on a regular basis, will keep them developing new runners, new plants and strawberries.

Watering

Watering is important, but over watering can cause the strawberries to grow too large and split.

A gardener with a green thumb, who allows nature to take its course when starting a new strawberry patch, is highly likely to succeed with his or her project.