Growing Strawberries

Strawberries are easy to grow no matter the setting! The plants form foot-wide mounds of lush dark green foliage that can serve as an attractive ground cover. They require no staking or training, as do the larger berries, and only basic care. Strawberries are great in children's gardens as well as for small patio / balcony gardening. Strawberry plants grow well in pots, patio planters, even in hanging planters.

A small strawberry row usually produces about 1 quart of strawberries per foot. They like a well drained soil and should be planted 18 to 30 inches apart, depending on the variety. Once planted they will spread and continue to produce for three or four years before they need to be replaced. It is a good idea to plant new ones every year to replace older plantings. First year spring plantings will yield but the boom will be the following year. So plan ahead!

While there are many varieties of strawberries, there are basically only two types: June-bearing (Allstar) and Everbearing (Ozark and Quinalt). The June-bearing strawberries bloom in the spring and produce a plentiful crop that ripens during June. The Everbearing strawberries produce both a spring and a fall crop, and continue producing some berries throughout the summer, more when temperatures aren't too hot. The best strategy is to plant both types and harvest ripe berries over a long season.

Home-grown, vine-ripened strawberries are among the garden's supreme treats - sweet, succulent, and bursting with flavor. Serve them in shortcakes, blended into smoothies, on ice cream, in cheesecakes or crepes, topped with yogurt or whipped cream, or simply savor them "as is" fresh from the garden. Grocery store strawberries, which are harvested early and ripened off the vine, can't begin to compare in sweetness and flavor.