Strawberries Like Full Sun and a Good Deal of Attention

by Robert G. Hill, Jr., James D. Utzinger, and Elden J. Stang.

The authors are all members of the Department of Horticulture at the Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster. Robert G. Hill, Jr., is Professor and Associate Chairman. James D. Utzinger is Associate Professor. Elden J. Stang is Assistant Professor.

Success in growing strawberries depends on close attention to cultural details. Small well-cared for plantings are generally more rewarding than larger plantings which receive less care.

You can expect nearly a quart of berries from each plant you set if you follow good cultural practices. Well established and cared for plantings can produce berries up to three years.

Besides being a versatile dessert fruit, strawberries are highly nutritious. One cup of fresh strawberries supplies more than the recommended daily Vitamin C requirement. Strawberries also make a welcome addition to the home freezer or can be used for jellies and jams and other preserves.

Strawberries do best when planted where they receive full sun most of the day. They grow and produce well in a wide range of soils from sandy to heavy loams, but sandy loams are preferred. Strawberries are not particularly sensitive to soil acidity or alkalinity. However, they produce best on acid soils with a pH of 5.8 to 6.5.

Key factors in site selection are soil drainage and freedom from frost. Don't expect good production without adequate soil drainage during the entire year. Strawberries can't tolerate standing water. Since strawberries bloom very early in spring, don't plant them in a frost pocket. Frost pockets are low-lying areas into which cold air drains. The crop in such areas is likely to be lost to late spring frosts, which destroy the flowers.

Avoid planting strawberries on steep slopes. Heavy rains are apt to bury some plants and wash others out of the soil. If you must use a sloping site, rows should run across the slope or on the contour.

Avoid areas used recently to grow tomatoes, potatoes, or sod. These sites are likely to contain disease and insect pests that may attack strawberries. Likewise, avoid sites heavily infested with quackgrass, Johnson grass or thistle, or else treat the site well before planting to destroy those weed pests.

Performance of a strawberry variety is markedly influenced by local soil and climatic conditions. A variety highly successful in one area may be of little value in another. So select varieties on the basis of area conditions. Ask your county Extension office what varieties are best adapted for your area. No cultural practice can overcome a handicap imposed by poor selection of varieties.

Commercially available strawberry varieties are self-fruitful (they don't require cross pollination), and will produce good crops when only one variety is planted. However, most home gardeners prefer to plant several varieties to extend the harvest.

Two types of strawberries are available. June bearing strawberries produce a single crop each year. Everbearing strawberries produce one crop during the normal season and a second crop during fall of the same year. Probably the normal June bearing type is the most popular.

Other factors to consider are quality of the berries, their suitability for freezing, and the degree of disease resistance.

Buying Plants

Buy from a reputable nursery to be sure of getting quality plants true to name. To get plants of the desired varieties, order as early as possible and indicate the desired delivery date.

The best kinds of plants to buy are "virus-free". They can yield 50 to 75 percent more fruit than plants from ordinary planting stock.

There is no apparent visual difference between virus-free and ordinary planting stock. The only way to be certain the plants are virus-free is to purchase registered plants. These have been grown under State supervision, and the word registered on the bundle label indicates the plants are substantially virus-free, the best that can be obtained.

Virus-free plants of many varieties are available. Use them whenever possible.

Another class of plants, certified, also is grown under State supervision. Certification indicates the plants are free of most noxious diseases and insects; however, they may carry virus. Certified plants are the best available of some varieties.

Dormant strawberry plants are best for spring planting. Plants dug early and held dormant in storage, if properly stored, are as good as freshly dug plants. In some cases, stored plants are superior.

Strawberries planted in matted row system used by most home gardeners.

When plants arrive, check the bundles. If necessary, moisten the roots, but do not soak them. Plants which cannot be set immediately may be stored in a refrigerator for several weeks, or until planting conditions are satisfactory. Hold plants as close to 32 F as possible in the plastic bags they are shipped in. Be sure the bags are closed by folding only, and not tightly closed.

If no storage facilities are available and planting can't be done in a few days, carefully unpack plants and heel them in. To heel-in, pick a sheltered and well-drained area and dig a shallow trench deep enough to accommodate the roots. Open the bundles and place a single layer of plants against one side of the trench so the crowns are partially above the soil line. Cover the roots with soil, moist peat moss, or sawdust, and firm carefully.

Plants so handled can be held for several weeks, if not allowed to dry out. But don't leave plants heeled-in any longer than necessary.

It is wiser and cheaper, in the long run, to purchase nursery stock than to secure planting stock from your own or a neighbor's plantings. The better the planting stock, the better yields you can expect.

Site Preparation

It is best to begin preparing the strawberry site the year before planting. Use the proposed site to grow a cultivated crop during the season prior to planting. Chronic weeds can be controlled and soil fertility levels adjusted during this period. Use soil test results as a guide in adjusting the fertility level. If necessary to plant an area that has been in sod, turn or spade the sod over during the fall before planting. Weed problems in plantings set into newly-turned sod can be overwhelming.

Ideally, work the site during late summer. Seeding the area to ordinary rye in early September helps control erosion. Usually, 2 to 3 pounds of rye seed per 1,000 square feet will give the desired results.

If animal manures are available, they may be applied in fall. A suitable application is 50 to 75 pounds of strawy manure per 100 square feet.

Prepare the site for planting as early as possible in spring, during late March or early April, before the rye gets too tall. Work the soil until it is near seedbed condition.

Apply fertilizer and work it in as you prepare the soil. Adjust rates of fertilizer application based on your experience with the site, or results of a soil test. On most sites, 1 pound of a 5-10-10 fertilizer per 100 square feet will be beneficial. For convenience, you may mix and spread the recommended soil insecticides with this fertilizer.

Don't work the soil when it is wet.