Strawberry fields
A favorite perennial crop
STRAWBERRIES ARE A FAVORITE crop in many home gardens, and for good reason. Follow a few guidelines for planting, harvesting and maintenance, and your strawberry vines will reward you year after year.
Because strawberries are perennial, they require a dedicated space in your garden. For 15 dormant crowns or potted plants, you’ll need a 16-foot row or a 4-foot by 4-foot space. Plant in early spring—and remember that strawberries need a well-drained site in full sun. A raised planter is a great option because it offers good drainage and helps keep plants contained.
If you start with dormant crowns, remove the flowers that appear the first spring to help the crowns fully establish. Once established, fruit ripens each year from May to early July and should be picked daily. June-bearing strawberry varieties produce the largest harvest throughout Kentucky, but ever-bearing (fruiting in the spring and fall) and day-neutral (fruiting throughout the growing season) varieties are also widely available.
In early July, following fruiting and harvesting season for June-bearing varieties, you need to renovate the planting to keep it productive and healthy by removing older plants and excess runners.
To renovate your planting, thin new runner plants down to one plant per square foot. These runners become the parent plant that blooms and produces strawberries next year. Once you’ve done this, top-dress the planting with half an inch of good soil or compost. Repeat this process each year after fruiting.
In the fall, cover your strawberry planting with 2 inches of straw to protect the plants over winter. In the spring, remove straw from the plants, but leave some on the soil to keep flowers and fruit off the ground. Keep extra straw nearby in case of a late spring freeze so you can protect your upcoming harvest.
