How to Grow Organic Strawberries

Pinch off blossoms that appear before fruit to preserve the plant's resources.

Strawberries are a very popular and versatile fruit. They can be eaten off the vine or made into strawberry shortcake, strawberry jam, strawberry pie or any number of other sweet treats. Strawberries are also a fairly hardy plant that grows well in many different areas. When it comes to growing edibles in your home garden, it's best to avoid harsh chemical fertilizers.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Earthworm castings
• Garden spade
• Liquid seaweed fertilizer
• Spray bottle
• Garden hose
• Straw

1. Purchase strawberry seedlings from a nursery or home improvement store that does not use chemical pesticides. Look for plants without existing flowers or fruit and that have healthy, dark green and spot-free foliage. Avoid plants with visible damage, disease or pests.

2. Plant your strawberries in early spring after the last danger of frost has passed. Choose and remove the grass from a flat area that drains well and receives full sun all day long or nearly all day long. Condition the soil in the area using organic compost over the course of several weeks before planting your strawberries so that the soil is very low in sodium and the pH level is between 5.0 and 7.0, but as close to 6.0 as possible.

3. Work earthworm castings into the soil of your planting area. These are a natural fertilizer that will make the soil rich and nutritious for your strawberries. Consider introducing earthworms to your planting area; they are extremely beneficial and will continue to produce these castings.

4. Dig a hole for each strawberry seedling using a garden spade, but keep the soil you remove. Make each hole about 14 inches deep. Add a small scoop of earthworm castings to each hole.

5. Place the strawberry seedlings in the holes. Cover the roots of each plant with the preserved soil and pat it down gently around the seedling. Mist the soil around the plants with liquid seaweed fertilizer from a spray bottle, but do not spray the foliage.

6. Water around the plants so the topsoil is moist, but do not get water on the plants themselves. Continue watering your strawberries in the mornings during the growing season as soon as the soil feels dry. Mist the soil around the plants with liquid seaweed fertilizer every two weeks during the growing season.

7. Spread natural straw over the area in the autumn once the plants go dormant to protect them from frost. Once the weather begins to warm, pull the hay back in several areas, but do not remove it completely. Remove the straw only when new growth begins to show in the spring.

References

• GrowingAnything.com; How to Grow Strawberries: Growing Strawberry Plants Organically
• GrowingAnything.com: Organic Garden Fertilizers
• Countryside Magazine & Small Stock Journal; Growing Organic Strawberries; Tim King
• On the Green Farms: How To Grow Organic Strawberries
• Growing Raw: Growing Strawberries Organically