Step1
Big, juicy, organic strawberries are surprisingly easy to grow. They're the first fruit to appear in the spring. Strawberries like mild temperatures, but there are varieties that will grow in Alaska and others that love the hottest areas of Florida.
Four Kinds of Strawberries
The standard strawberry produces a large harvest in June and are perfect for freezing, preserving, or for a “shortcake” party. “Ever-bearing" strawberries produce two crops a year, one in June and another later in the summer. "Day-neutral" strawberries produce fruit during most of the summer, except in very hot weather. “Alpine” strawberries bear tiny fruit all summer, but you need a lot of plants to get enough fruit to make the effort of growing them worthwhile.
Step2
Planting Strawberries
Purchase your strawberry plants at a nursery or order from a catalog for planting in early spring, as soon as you can work the ground (fall is fine in warm climates). Make sure the plants are disease-free as strawberries can carry viruses.
Plant in an area that has excellent drainage, gets full sun, and warms up early in the spring so the plants aren't destroyed by frost. A south-facing slope is ideal. Growing strawberries in raised beds or containers is fine and helps avoid the use of pesticides.
Work the planting bed to a depth of 12 inches, removing all stones, weeds and grasses and dig in plenty of compost or manure to provide the rich soil that strawberries need. The soil's pH should be somewhat acid, between 5.5 and 6.5.
Dig a hole for each plant that is five to seven inches wide and deep enough to hold the roots. Place the plant in the hole with the crown just above ground level. Fill in the soil so that the roots are buried. Spacing depends on the planting method.
Step3
Matted Row Planting
Use "matted row" planting for easy maintenance.
1. Set plants 18 inches apart in rows three to four feet apart. The plants will send out runners and each runner will create a new plant.
2. Keep the spaces between the rows open by removing plants from both sides of each row, as they encroach on the space between the rows. You can either cut the runners and dig up the attached plants or run a tiller down the row.
3. Remove some of the original plants from each row at same time, leaving the newest plants, which will bear the most fruit the next year.
4. The crop is biennial, so plow the plants under after the first harvest and start over the following spring.
Step4
Hill Planting
Use "hill" planting if you have limited growing space.
1. Set plants 12 inches apart on all sides, whether in rows or groups. Make sure the bed is small enough that you can reach all plants.
2. Cut off all runners as soon as they appear, so that the plants direct all their energy into fruit production and give you large harvests.
Step5
Maintaining Your Strawberries Organically
Make sure young plants get at least an inch of water a week. Mulch to save water and stop weeds, without weed killers. A light material, straw, wood shavings, or salt hay will do the job. Feed the berries with compost or organic fertilizer monthly.
Do not allow any fruit to develop the first year. Instead, pick off every blossom as soon as you see it, even a berry or two will weaken a plant and the following year's production will be cut greatly. Ever-bearing strawberries are an exception to this rule. Pinch off all blossoms until midsummer of the first year; after that, let the plants grow. They'll be strong enough to support the fall crop.
Pick all strawberries as soon as they ripen and eat or preserve them immediately.
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