How to Grow Strawberries at Home

Strawberries are nutritious and easy to grow.

According to the University of Illinois Extension, "Ounce for ounce, strawberries have more Vitamin C than citrus fruit." This juicy, red fruit can be readily found in most grocery stores and farmer's markets during summer months, but growing them in your own home garden can be rewarding and possibly even healthier, especially if you avoid toxic chemicals. Look for good quality starter plants, prepare your soil, and plant where you'll have easy access to a harvest.

Things You'll Need

• Strawberry plants for your climate zone
• Shovel / spade
• Rake
• Hoe
• Small garden hand tools
• Organic planting soil
• Organic nontoxic fertilizer
• Compost
• Mulch
• Hose and water source
• Tiller
• Plant pots
• Pre-built planters
• Lumber and nails

Instructions

1. Choose a spot in your yard suitable for growing. Good places to consider are pre-existing garden beds or edges of flower or other planting beds. If you want to grow a large garden strictly focused on strawberries, select an area that you can turn or till to work the soil well in advance of planting. For small areas, consider a raised bed or purchase berry planters such as a strawberry jar or pyramid. These work well for decks and patios.

2. Visit your local nursery and talk to the nurseryman to select the best plants that grow well in your region. June-bearing, everbearing and day-neutral types are among the possibilities, and each has particular varieties to take into consideration. Try to find sweet varieties that are disease-resistant. If you plan to establish a large bed, look for varieties that easily send out runners. These will become plants in the future.

3. Prepare your soil. Dig up the ground where you will plant. Turn it over and break up the soil so it gets loosened up. Add good quality organic potting soil and decomposed compost directly into the ground where you will plant, and mix it in. You can place the mix directly into pots or planters.

4. Make as many rows as your planting bed will allow. Simply use the hoe or shovel to create a rows about a foot wide and several inches high. Leave wide-enough paths between rows for walking and weeding.

5. Dig the holes for the plants. Place them about 1 to 2 feet apart, depending on type and potential runner spread. Fill the holes with a handful of compost and potting soil. Stir in the suggested amount of fertilizer (usually a teaspoon or two) into each hole.

6. Tap or gently squeeze the pots from the nursery containing the starter strawberry plants. Place each plant into the holes in the rows and gently spread the roots. Don't cover the crown of the plant. Tamp down the soil to firm up the plants. Water in well. Mulch with several inches of hay between plants.

7. Check for weeds as the plants begin to grow. Mulching will allow for easy weeding as well as keep the plants protected.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are growing strawberries in pots or the large clay strawberry jars that have many holes on the sides, you can crowd them slightly or place one plant in each hole or pot. In the yard, though, allow a little room for the plants to spread out, especially if you plan to grow many of them.

• Some people like to grow different varieties rather than just one. Experiment to find the berry you prefer. Also, you might want to pinch off blooms the first year to encourage root growth and runners, then wait to harvest in the second year.

• Spread hay between rows in an actual strawberry patch -- this helps keep your shoes from getting muddy as well as keeping the berries from getting splattered with mud.

• Avoid chemical fertilizers when growing plants you intend to eat.

References

• North American Strawberry Growers Association (NASGA): About Us
• Growing Gardening; Strawberry Varieties -- Types of Strawberries to Grow; Tina Gail
• University of Illinois Extension: Strawberries - Nutrition
• University of Illinois Extension: Strawberries - Growing Strawberries
• Gro Organic: Cultivating Healthy Lifestyles

Resources

• Strawberries.com