Planting strawberries is a very fun activity to do as a family. The little ones in the house will not only enjoy the cultivation work, but in a few months they will be able to be collecting and tasting these tasty strawberries. In this way, planting strawberries becomes a very entertaining way to introduce children to the world of gardening. The cultivation and care of this plant is very simple and hardly requires work. The strawberry is very resistant to high temperatures, since the origin of its plant is in tropical climate zones.
With a little patience and minimal care you can pick your fruit directly from the plant in just two months. We all know the benefits of eating fresh and organic fruit that has not been treated with chemicals, but doing so is not always easy. Organic fruits are usually more expensive than those of common cultivation, so we do not usually buy them. Planting strawberries in your garden or orchard will allow you to have access to quality fruit for free.
And if you do not have any of these cultivation spaces, you should not be discouraged either because the strawberry grows perfectly in pots. If you are interested in planting strawberries and want to know how to do the whole process, continue reading, we will explain it in detail below.
What do you need to plant strawberries?
- Seedlings
- Land
- A hot and sunny place
Instructions for planting strawberries
- When planting strawberries, the first step you must take is to select the variety you want to plant. There are many types of strawberry. The perpetual strawberry bears strawberries throughout the year for a period of five years. It is a perfect plant for temperate climates. If you live in a place with a cold climate, you should be careful to plant strawberries indoors and cover them with plastic, as a hibernator. The summer strawberry plant only bears fruit at this time of year. However, it offers a large number of fruits at this time, two months after planting them. There are many more types of strawberry plants and your selection will depend on what you want them for, for example the neutral Day strawberry plant bears fruit throughout the year, although they are somewhat scarce. It is a good option if you want to have a plant for your own consumption throughout the year. On the other hand, the alpine strawberry plant offers smaller but more flavorful fruits that are perfect for making jams. Analyze in detail the characteristics of each variant and choose the best option for you. If you are not sure which plant best suits your needs and the climate where you live, you can ask your nearest garden store, they will surely be able to guide you perfectly.
- As soon as you have selected the type of strawberry that interests you, you should get the seedlings. It is much better to plant strawberries with seedlings, and not with seeds. If you opt for the latter option, it will take at least a year for you to see the first strawberries grow, while if you choose the former you can get fruit in just two months. In any case, at the end of the article we give you some advice if you want to plant strawberries from the seeds.
- The seedlings that you can buy at any garden store come in a pot. Ideally, you should transplant them as soon as you get home, thus preventing them from caking and compacting the roots.
- You must remember to grow strawberries at the correct time of year. This depends on the variety of strawberry that you have acquired, inform yourself very well about it. Alpine strawberries are sown in the spring and evergreens in the fall, for example.
- Choose the place where you are going to plant your strawberries. Make it a place with lots of light. This point is essential if you are going to plant them in the garden or in the orchard; although it will not be as important if you do it in a pot, since you will be able to move it easily. Make sure that the place where you plant them, either in a pot or directly in the ground, has proper drainage.
- Remove the soil so that it is oxygenated and eliminates weeds and unwanted seeds. Strawberries need a lot of nutrients so it’s a good idea to add a layer of mulch to the soil.
- Make small holes in the ground and insert the plants into them. Be careful not to cover the crown of the plant with soil. The crown is the lower part of the stem that is thicker and from which the secondary stems and leaves emerge. Place the crown at ground level and cover the roots.
- Space each plant about a foot apart so the strawberries have plenty of room to grow and develop without disturbing each other.
- Once the strawberries are planted you should make sure to water them frequently. Strawberries need a lot of water but you must be careful not to flood them. Water them frequently but little. Let the earth be moist. Water only on the roots and the crown, never on the fruits since this way they could rot.
- Pluck the flowers as they come out. In this way you will be strengthening the roots of the plant and it will grow healthy and strong.
- Pull out the stolon’s too. The solons are the shoots of new plants that arise. Strawberries are an invasive species and they reproduce very quickly. However, with the stolon do the plants weaken and produce fewer strawberries, for this reason they must be cut. Also by cutting the stolon’s you will be getting new seedlings to re-sow in the future.
- When the strawberries are red, you can start harvesting. Of course, remember to wash them before eating them.
Tips for planting strawberries
- As we mentioned, planting strawberries from seeds is much more difficult and the strawberries will take a long time to come out. If you are still interested in planting strawberries of this type, you should act in a similar way to planting through seedlings. Dig small (shallow) holes in the soil and place several seeds in each hole. Between 2 and 5 seeds in each. Water the soil abundantly and cover the pot with plastic. As soon as the plant has started to grow and its growth is impeded by the plastic, remove it. Make sure the strawberries get plenty of sun and heat. In winter, place the strawberries near a heat source. Take care all the time that the soil is sufficiently moist.
