It’s not exactly strawberry season, but just like other iconic spring garden perennial favorites like daffodils and bluebonnets, strawberries should be planted in the fall to have a good spring harvest.
Why plant your strawberries in the fall?
Planting strawberries in the fall allows the root system to establish itself over the fall months, prior to going dormant in the winter. This gives you a headstart come spring, as your strawberry plant will be fully-rooted and more mature. If you wait until the spring months to plant, this will delay your strawberry production.
Strawberries need nutrient-rich, well-draining soil with a pH of 5.5 – 6.8. They need 8 hours of full sun exposure daily.
Most strawberry varieties sprawl, meaning they produce offshoots, or “daughter” plants. Leave 18 – 20 inches between your newly-planted strawberry plants to allow for this growth. Make planting holes deep and wide enough to accommodate the entire root system without bending it. Plant just deep enough so that the roots are covered with soil, but the crown—the central growing bud that produces new roots and new flower buds—must remain exposed to light and fresh air. If you bury the crown too deep, your plant could rot.
Strawberries have a shallow root system, so consistent moisture is important. Fall water intake actually dictates the following year’s fruit production. Ensure your strawberry plants receive 1 – 1.5 inches of water each week. Avoid wetting the leaves, which can lead to rotting.
Strawberry varieties fall in three bearing categories.
June bearers = One crop in spring to early summer
Everbearers = One crop in spring to early summer and another crop in the fall
Day Neutral = Produce waves of fruit through the growing season unless it becomes too hot.
Plant a combination of the three to get a heavy crop of strawberries in spring and early summer and then a trickle through the summer with another strong fall crop of berries.
Winter Strawberry Care
When strawberry plants are no longer productive in the fall or temperatures begin to plummet, it is time prepare them for winter.
Dead leaves and old plants should be removed and raked up. Strawberry plants can be damaged by freezing temperatures in the low 20’s and colder. Protect your strawberries by tucking them into bed for the winter with a mulching of straw, pine needles, or possibly shredded leaves. Mulching with leaves can be a problem if the leaves become matted and wet.
Be sure to remove the covering promptly when temperatures warm up, otherwise it gets to hot inside when the sun comes out.
For more information give us a call a 937-845-0093 or ask a question here.
