Strawberry Plants

Looking and planning is an important part of gardening. The more we understand our plants, climate and how nature works, the better we are at gardening.

The raspberries will probably be fine. I cut some of my red raspberries down that low so that they will wait until fall before they fruit.

I am not certain what you are asking about the strawberry plants. I would not till an established bed of strawberries if I wanted to keep the strawberry plants. Is it that you want to use the bed for something else? Do you plan to plant something between the strawberries? Strawberry plants like full sun, so don’t mix them with something that will block out the sun as it grows. If your space is limited, maybe you could save half of your strawberry bed and plant other things in the other half. Are the strawberries choked by weeds? If you want a strawberry bed, you might just need to give the plants time to wake up in the warmer weather. Maybe a photo will help me understand what you are asking.

-- Robin, Massachusetts - "Live simply so others can simply live." M. Gandhi

I was reading good advice recently: the first year at a new home just sit back and watch the gardens grow to see what you have and what does well.

Strawberries, what we do here is take some runners (small off-shoot plants) and put them in a new spot for the following year. Don’t worry too much about your strawberries now except to lick your lips while you wait for the berries.

As for the raspberries you will find that it takes an awful lot to kill them. If they do really well, you will know how low you can cut them down. If they don’t do so well, then leave them higher. (I usually go for waist high or a couple of feet).

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

I’ve run over raspberry plants with the lawnmower and they still came back.They’re just like weeds only taste better.(lol)

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

“They’re just like weeds only taste better.(lol)” that is funny but I hate all the bugs they seem to bring with them. I’ll have to try growing strawberries again this year.

-- Some much to learn and so little time!!

Robin- As things start getting greener in the patch I see that the strawberrys are in different areas of the 4×33 area. I would like to move them to 1 place b/c I have to prepare the soil for the other things. If I move them will they produce this summer? I think in my “clean slate” project you can see the patch i’m talking about.

Wathree, you should be able to move them this spring and still have fruit this May/June. Now would be a good time to move them, before they start to produce fruit. Just bring enough of the soil around the plants to the new bed with them and the roots will hardly be disturbed. The crown (where the roots join the stem) should be exactly at soil surface. If you plant them too deep, the crown will rot; too shallow and the roots will dry out. Firm the soil well around the roots and water thoroughly. Sounds like you have a fun weekend project planned!

-- Robin, Massachusetts - "Live simply so others can simply live." M. Gandhi