How to Plant & Care for Strawberries

Right now, our strawberries are doing what they do every June, turning deep red, heavy, and impossibly big. It happens quietly. You walk past the rows one morning and suddenly everything is ready. That's strawberry season for you. We grow strawberries here at Garden Gate Farms alongside our lavender, herbs and animals and it took a few seasons before we really understood what they needed.  They're not a complicated crop, but they do have preferences, and once you understand those, the payoff is worth it.

The Two Types

Before anything else, it helps to know which kind you're planting, because they behave differently and you'll manage them differently too.

• June-Bearing (once a year) - Blooms and produces fruit once, in June. The harvest window is short, about two to three weeks, but the berries come in abundance. Great if you want a big batch for preserves or freezing.
  

  

  
  

• Ever-Bearing (all summer long) - Bears fruit continuously throughout the entire summer into early fall. The harvests per picking are smaller, but you'll have fresh strawberries on the table for months. Good for steady, consistent picking.
  

  

  
  

We grow both. The June-bearers give us that one glorious burst every early summer, they are so tasty and sweet, the ones that are so juicy you almost don't believe they came from your own soil. The ever-bearers tend to have bigger berries and keep producing going all the way through August and beyond. How To Plant Them

Strawberries aren't fussy about where they grow as long as a few conditions are right. Give them full sun, at least six hours a day, eight is better. The more sun, the sweeter the berry. They want soil that drains well and sits slightly on the acidic side, around pH 5.8 to 6.5. If your soil is heavy clay or too sandy, work in some compost before planting.

When you put a plant in the ground, the crown or that little nub where the leaves emerge should sit just at or barely above the soil line. Too deep and it rots. Too shallow and the roots dry out. That middle point is the whole thing.

Space them about a foot apart in rows, with around 18 to 24 inches between rows. They'll send out runners over time, and you want room for that.

Caring For Them Through The Season

• Water consistently, not excessively. Strawberries like about an inch of water per week. They don't like sitting in wet soil, but they also stress quickly when they dry out. Consistent moisture is what keeps the berries plump.
  

• Mulch around the base. A layer of straw or mulch around the plants holds moisture, keeps weeds down, and keeps the berries off the soil, which reduces rot and keeps them clean.
  

• Pinch the first-year flowers on June-bearers. It feels counterintuitive, but removing the blooms in the first season redirects the plant's energy into building stronger roots. You'll get a much better harvest in year two.
  

• Manage the runners. June-bearing varieties send out runners freely, you can let some roots to expand your patch or remove them to keep plants focused. For ever-bearing types, remove most runners during the season so the plant puts energy into fruit.
  

• Watch for birds and slugs. These are the two most reliable problems. Netting works well for birds, for slugs clearing debris around the base and keeping the soil surface dry between waterings helps.
  

When To Pick

A ready strawberry is evenly deep red all the way around, with a cap that's still green and attached. It should give just slightly when pressed, firm but not hard. If there's white or pale pink near the tip, give it another day or two. Once picked, strawberries stop ripening, so it's worth waiting for the right moment.

For our June-bearers, that moment arrives in early to mid-June and lasts about two to three weeks. We pick every other day during that stretch, sometimes daily when it's been warm. The ever-bearers we check every few days through summer. Pick in the afternoon when the warmth brings out the most flavor. Cut by the stem rather than pulling the berry, it keeps the plant from getting damaged.

Strawberries are one of those crops that reward patience more than effort. Get the planting right, keep the soil in good shape, and they'll give back generously year after year. Ours are thriving right now, and if you've been thinking about starting a patch, June is a good reminder of what you're working toward.