Dedicated one of my new 4×8' birdies beds to strawberries only. Is this too dense to plant them? Hope it works out, strawberries are expensive!
by mstanky
Dedicated one of my new 4×8' birdies beds to strawberries only. Is this too dense to plant them? Hope it works out, strawberries are expensive!
by mstanky
20 Comments
Nice bed.
Only if you protect it from bunnies, birds, and rodents. It looks great! Good luck.
Spacing is fine! June bearing or ever bearing? If they are June bearing, be ready to wash, eat, give away, and freeze a ton of strawberries, all at once. And not just this year, for the next few years! Years ago I planted a 50’x3′ bed of strawberries, and you wouldn’t believe the amount of strawberries all those plants will produce. Get some straw to cover the entire bed so when the strawberries ripen they are less likely to rot from touching the dirt. Also, you’ll need to pick DAILY. And it’ll need some quality bird netting too, trust me. And don’t forget to feed and water water water!
Nope looks good for spacing and you may want to try this to actually eat any.
https://preview.redd.it/8pbu9v3yrkyg1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51d83f1b94e500139a9181a018c945488dcaad9c
These are panels from wire storage bins hog clipped together. Recently, I added a covering of 1/4″ plastic fencing as the chipmunks would not be stopped by these alone. Yeah, it is a pain, but every critter on Earth is waiting for them to eat.
That many plants should certainly provide plenty. Just be sure to take proper care of them and fertilize occasionally. If you encounter a foe, there are ways to protect them from most. Occasional, or at least early spring, pruning is a needed step to ensure good berry size.
Make sure to cut runners/flowers first year so they can grow nice a big leaves to cover strawberries. Recommend using mulch of some kind like straw around them to let the eventual strawberries rest on, touching the bare soil can cause issues for the growing fruit. Should be fine for your zone but if you have any very hot days shade cloth can help them continue producing fruit by decreasing temps. Don’t fully enclose with shade cloth to allow bees to pollinate.
In a couple years as long as you protect it , it’s gonna give more berries then you can handle , enjoy it and good luck!
Or you’re like me and just leaving a buffet out for your dog lol
I use strawberries as ground cover for other plants, it keeps the weeds away, minimizes water evaporation and maximizes use of space. I put compost at the bottom of any new planting in the bed for additional nutrients and to minimize competition. I have had good luck with tomatoes, squash, kale and other veggies that tend to grow taller or need supports.
I tried that too, if you have an Irish Setter I suggest chicken wire lol! I couldn’t figure out what was eating all my strawberries………until I caught the sneaky witch chowing down on them. Would eat them so daintily and leave the stem intact on the plant, thus why I had no clue lol!
Enjoy your harvest!!!!!
I have 50 someodd plants and still can’t keep up with my own demand, so you’re on your way.
I’m sorry….but you’ll need at least 10x that to really satisfy that fresh strawberry craving. Keep building!
literally perfect
You might get them next year.
Try getting/making a chicken wire lid to put on it to protect from animals
It seems counterintuitive but nip off the first flowers on first year plants. This will allow them to focus more energy early on into the roots, you’ll get more fruit if you do this!
Strawberries don’t give a fuck, they’ll grow however mine have taken over a second bed and start growing into my lawn, but fence them and when they start flowering put netting over them. Should be like $10-15 for a net at your local nursery, buy it soon cuz they start selling out.
They won’t produce as much this year as they will next year when they’re more established
They will be ready to be divided in only a few years because they will be overflowing from that bed. If you have a sunny place that could benefit from ground cover, you can plan to put them there in a few years when it is time to divide
Also, these wide beds are a back killer for picking strawberries. Ask me how i know!
You could cover them but honestly i’ve never needed to. They are so prolific after a few years that there is plenty to share.
What planter is that!?
next year it might