The DIY Farmer

Why Should you Grow Strawberry’s?

strawberry plant

Strawberries are considered to be the most irresistible fruit .  When you consider the strawberry’s color, flavor, and texture you can see why.

Strawberries are really what you call a multi-use fruit. They can and are used in cakes, ice-creams, jellies, tarts, and jams just to name few things. Growing strawberries in your garden allows you to have them fresh off of the vine. Trust me when I say there is nothing better than picking a fresh strawberry to eat while you are tending to your garden!

Some of the important things to consider if you are planning to grow strawberries in your garden are:

Choosing the plants

Strawberries come in many varieties and are broadly classified into June Bearing, Ever-bearing and Day Neutrals.

June bearing varieties produce a single crop annually and they have the largest berries.  Ever-bearing and Day Neutral varieties can be harvested up to 3 times in a year. The fruits that they produce are smaller as compared to the June bearing strawberries. Ever-bearing and Day Neutrals are good if you have a small garden as these two varieties produce lesser runners. All these different kinds of strawberry plants are available in the market so you can choose the ones that suit your requirements.

Choosing the site

You should choose a site that gets full sun for planting strawberries as they thrive in sunny location.Strawberries need an area with good air circulation and no weeds in order to thrive. Well drained soil is important as well. Best advice is not having peppers, potatoes, eggplants, or tomatoes growing in the same area as you strawberries. Preparing the soil

It is crucial to prepare the soil before planting strawberry plants.  Strawberries can grow in different types of soil but sandy and loamy soils work best for them. The soil should be rich in organic matter and should be well-drained. The ideal pH range for strawberries is 5.5 to 6.5. You should get the soil tested in a laboratory before growing the plants. If it is not rich then you can add fertilizers and manure to increase the quality of soil.

Planting the strawberry plants

Once you have prepared the soil, you can plant the strawberries. They should be planted in the spring season as soon as the soil is ready to be worked upon. Dig out enough soil to accommodate the roots and plant the strawberries. There should be enough spacing between plants as they tend to produce runners. In case if you plant them really close then they would not be able to grow properly.

Mulching

Strawberry plants are very sensitive to cold climatic conditions. The soil should be covered with mulch during winter season to prevent it from freezing.  It is important to cover the soil with mulch such as crushed cob, hay, coarse wheat, or straw. This helps to protect the strawberries.

Care and Maintenance-During the first year, you should remove all the flowers from the plant as it helps in strengthening the roots and stem. Deflowering ensures that the plants become strong and healthy for a better fruit production in coming

seasons. Watering the plants in adequate quantities is really important for good quality fruit production. Also, keep a regular check on the unnecessary weeds that tend to grow along with the strawberry plants.  Remove the weeds as they utilize the nutrients from soil that are essential for the growth of your plants.

Harvesting

The fruits should be picked as soon as they are ripe because if you allow them to remain on the plants for a long time then the insects and birds will destroy them. Overripe fruits attract pests and insects so avoid leaving overripe berries on the plants.

Proper care and maintenance will result in healthy plants that will yield beautiful sun-kissed berries.And thus resulting to the benefits of planting strawberry plant

Strawberries are seen as uncommon to many households despite the love they get from children and adults alike. This makes this fruit appear like they are expensive to grow; hence, the price. Truth is; they’re not. With the right knowledge,

you can start your own strawberry garden from anywhere in your backyard to inside container growing. Growing these

plants is an option that won’t just allow you to indulge on your cravings for this fruit, but the following are benefits of growing strawberries

Make your favorite strawberries accessible to you.

No more waiting for the next grocery trip- harvest them from your garden anytime you crave for them. They may be expensive, but they are actually easy to grow. Just find a space from where your plants can live on dirt and mulch, and acquire ample amount sunlight and they’re good.

Organically grown.

Strawberries bought from food chains are often chemically treated. This is because they have to  meet industry and commercial standards in regards to production. This actually makes the strawberries unhealthy for you. Which is crazy considering they are supposed to BE a healthy fruit.

Make growing this fruit your business.

If you are considering growing your own luscious berries, then you are indeed in love with strawberries; and love is a requirement in starting up a business. Not only that; the runners let you grow several strawberries from just a few plants, which means that you can cash in a decent amount of money from a considerably low amount of investment. So make an investment of buying strawberry plants for the same amount as you would buy a pack of strawberries, watch them multiply and supply yourself and your market with fresh strawberries. Eat strawberries and earn from them. It’ll definitely feel like heaven!

Enjoy a healthy snack

Strawberries are good for your health. Having access to such a healthy and delicious snack will turn you away from junk food and other unhealthy snack options.

Save money

It’s obvious. Growing your own strawberries frees you from the costs of buying the expensive and unhealthy ones in grocery stores.

Enjoy fresh strawberries

If you love frozen strawberries, then you’ll love fresh strawberries even more. Many can also attest that home-grown strawberries taste better than their grocery-bought counterparts.

These are the key things that should be kept in mind and also the benefit in case if you are planning to grow strawberries in your home garden.

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Finn Anderson

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