{"id":2210,"date":"2019-11-20T02:53:53","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T02:53:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?p=2210"},"modified":"2019-11-20T03:04:15","modified_gmt":"2019-11-20T03:04:15","slug":"strawberry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2019\/11\/20\/strawberry\/","title":{"rendered":"Strawberry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Fragaria<\/em><strong> x <\/strong><em>ananassas<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Introduction<\/strong>: I included the strawberry in fruiting vegetables simply because I didn&#8217;t want to create another category for it. It is grown in the same ways as the vegetable crops and really fits into the vegetable garden very well (as well as they fit anywhere).\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Crop value<\/strong>: The strawberry is the small fruit that no garden should be without. It\nis delicious, easy to grow, produces a lot of fruit in a small area (each plant\ncan produce a quart of berries) and takes little effort to grow. It is also\nperennial so only needs be planted once (though it is sometimes grown in\nmore intensive ways, or even as an annual). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The enjoyment of fresh strawberries was once limited to early\nsummer, but since the introduction of day neutrals and everbearers, they are\nnow available for a much longer period (often through most of the summer).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ease\nof growing<\/strong>: The strawberry is surprisingly easy to\ngrow, especially if you use vigorous newly propagated, virus free plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With several types of strawberry\navailable, which one you choose will depend upon\nthe climate and how you want to grow them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your growing conditions are suitable, the easiest way to grow them is as a low maintenance, long term perennial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Nutritional content<\/strong>: Strawberries are rich in sugars, vitamin C, potassium and a variety of beneficial antioxidants (including ellagic acid). They are all the more important because they are eaten in quantity (and are easy to eat in quantity). They contain about 150 calories per pound.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Climate<\/strong>: Strawberries prefer a mild climate and grow best from 50 &#8211; 80\u00b0F. Warm days (70 &#8211; 80\u00b0F) day and cool nights (60 &#8211; 65\u00b0F) produce the best flavored berries. They don\u2019t like very hot weather and won\u2019t set fruit very readily when it gets much above 80\u00b0F. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>About Strawberry<\/strong>   &nbsp;   <br><br><strong>Planning facts<\/strong>   <br>Perennial   <br>Hardiness zones: 3 &#8211; 10   <br>Growing temp 65 &#8211; 75\u00b0F   <br>Plant height: 6 &#8211; 9\u02dd   <br>Plant diameter: 8 &#8211; 18\u02dd   <br>Plants per person: 5   <br>Plants per sq ft: 1 &#8211; 5   &nbsp;   <br><br><strong>Harvest facts<\/strong>   <br>Harvest period: 6 weeks   <br>Yield per plant: 1 lb    <br>Yield per sq ft: \u00bd &#8211; 2   lb&nbsp;    &nbsp;   <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The plants need a period of cold weather (between 34 &#8211; 55\u00b0F) in winter, to allow\nthem to go dormant. Without this rest they won\u2019t produce many flower buds and\nfruit production will suffer. This can be a problem in milder areas as they are\nquite hardy and will often continue to grow right through the winter. In such\ncases they are often treated as annuals and grown from pre-chilled plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The plants are quite hardy, but the flowers are easily damaged by late frost. Rain is bad when the plants are fruiting as it can lead to various diseases<br> <br>Strawberries are grown over a wide geographical area so it is important to choose a variety that is suitable for where you live. Some are day length sensitive and fruit best when there are less than 14 hours of daylight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Soil<\/strong><strong>&nbsp; <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>pH 5.5 (6.0) 7.0 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Strawberries can grow in most soils, but prefer a fairly acidic,\nwell-drained, light loam that is rich in organic matter. They don\u2019t like wet\nsoil, so if it is poorly drained you should grow them on a raised bed. They\ndon\u2019t like dry soil either, so make sure the soil has lots of organic matter to\nretain moisture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Soil\npreparation<\/strong>: Before planting you should\ndig the soil thoroughly, to loosen it and remove perennial weeds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Add 3 &#8211; 4\u02dd of compost or aged manure to the top 10\u02dd of soil before\nplanting, along with some fertilizer mix. As it is a perennial you won\u2019t be\nable to incorporate anything else into the soil for a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Be careful not to over-fertilize with nitrogen, as it can result\nin excessive leaf growth at the expense of flowering and fruiting. It may also\nmake plants more vulnerable to winter frost injury. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For spring planting it is good to grow a green manure\/cover crop\nover the winter and incorporate it into the soil a couple of weeks before\nplanting. Of course you will have to do this quite early in spring, so you can\nget the plants in the ground and growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Strawberry life cycle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Strawberries differ from most of the plants\nin this book in that they are perennial and propagate themselves vegetatively.\nA mature plant sends out a stolon (runner) about 6\u02dd long and then produces a\nvigorous new plant. Another stolon may arise from\nthis plant and then another stolon, to produce a whole series of plants. A\nsingle mother plant can produce up to 10 plantlets in this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Strawberry-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2212\" srcset=\"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Strawberry-2.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Strawberry-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Strawberry-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Strawberry-2-136x102.jpg 136w, https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Strawberry-2-600x450.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A plant start out as a runner in its first year, produces an\nabundance of berries in its second and third years and then starts to decline.\nEach individual plant can live for up to 5 or 6 years, but they are usually\nremoved after 3 years, to make way for new plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In late summer and fall the plant makes buds that will produce the\nfollowing years flowers. These go dormant in winter and flower the following\nspring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Planning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Strawberries can be grown in a variety of ways. They have been\ngrown as annuals, for two years (they reach peak bearing in this year), three\nyears, five years or as a permanent bed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Where<\/strong>: Full sun (6 hours or more). It\u2019s a good idea to give your plants\ntheir own permanent bed out at the edge of the garden where they can grow\nundisturbed for several years. A strawberry bed isn\u2019t particularly attractive,\nbut can work as a groundcover. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Avoid planting strawberries in wet areas and frost pockets,\nespecially for early spring crops. Beds recently converted from grassland are\nnot good as they may contain pests that like to feed upon strawberry roots.\nThere should be good air circulation to reduce disease problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ideally you shouldn\u2019t plant strawberries where any Solanum crops\n(eggplant, peppers potatoes and tomatoes) have grown within three years, as they\nare all <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>vulnerable to verticillium wilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can plant strawberries in\nsemi-shade, such as around fruit trees. They won\u2019t be as productive as plants\nin full sun, but if they are filling otherwise unused space then they are a\nbonus anyway. You could use some of the surplus runners in this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you plant depends upon your climate and the type of\nstrawberry you are growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Spring<\/strong>: Day neutral and everbearing strawberries can produce a large\ncrop in their first year, so they should be planted as soon as the soil is dry\nenough in spring (you want the maximum early growth, so they will fruit later).\nWith Junebearers early planting isn\u2019t so critical as they have a whole year to\nget going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fall<\/strong>: In mild winter areas strawberries are often planted in fall and\nmay continue to grow slowly right through the winter. Very hard frosts can\ndamage young plants, so cover with mulch if this threatens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Transplants<\/strong>: Strawberries are most often grown from commercially available\ntransplants. These should be certified disease-free because strawberries are\nsusceptible to virus diseases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can often get plants for free from gardening friends, but this\nbrings with it the risk of disease. You have to weigh up whether this risk\noutweighs the expense of buying plants (it often does, but a lot depends upon\nwhere you live) Inspect your free plants carefully, you want large, vigorous,\nproductive plants with plump, light colored roots and dark green leaves (and of\ncourse no sign of disease). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>\n<strong>Before planting<\/strong>: Newly purchased bundles of\nplants can be kept in the fridge for a week or so, just be sure to keep them\nmoist. Wrap them in a moist (not wet) paper towel and store in a plastic bag.\nIt\u2019s not a bad idea to soak the roots in water for a while before planting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Planting<\/strong><em> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is best done on a cloudy day, or at\nleast late in the afternoon. Take your time with planting and do it right, your\nplants will appreciate it.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The best way to plant is to make a hole large enough to\naccommodate the fully spread roots (the size of this will vary from plant to\nplant). Many people make a cone shaped mound of soil at the bottom of the\nplanting hole and spread the roots out evenly over this. Don\u2019t fold the roots\nover to make them fit, or plant with the roots all matted together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is important to put the plant in the ground at the right depth,\nwith all of the roots covered and the fleshy crown on the surface of the soil.\nIf the crown <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>is too high the plant may dry out. If it\u2019s too low it may rot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Water thoroughly after planting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Spacing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A typical row spacing is 15 -24\u02dd apart in the row, with 36- 48\u02dd\nbetween the rows. However the exact spacing depends on what kind of berries you\nare growing and how you are growing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Spacing June bearers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>June bearers produce lots of runners and are often grown in\n\u201cmatted rows\u201d whereby the plants are spaced 18 &#8211; 24\u02dd apart with 48\u02dd between the\nrows. They are allowed to produce runners and form a densely matted row (you\nwant about 5 plants for every square foot). After harvest the plants may be cut\ndown (they are often actually mown) to within 2 \u00bd\u02dd of the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Spacing Everbearers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These are most often grown on a mound system which consists of\nnarrow raised beds about 8\u02dd high and 24\u02dd wide. The plants are grown in two\noffset rows with 12\u02dd between the plants. Runners are usually removed as they\nappear to encourage the mother plants to produce more crowns and berries. This\nsystem usually produces the largest and highest quality fruit, but requires\nmore work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A variation on the mound system is the hedgerow system which\nallows for some runners to create new plants around the mother plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Spacing day neutral\nstrawberries<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These can fruit abundantly for a long period in summer, but are\nmore temperamental than the other types and don\u2019t produce many runners. They\nare usually grown on the mound system, in the same way as the everbearers, <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Care<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Strawberries\ncan be grown fairly casually as a low work crop, but they will be more\nproductive if you look after them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>\n<strong>Watering<\/strong>: For maximum production the plants require a steady supply of\nmoisture, especially in hot weather (which is why good soil is important. Lack\nof water can seriously reduce yields especially when fruit is growing). It can\nalso impact flower bud formation for the following year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Give the\nplants at least 1\u02dd of water a week during vegetative growth and maybe even more\nduring fruiting (this depends upon the weather of <br>\ncourse). Drip works well and helps to minimize disease. <br>\n<br>\nWater is also very important during late summer, as the flower buds are\ndeveloping at this time, This will determine the amount of fruit produced next\nyear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can\ndamage strawberries by giving them too much water, as wet soil can cause the\nroots to rot. Don\u2019t just water routinely, you have to be observant and look at\nlocal conditions.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Weeding<\/strong>: Strawberries are vulnerable to weeds because they aren\u2019t very tall\nand don\u2019t cover the ground completely. Keep the bed well weeded and you will\nget higher yields (this is particularly important when they are getting\nestablished). Usually this means hand weeding as hoeing isn\u2019t practical once\nthe plants start to spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Removing flowers<\/strong>:\nWhen growing June bearers you traditionally pinch out any flower buds that\nappear during the first year to prevent any fruit being produced. This allows\nthem to devote all of their energy to vegetative growth and results in bigger\nplants and bigger harvests in future years. However if the plants get big\nenough you can let them produce some fruit in the first year. With ever-bearing\nand day neutral varieties you pick off flowers for the first 4 &#8211; 6 weeks of\nflowering to allow the plants to get bigger. After this time you let them flower and produce fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Renewal<\/strong>: Common practice is to allow a plant to produce for two years\n(its most productive years) and then replace it with a vigorous new runner\nafter its third year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>\n<strong>Runners<\/strong>: Everbearers and day neutrals often have their runners\nremoved during their first year, so they keep on producing the maximum amount\nof fruit (rather than wasting some of their energy producing new plants). In\nthe second year some runners may be allowed to root (these will replace the\nmother plants the following year).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can\ndirect the runners to vacant areas where you want them to root (there is no\nneed to detach them from the mother plant). The first daughter plants are\nusually the best. Runners that form early in the year on Junebearers will\nproduce berries the following season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Runners are useful for producing new plants, but you don\u2019t want\nthem to produce so many they get overcrowded. Once the bed has the desired\ndensity (5 plants per sq ft) you should pinch out extra runners (or root and remove).\nThese late runners often won\u2019t have time to produce fruit buds anyway.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Fertilization<\/strong>: Strawberries\nare very productive plants and should be fertilized regularly. In particular\nthey should get plenty of phosphorus and potassium as this aids in fruit\nproduction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>\nTop dress with a fertilizer mix annually after fruiting in late\nsummer. This will help the plants produce fruit buds for the following year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though fertilization is important you don\u2019t want to over-fertilize, as\nthis can result in excessive leafy growth, which is vulnerable to frost. It\nalso means the plants produce less fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>\n<strong>Frost control<\/strong>: Plants\nshould be protected from late frosts as these can damage the flowers and their\nbuds. You can protect them from light frosts with row covers or mulch.\nCommercial plantings are often\nprotected by overhead sprinklers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Summer\nmulch<\/strong>: Mulch is beneficial during the growing season\nbecause it suppresses weeds, conserves moisture, keeps the soil cool and keeps\nberries from contact with the soil. Straw is the commonest mulch though pine\nneedles also work well (and provide desirable acidity).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plastic mulch (black or green) is now widely used by commercial\nstrawberry growers, as it suppresses weeds and holds in moisture. The plants\nneed to grow and cover the plastic before it gets very warm, otherwise the soil\nmay get too hot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Winter mulch<\/strong>: In cold winter areas the plants are often covered with several\ninches of loose mulch (straw or pine needles) to protect the buds over the\nwinter. This is applied after the plants have gone dormant and temperatures\nstart to drop below 20\u00b0F. Remove it in early spring so the soil can warm up\n(not too early though).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Problems<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pests<\/strong>: Slugs, snails, tarnished plant bug, mites, strawberry weevils and\nspittlebugs can all be a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Birds<\/strong>: In many areas these are one of the biggest problems as they peck\nthe fully ripe fruit. If they become a serious problem you will probably have\nto net the plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Diseases<\/strong>:\nStrawberries are quite vulnerable to disease when they get overcrowded, are\ngrowing in wet soil, or if the fruit and foliage gets wet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>\nCommon diseases include\npowdery mildew. verticillium and botrytis (fruit rot), leaf spot and red stele.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>\n<strong>Viruses<\/strong>: As a long lived perennial,\nstrawberries are prone to virus diseases which can reduce vigor without being\nobvious. This is why it is best to start with certified disease free plants,\nrather than using free runners from existing plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Various\nkinds of rot<\/strong>. There are several of these\nfungus diseases, including gray mold, tan rot, hard rot, leather rot, black\nseed rot and stem end rot. Help avoid these diseases by using mulch to keep the\nfruit from contact with the soil. Also provide good air circulation, don\u2019t let\nthe plants remain wet for long periods and don\u2019t allow any fruit to decay on\nthe plant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Harvesting<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When<\/strong>: Strawberries ripen about <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4 &#8211; 5 weeks after the flowers open. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most important thing to remember about harvesting strawberries\nis that they don\u2019t continue to ripen after picking. They must be allowed to\nripen fully on the plant, which means they should be fully colored for at least\ntwo days. The foolproof way to decide when they are ripe is to eat one &#8211; if it\ntastes great it is ready. If it never tastes great you are growing the wrong\nvariety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Harvest the fruit every 2 days for best quality and least losses\n(or even every day during peak season). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You should wait until the berries are dry before harvesting, as\nwet berries are prone to rot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How<\/strong>: The fruits bruise easily so be gentle. Pick the whole berry with\nthe calyx and a short \u00bd\u02dd stem attached, by pinching them with your fingernails.\nDon\u2019t leave the harvested berries in the sun for any length of time, it is\nimportant to keep them cool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is also important to remove any diseased, pecked, damaged or\nover-ripe berries from the plants as you move along the rows harvesting. This\nwill help to minimize problems with pests and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"\"><tbody><tr><td>   <strong>After harvest care<\/strong>    <br>This is a big step towards getting a good harvest the following year. <br><br>Fertilize after harvest to supply the plants with necessary nutrients.    <br><br>June bearing varieties are   sometimes mowed to a height of 2 \u00bd &#8211;   remove top growth. This is high enough not to damage the crowns.   <br><br>Thin out the runners so the plants don\u2019t get overcrowded. You can cut out as many as half of the plants and they will soon fill in again. <br>   <br>Keep watering and weeding to maintain general plant health.   \u00a0   <br><br>Mulch the   plants after they go dormant.   \u00a0   <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Storage<\/strong>: The berries can be stored in the fridge for several days in a\nshallow covered pan (don\u2019t wash them). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For longer term storage they can be frozen (if you have a use for strawberry flavored mush), or made into preserves. They are best used immediately though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br> <strong>Seed saving<\/strong>: Strawberries are rarely grown from seed, but this is pretty easy to collect. The easiest way is to put the fruit in a blender with water for a few seconds. The heavy seed will settle to the bottom, where it can be collected and cleaned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can dig\nup rooted runners while dormant during the winter and plant them elsewhere. You\ncan also root them directly into a plant pot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Unusual\ngrowing methods<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Annual\ngrowing<\/strong><em>: <\/em>In warmer areas, where they don\u2019t get enough winter chill,\nstrawberries are commonly grown as an annual. These are planted in fall, grow\nright through the winter, are harvested the following spring and summer and are\nthen replaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Growing\nfrom seed<\/strong>: Almost all garden strawberries are\npropagated vegetatively, but there are a few varieties that can be grown from\nseed. This is pretty easy as the seedlings are quite vigorous. Seed may take 2\n&#8211; 8 weeks to germinate at\n65 &#8211; 75\u00b0F. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Containers<\/strong>: Strawberries are often grown\nin containers or even hanging baskets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Semi-wild growing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your climate is well suited to growing strawberries you may\nwant to try growing them as wild plants. Simply plant them in suitable spots\nand let them run wild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Varieties<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Strawberry varieties tend to be quite variable and what does well\nin one area may not work at all in another. When choosing a variety it is\nimportant to find one that will perform well in your garden. They are available\nin three distinct types.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Junebearers<\/strong> \u2013 These are the original strawberries and bear one very large\ncrop over 2 \u2013 4 weeks in early summer. After this they send out an abundance of\nrunners, which grow into new plants. These are the most widely adapted and\ndependable strawberries and are ideally suited to growing berries for preserves\nor freezing. There are early, mid-season and late varieties so you can extend\nthe harvest quite a lot by planting several varieties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Early: <\/strong><strong>Chandler,\nEarliglow, Annapolis, Delmarvel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mid-season<\/strong>: <strong>Redchief, Honeoye, Guardian, Surecrop<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Late<\/strong>: <strong>Allstar, Jewel, Sparkle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Day\nneutrals<\/strong><strong> &#8211;<\/strong> These bear fruit in several flushes through the\nsummer, which spreads out the harvest considerably. They are fairly\ntemperamental and require favorable conditions (not too hot or too dry), but\ncan work very well. They don\u2019t produce many runners because they concentrate on\nfruiting instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Seascape,\nSelva, Tribute and Tristar <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Everbearers<\/strong><strong> \u2013<\/strong> These bear two or three times during the summer and don\u2019t produce\nmany runners, because they concentrate on fruiting instead. They do best in\nlong day areas, where they can produce fruit for months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fort\nLaramie, Ozark Beauty, Quinault<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fragaria x ananassas Introduction: I included the strawberry in fruiting vegetables simply because I didn&#8217;t want to create another category for it. It is grown in the same ways as &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2019\/11\/20\/strawberry\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[242],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fruit-veg","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Strawberry-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2210"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2215,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2210\/revisions\/2215"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}