Strawberries are the focus of today’s column. Strawberries are quick to give results - if they are planted now, you can be harvesting fruit from mid-November through into the summer months.
In the news this year has been the shortage of strawberry plants, with limited stocks following the summer cyclone damage being prioritised to berry fruit growers. At the moment there are a few plants available in some garden outlets for home gardeners. If you want some, don’t delay.
Strawberries certainly fit into any size garden and grow well in pots and containers. If you are planting strawberries in pots make sure you should use a specialty potting mix such as Tui Strawberry Mix. The biggest factor in growing good strawberries is site selection. The plants need a sunny position and well-drained soil that has good structure. When planting strawberries in the garden the addition of compost, Tui Sheep Pellets, Yates Dynamic Lifter or Tui Strawberry Mix will help improve soil structure and bulking up the soil can give height to the bed that will aid in good drainage.
Strawberry varieties fall into two main categories: short day varieties and day neutral varieties. The biggest difference is that the fruiting peak falls at a different time, so if you plant a mixture of these varieties you will be harvesting fruit for a longer period.
Short day varieties initiate flowering when, as the name suggests, the days are short in winter and spring. Subsequently, the bulk of the fruit of these varieties will start in early November, mostly finishing after Christmas. As the days shorten in autumn, flowering is also initiated and small crops may be produced. Camerosa is a good short day variety.
Day neutral varieties, in contrast, will fruit any time of the year when the temperatures are warm enough for growth. These varieties tend not to have such a large flush of fruit at once but produce consistently for a longer period. Monterey, Albion and Aromas are good producing day neutral varieties.
While strawberry plantings can be made year-round, planting done in the cooler months tends to result in heavier cropping than plantings made in warmer months. If they are planted too late, ie closer to the longest day (December), they will tend to produce an abundance of runners instead of fruit.
Having a short day variety growing will give an early crop from October to January. Then from December to March, Monterey, Albion and Aromas the day neutral varieties should be fruiting. Having both short and day neutral varieties will give six months of strawberry harvesting.
Mulching & feeding
Mulching the soil surface between plants will prevent weeds, maintain an even soil temperature and prevent moisture loss in summer. A mulch such as pea straw will also help to keep the fruit clean. The traditional and very effective method of growing strawberries is to cover the raised mound with black polythene plastic or weed mat, making a small slit for each plant. The black mulch attracts heat, increasing soil temperature, making fruiting earlier and keeping the fruit clean from dirt.
Strawberry plants will produce significantly more fruit if they are watered regularly and fertilised with a specially blended fertiliser such as Ican Berry Food.
The plants will produce good crops for three years, after which the “mother” plants are best thrown out. The plants will generally produce runners each season during late summer. In the first year, it is beneficial for the subsequent year’s fruit production if these runners are removed before they grow too much as they will drain the plant of energy that will benefit next season’s fruit. However, in the second and third seasons, saving some runners and replanting will allow you to replenish or enlarge your strawberry patch.
For plants that are starting their second or third season, all the dead leaves from the previous season should be pruned off and removed during winter. This helps minimise the hosting of pests and diseases. Plants should then be fertilised in August or early September.
Strawberries are relatively pest-free, though during spring keep an eye out for slugs which may eat the new leaves.
Bird control
Bird control is essential when growing strawberries and it seems that this is the area where many people come unstuck. The most effective method is to construct a frame on which bird netting may be draped. The frame needs to be able to hold the bird netting at least 30cm above the plants so when birds sit on the cloth they are not able to reach through the netting and eat our yummy berries.
The netting also needs to be secured around the base to prevent side entry by the birds; the use of bricks or similar to weight the netting to the ground is effective.
There are a number of different frame options from bending number 8 wire or steel into hoops, to making a “square” frame with garden stakes.
How many to plant? A rule of thumb is to plant five plants for each family member. If you want to eat bowlfuls of strawberries every night during summer, plant more.
For more gardening information visit www.springvalegardencentre.co.nz
* Gareth Carter is general manager of Springvale Garden Centre.
