Tips for Growing Strawberries

Strawberries are false fruits that belong to Rosaceae family (the rose family). The strawberry is called accessory or false fruit, as the edible/fleshy part of the fruit is not derived from the ovaries, but from the receptacle that holds the ovaries. Strawberry fruit is green in the developing stage and becomes red when it matures.

There are about 20 species of strawberries identified from various regions of the world, all of which possess seeds on the outside skin of the fruit. Most of these cultivars differ in color, taste, flavor, ripening season and disease resistance. In general, there are two strawberries groups viz. June-bearing and Ever-bearing. The former type bears fruit in early summer, whereas the latter bears whole the year. The most commercially cultivated variety is the garden strawberry (genus Fragaria). Here are some tips for growing strawberries.

Tips for growing strawberries

Strawberries are propagated by means of runners. In commercial production of strawberries, annual plasticulture is used. However, for growing strawberries in your garden, you can buy 'bare root' strawberry plants or those planted in pots. The former will be cost-effective, if you are planning to grow strawberries in large numbers. Make sure you check the diseases and pest resistance of the variety.

For growing the bare-root strawberry plants, prepare the soil bed as you do for any other plantations. You can supplement the soil with organic compost to enrich it with plant nutrients. Place the bare-root plants in the soil, covering most of the part by the soil; you can expose only the plant tip. In case of regions where there is frosting, it is advisable to plant after frosting is over. Water lightly, make sure that you do not water the plants in excess, as it can cause water logging and in extreme cases, root decay. After few weeks, you will see the development of leaves in the plants.

Strawberry plants flower in early summer. Though there are many flowers, it is quite possible that the yield is less in the first year. It is due to the fact that strawberries are perennial plants and require proper establishment. If you want a good yield in the next year, you can pluck of the flowers and let the plants developed fully.

By late summer, the strawberry plants develop runners; you can either remove the runners or let them grow. However, care should be taken that the plants are not overcrowded and are of manageable size. Overcrowding of plants often results in poor yield. At the onset of winter season or arrival of cold weather, the beds should be covered properly with dried straw, grass or leaves. Next summer, you will be rewarded with a good yield of strawberries.

Commercial seed propagation of strawberries is followed very rarely. For home gardening, seed propagation can be done effectively. You can save the seeds from healthy plants of the previous year or you can purchase the seeds, which are disease and pest resistant. For carrying out seed propagation of strawberries, you can prepare a rich and light soil bed for sowing the seeds. Take care that you cover the seeds lightly with leaf litter or organic compost and water regularly. As the seeds germinate and the plants have 4-5 leaves, they are ready for transplantation. Strawberries can also be grown in greenhouses, during off-season.

Strawberries are very easy to grow, provided you take certain precautions while transplanting the runners (plantlets) and follow proper care methods. By planting strawberries on your own, you can taste the garden fresh, juicy and tasty strawberries. After 3-4 years, the yield may decrease. It is advisable to change the plants as well as the plantation site for a good yield. Due to their extreme versatility, strawberries are staple food in our diet. Be it milk shake or ice cream, strawberry flavor is simply irresistible.