natural living | Incidental Farm Girl
  • Blog
  • About
    • Contact
    • A Mom's Life
  • Homesteading
    • Videos
    • Organic Gardening
    • Chickens on the farm
    • Rabbits on the Farm
  • Homemaking
    • In the Home
    • Home Birth
    • Parenting
    • Recipes
    • Do It Yourself (DIY)
  • Home School
  • Natural Living
    • Homeopathy
  • Cedar's Story
    • Our Story
    • Facts
  • Opinions/Editorials
  • 30 days to Natural Living
  • The Way Grandma Used To...

How to grow strawberries

4/8/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Photo courtesy of Bonnie Plants

Growing the rubies of June is one luxury I have not afforded our farm yet.  I have always been so busy with my vegetable garden and raspberry patches that strawberries were always that, “ill wait till next year” list.  Finally the time has come, I’m on it this year and here to share the adventure along the way.
For the beginnings of my strawberry growing adventure I decided to pick an unused spot in the yard that wasn’t very beautiful, and make a raised bed, here’s how to join me in this adventure…
 
Purchase 3 of the following:

 4 x 8 untreated pine boards. 

You REALLY need to use untreated pine as the treated lumber has arsenic in it, you don’t want that in your strawberry pie!
The finished box is 4 x 8 so you use 2 of the 8 foot boards as sides, and cut one of the boards in halvsies for the ends.  Finish off with some corner supports and screws and your frame is done!

You may be blessed with flat ground, I am not.  Use a level to be sure because the “eyeballing” method can definitely fool you.  I found that I had to dig down about 3 inches into the soil on one end to get a level bed.

Once the bed is in use a heavy layer of newspaper (6-8 pages thick or more if you like- you can even use cardboard as I did in he picture) in the bottom to prevent the upspring of lovely broadleaf weeds or crabgrass.  This will also breakdown nicely and encourage fish bait to frequent your raised bed thus leaving their rich castings off behind.
​
Picture
Picture
Though you can fill the bed with top soil or dirt, it is also a very good idea to mix in some rich composted materials.  If you do not have enough in your own compost bin, most garden centers sell a 50lb bag of compost for $5 or less.  For this size bed I recommend adding at least 6 of those bags worth added into your dirt for a healthy start to your plants.
​
Order your strawberries in March for late March or early April planting (of course depending on your grow zone), depending on the size of the plants you are sent.  You will get live plants so be prepared that your garden bed will need to be ready ahead of time, unless like me, you are caught slightly unawares and need to put your live plants in a bowl and water daily to ensure you are not a strawberry killer while waiting for the perfect moment to get that raised bed set.
Picture
If your berry plants arrive and it is still very cold out you can buy some time by laying down a layer of straw over the berries to protect them until the days and nights get a bit warmer.  In the end of the growing season before overwintering this is what you will do anyway.  Note, that strawberries spread by use of “runners” that go underground and pop up a few inches over from the “mother” plant.  
Picture
photo courtesy Bonnie Plants
​Step back and admire your work, wait for the warm sun to do her job, water as needed and bide time until you can bite into that first big, red, juicy berry.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Want to be "In the Know?"

    * indicates required
    Great selection of bulk herbs, books, and remedies. Articles, Research Aids and much more.
    Picture
    Picture

    Author

    Wife to a wonderful husband, Daughter of the King, Mother of 6 (one with an xtra chromosome), and an incidental farm girl.

    Categories

    All
    30 Days To Natural Living
    A More Natural Way 30 Days To Natural Living
    BIG Family Living
    Chickens
    DIY
    Down Syndrome
    Essential Oils
    Farm Fresh Recipes
    Gardening
    Homeopathy
    Homeschooling
    Homesteading
    Life On The Farm
    Opinions/Editorials
    Our Homebirth Story
    Parenting
    PIgs On The Farm
    Raising Rabbits
    The Way Grandma Used To...

    Archives

    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

Proudly powered by Weebly