Flickr / sigusr0Training the plants

There are three training methods for strawberries: the hill system, the spaced runner system and the matted row system. The matted row system is the most common one for the backyard grower. It is the least labor intensive, but may yield smaller berries. Set the plants 18 to 24 inches apart in the row with 3 to 4 feet between rows. The runners that develop from the mother plants root in a bed that is about 12 inches wide. If the bed gets overcrowded with plants less than 6 inches apart, thin by removing the weaker daughter plants. Daughter plants form from a mother plant 4 to 6 weeks after planting and then they root and fill out the row. The row width should be maintained at about 12 inches.

On June-bearing plants, it is important to remove the flowers the first season so that the plant’s energy is devoted to the daughter plants that are filling out the row. Of course, you won’t get any fruit the first season, but there is a big pay-off in the second season. On everbearing strawberries, it is important to remove the flower and fruit trusses for the first 60 days after planting. This will result in a small fall crop in the first year.

Come back tomorrow for more on fertilizing strawberries…