How to cook a strawberry bed. Tips from experienced gardeners: how to prepare a strawberry garden

Grown on a personal garden plot, tasty, fragrant and large strawberries bring a lot of pleasant emotions to the gardener. But harvesting this berry is not easy. Only by knowing the secrets of planting and caring for it is it possible to grow delicious strawberries. New bushes of this berry take root in late summer or autumn. How to plant strawberries in August? Consider a description of the sequence of agrotechnical work before planting seedlings of a given culture and methods of planting berry bushes.

How to choose and buy strawberries for planting

To get healthy strawberry bushes that will grow well without disease and give a large harvest of sweet berries, you need to plant high-quality seedlings. How to choose the right material for planting? Experts recommend buying annual seedlings with a closed root system (in cups). They should have fibrous roots at least 5 cm long and no more than 3 well-developed leaves.

Elite varieties of strawberries give a good harvest. It will be great if you purchase and plant such seedlings on your personal plot. For the cultivation of this culture, gardeners use frigo seedlings, which are carefully selected from the bushes of berries available in the garden, then dug up in late autumn and stored in bags at a slight negative temperature.

Where is the best place to buy strawberry seedlings? If you buy it in the markets from private traders, then there is a possibility that the purchased plant will be infected with diseases and pests. It is best to take healthy seedlings obtained from sterile plants grown according to a special test tube technique. Such seedlings are sold by large producers. In their specialized nurseries, strawberry seedlings are sold from late July to early August.

The earlier at the end of summer you plant the bushes of this plant, the more likely it is that flower buds will be laid on them, and the first harvest will be next year. When choosing seedlings, take a good look at the seedlings. If you see pale, wrinkled leaves on the plants, or there are some dots on them, it is better not to buy such material. These signs indicate poor quality of seedlings, infection with diseases / pests. Buy strawberry seedlings with the following traits:

• Leaves of seedlings are leathery / pubescent, have a rich healthy shiny green color.
• The sapling horn has a thickness of at least 0.7 cm.
• The length of the roots of open seedlings is more than 7 cm.
• The seedlings have no damage to the roots or leaves.
• The core of the bush is strong, elastic, has a rich green color.
• For seedlings in cups or cassettes, the roots should envelop the entire volume of the container in which they are located.
• The peat pot should have roots that have stitched through it and look outward.

Soil preparation

Planting strawberries is best at the end of the summer season in August. It is advisable to do this in sunny places and on the southwestern slopes with a slope of 2-3 degrees. It is not advisable to use plots in lowlands or a closed type for growing this plant. The acidity of the soil for planting strawberry seedlings should not be more than 5.5-6.5. Bushes of berries will give a good harvest if they are planted on podzolized chernozem soils or on dark gray forest soil, which has an average or light composition.

The berry will also bear fruit well on sod-podzolic, sandy loam soils. It is not advisable to plant strawberries where groundwater is close to the surface. Before planting seedlings in a certain area, it is necessary to first examine it for the presence of pests, and if they are detected, destroy insects with special means. The land for planting strawberries is first cleared of weeds. Then, 2 weeks before planting the seedlings, prepare the soil for planting seedlings. 2-3 buckets of organic matter per 1 sq. m.

After what crops to plant: strawberry predecessors

When choosing a site for planting strawberries, consider which plant has grown on it before. You should not use the land for growing this delicious berry if plants from the Asteraceae family, buttercups or tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, sunflowers have recently grown on it. So after what can you plant strawberries? And can this plant be planted after the onion? The berry harvest will be good if the seedlings are planted in the soil where they previously grew:

• peas;
• beans;
• radish;
• garlic;
• parsley;
• radish;
• mustard;
• Dill;
• salad;
• oats;

At what distance to root a berry: planting scheme with a photo

When planting seedlings, do not bury them too deep in the ground, otherwise the center point or heart of the bush will be below the ground level, which will lead to the death of the plant. It is also impossible to allow a shallow planting of strawberries. This is fraught with drying out of the heart and the death of the bush. The seedling will root well and will grow if planted so that the center point of the seedling protrudes slightly above the soil surface.

• When planting seedlings in a hole, you need to make a mound in it and put a plant on it.
• The roots should not be bent, they should smoothly descend along the tubercle. If they are too long, be sure to trim them a little.
• After planting the seedlings, the plant must be watered abundantly and a liter of HB 101-93 solution must be added under each seedling, diluting 93 drops of this substance in 1 liter of water.
• Then young bushes are mulched with compost (5-6 cm) or straw, hay, sawdust (10 cm) and covered with a special material to create a greenhouse effect for better rooting of seedlings.

In the future, the bushes are weeded regularly and the mustache is removed. If the weather is dry after planting the seedlings, you need to water the crop so that the land on the site is moist. During this period, flower buds are laid, on which the berry harvest depends on the next year. There are several strawberry planting schemes:

• One line. This is planting seedlings in one row. The distance between the bushes of plants should be 15-20 cm, and between the rows - 60-70 cm.
• Two-line. This is a planting with ribbons consisting of 2 rows of bushes. Distance between ribbons - 60-70 cm, rows - 30 cm, bushes - 15-20 cm.
• Natural agricultural technology. With this scheme, seedlings are planted every 50 cm in one row on beds 50 cm wide.The distance between the rows is 50 cm.

How to fertilize the soil before planting

2 weeks before planting seedlings, it is advisable to add 40 g of double superphosphate, up to 20 g of potassium fertilizers (wood ash or potassium sulfate) to the soil (for each 1 m2). It is advisable to add organic matter to the holes for planting seedling bushes. To do this, dig a hole 25x25x25 under each seedling and fill it with a mixture consisting of 1 bucket of soil from the site, 1 bucket of compost, 1 bucket of rotted horse manure, 2 glasses of ash.

Planting garden strawberries with a mustache in open ground

One of the ways to get strawberry seedlings is to root the whiskers from a specially prepared uterine bush of this culture. On such shoots, rosettes and their own root system are formed:

• 2 weeks before transplanting, separate the young seedling from the rooting of the mustache from the adult plant with scissors. From this time on, he will switch to his own food.
• When the strawberry rosettes are ripe, transplant them to a permanent location. When to plant strawberries with a mustache? It is better to start this process on time from the end of July to the end of August. This should be done on a cloudy day or in the evening, so that the root system of the plant is well adapted to the new place.
• Divide the area for planting strawberries into rows with a distance of 1 m between them. Plant strawberries at a distance of 20-30 cm between the bushes.
• Make the depth of the pit for strawberry seedlings 15 cm.
• After planting, the core of the rosette should be at the level of the soil. It is important not to deepen it and not leave it above the ground, so that the bush does not die.

How to properly plant under a black film

To obtain a large harvest of strawberries, gardeners use the method of planting a plant under a black film or agrofibre. These devices cover the entire site. Holes are made in the film for planting berry bushes. Black material does not allow sunlight to pass through to the ground, and weeds and other undesirable plants in this area do not grow under it. To implement this landing method:

• Purchase agrofibre or black sheeting equal to the size of your future strawberry plantation.
• Next, lay the mulching material on the ground, laying its corners in the pits along the perimeter and filling it with soil.
• Then start the process of planting seedlings. It is advisable to plant them in a checkerboard pattern with a distance between the bushes of 25-30 cm.
• On the film, first mark the places for the holes and make small perpendicular cuts in them.
• Then dig holes with your hands through each hole and plant the seedlings.
• The holes in the film should not be large, so as not to provoke the growth of weeds.

What fertilizer to use or what to feed in the fall

Plants planted in August must be fertilized. This is done with different substances. It is useful to treat strawberries with a solution of 30 g of urea and 10 liters of water. Foliar feeding is carried out with boron, manganese, molybdenum, zinc. Treated bushes will bring more harvest in summer, and the quality of the berries will be higher than on plants not fertilized with these substances. To make a feeding mixture, prepare the following ingredients:

• molybdenum - 2 g;
• manganese - 50 g;
• boric acid - 15 g;
• water - 15 liters.

Strawberry care in the fall includes preparing the plant for winter. The bushes of this culture are covered with straw, peat, compost, fallen leaves or corn stalks. These natural substances not only keep plants from cold in winter, but also fertilize the soil. As a mulch for bushes, special materials are also used - spunbond, lutrasil. The covered strawberries will be protected from frost and will yield a good harvest next year. Further agricultural work with strawberries begins in April.

Is it possible to plant different varieties of strawberries next to each other

In some reviews of gardeners, there is a deep conviction that it is impossible to plant different varieties of strawberries together. So they are pollinated among themselves, and then on their bushes the quality of the berries becomes worse. But experts argue that the reason for the deterioration of the yield in such cases is not that there is cross-pollination, but because the plant is degenerating.

If you delve a little into botany, you can remember that when crops are pollinated, double fertilization occurs. As a result of this process, seeds are obtained that contain genetic information from the pollinator plant. However, this is not the case with strawberries, because its fruit is not exactly what botany understands by this term.

A juicy red berry on a bush of this culture is an overgrown receptacle, which is part of the mother plant and carries only its genetic characteristics. Therefore, the culture, the pollen of which pollinates strawberry flowers, does not affect the quality of the berries. This means that planting different varieties nearby is not prohibited. But when propagating a plant with a mustache, it is important not to confuse which variety of strawberries the daughter outlet belongs to.

Video: technology of landing on a covering material

Experienced gardeners prefer to use black film, spunbond, agrofibre to grow strawberries. The technology of planting seedlings of this plant on a covering material allows you to get a good harvest and prevents the appearance of weeds. You will learn about the features of planting strawberry seedlings on agrofibre, spunbond from 3 videos below, which show different ways of rooting seedlings.

Black spunbond

How to properly plant under agrofibre

The original way of planting

Planting strawberries in the photo

When choosing a planting site for strawberries in an area where the culture will be comfortable, take into account its biological characteristics. First of all, we remember that strawberries are very light-requiring. The quantity and quality of strawberries is directly proportional to the amount of solar energy received by the plants. For this reason, we choose the sunniest place for planting strawberry seedlings in the spring. The duration of the illumination of the berry with direct sunlight should be at least 8-10 hours a day. Even with slight shading, all varieties have a 7-10 days delay in flowering and ripening of berries, the overall yield is greatly reduced and, most importantly, the taste of berries is sharply deteriorating. The fruits become more watery and sour. Yield losses from gray rot in shaded areas increase, and the leaves are more susceptible to all kinds of fungal infections.

In places with light openwork shading - under the crowns of mature fruit trees - only small-fruited strawberries can be planted for effective use of the area. In this crop, the decrease in yield from shading is the least noticeable.

The second, which in no case should be forgotten, is that strawberries are a very demanding crop to the level of soil fertility. Therefore, when choosing a place for planting strawberry seedlings in the spring, we allocate the most fertile areas for it.

Be sure to pay attention to the mechanical composition of the soil and the water regime. According to the mechanical composition of the soil, the best option for planting strawberries and strawberries is light loam. In areas with heavy clay soils and in damp lowlands with stagnant moisture in the autumn-winter period, strawberries grow very poorly. The root system rots, leaves and berries are severely damaged by fungal diseases. Areas with groundwater occurrence closer than 1 meter are of little use for strawberries.

With regular watering and feeding, strawberries thrive on soils with a high sand content. But southern slopes with light soils and areas on elevations are still not the best option. In winter, on slopes, especially steep ones, strawberries can freeze too much due to the fact that snow blows off the plantings. In dry years, which have become more frequent in recent years, plants will suffer from overheating and lack of moisture. In this case, it is necessary to foresee the possibility of watering in advance.

Video: How to properly plant strawberries in spring

Strawberry precursors for proper spring planting outdoors

Science recommends that part of the strawberry plantings be renewed annually, but return to the old place after 3 years, alternating the cultivation of berries and vegetables. It is clear that there are not so many suitable places for such a demanding crop in ordinary summer cottages, and it is not realistic to ensure compliance with a long crop rotation. In critical cases, it is necessary to take a break between planting strawberries after strawberries for at least a year.

The best option is the spring planting of strawberries in black steam, that is, on a site that is cultivated all summer long, but nothing is planted there.

All plants of the nightshade family (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplants) and pumpkin plants (zucchini, squash and pumpkin) are excluded from the number of predecessors for the correct planting of strawberries. The cultivation of these plants increases the general infectious background in the soil - it provokes the development of various root rot.

Ornamental crops are dangerous predecessors of strawberries when planting, as well as strawberries prone to root rot, annual asters, clematis, chrysanthemums, gladioli and other bulbs.

Crops such as onions, garlic and beets as precursors can trigger an outbreak of soil nematodes. For this reason, their proximity to strawberry plantings is also undesirable.

Excellent precursors for spring planting of strawberries in the open field, capable of improving the soil, are green manure plants - nasturtium, mustard, phacelia or vetch-oat mixture. After growing green manure, their green mass is crushed and plowed into the soil, which can be considered equivalent to the introduction of 1.5-2 kg of rotted manure per square meter of area. The application of organic and mineral fertilizers can be transferred under green manure, which will significantly reduce the weediness of the site in the future.

On the scale of a garden plot, it is not always possible, but you need to try to place strawberry beds away from plantings of raspberries and apple trees. In spring, during flowering, they have a common dangerous pest - the raspberry-strawberry weevil.

The presented planting of strawberries in the photo demonstrates how to choose the right place:

STEP # 1
STEP # 2

STEP # 3
STEP # 4

Soil for planting strawberries: how to properly prepare the ground in spring

Haste in preparing the soil for planting strawberries and saving organic and mineral fertilizers during the main refueling is a common and difficult to eliminate later mistake of many gardeners.

If the soil for planting strawberries is set aside in a new area where there is a natural grass stand - sod, then the soil begins to be prepared at least a year in advance. Previously cultivated plots begin to prepare for spring planting in the fall, for the summer-autumn period - about a month before the intended planting.

Before preparing the land for planting strawberries, it is quite possible to apply herbicides in heavily weedy areas to remove the most harmful weeds such as bindweed, wheatgrass, lily and thistle.

The optimum level of soil acidity for planting strawberries in spring is 5.2-5.5 pH. If the soil on the site is more acidic, then it is advisable to deoxidize liming one to two years before planting strawberries. Before planting strawberries in the spring correctly, you need to know that the approximate dose, depending on the initial acidity, is from 400 to 600 g of lime or dolomite flour per square meter. Dolomite flour is preferable, as it additionally enriches acidic soils with magnesium.

Before preparing the soil for planting strawberries, you need to decide where to grow: on high ridges or on a flat surface? The question remains open, since the correct answer to it depends solely on the microclimatic characteristics of the site and the degree of soil cultivation. On heavily weedy, heavy clay soils and uncultivated damp areas (where plants suffer more from excess moisture and lack of heat), the construction of ridges from 10 to 30 cm in height with completely filled soil is often the only possible way to grow strawberries. In dry areas with light sandy soils (where plants suffer more from overheating and lack of moisture) or areas with a high degree of cultivation (low weediness, optimal soil texture), it is quite possible to successfully grow strawberries on a flat surface.

But whichever method you choose, preparing the land for planting strawberries after removing weeds begins with a thorough digging to the maximum possible depth. The most modest option is the depth of the full bayonet of the shovel, that is, at least 25-27 cm.

Preparing the soil and beds for planting strawberries in early spring: what fertilizers to apply

Since more than once we have already reminded that strawberries are a very demanding culture for the level of soil fertility, in order to enrich the deep layers with nutrients, organic and mineral fertilizers should be applied to the dug (plowed) area, which is called the main pre-planting soil filling. The amount of fertilizer applied can vary depending on the level of fertility and predecessors. What fertilizers to apply when planting strawberries depends on the condition of the soil and its grooming. For an ordinary household plot, when preparing the soil for planting strawberries, you can focus on the average doses - 6-10 kg of organic fertilizers (low-lying peat, rotted manure (humus) or summer cottage compost), 100 g of superphosphate and 120 g of potassium sulfate are applied per square meter. It is quite possible to replace phosphorus-potassium fertilizers with ash at the rate of 150-200 g per square meter.

If planting strawberries in early spring will be done on heavy soils, it is advisable to add sand to improve the texture.

After the second digging and incorporation of nutrients into the soil, the surface is leveled with a rake, breaking up large clods. After that, they begin to build ridges or break out rows, depending on the chosen cultivation option.

Agronomists advise to form rows or beds for planting strawberries along the north-south line. In this case, all plants will be evenly illuminated during the day, first from the east, then from the west. With a different orientation of the rows (east-west), the berries on the north side of the bush when ripe are less colored.

Video: Planting and caring for strawberries

Scheme of planting strawberries in the spring in the open field

The correct scheme for planting strawberries in spring should provide the plants with an optimal level of illumination and mineral nutrition, and for the gardener - the convenience and safety of all maintenance work, as well as effective use of the area. For these important reasons, it is necessary to approach the choice of the landing pattern quite seriously.

The main rules for planting strawberries in the spring should be available for familiarization to all novice gardeners.

• To obtain a harvest of berries, all common varieties of large-fruited strawberries can and even be planted side by side. They have similar requirements for agricultural technology, and this is good for cross-pollination. It is quite possible to plant red and white-fruited varieties next to it, they will not change their color from the neighborhood.

It is not recommended to plant remontant varieties on the same bed with the usual ones, since the latter require increased attention and care, a different regime of fertilizing and watering.

Small-fruited strawberries and earthworms are best planted in separate beds or areas.

• The length of the ridges or rows is mainly determined by the size and configuration of the site, as well as by issues of convenience and technology for further caring for the plants. It is necessary to foresee in advance convenient and safe paths for the passage during irrigation and travel with a garden cart when feeding and weeding.
• The choice of the row spacing is determined by the search for a balance between the issues of convenience in carrying out plant care operations and the efficiency of using the area of ​​the site. Wide row spacings of more than 70 cm provide convenience when working, good lighting and mineral nutrition of the plants, but low efficiency in using the area. Narrow aisles - less than 40 cm - allow placing many plants per unit area, but significantly complicate maintenance work. In addition, in strongly growing and "mustachioed" varieties, plantings thicken quickly. This, in turn, worsens the conditions for the growth and development of plants, provokes an outbreak of fungal diseases.

The optimal size of the row spacing can be called a value from 40 to 70 cm.

Distance between strawberry bushes when planting

The distance between strawberry bushes when planting in rows largely depends on the varietal characteristics and the method of cultivation. When planning an intensive cultivation technology with a quick change of plants (no more than 2 seasons), a more dense planting scheme is chosen with minimal distances between rows and between plants. If you plan to use the plants for a long time, then a more sparse planting of plants is preferable.

When buying seedlings, it is important to find out from the seller or later from other sources information not only about the size of berries and yield, but also about the height, foliage and "mustache" of the variety. The planting scheme and, accordingly, the required amount of planting material depends on this. According to scientific recommendations, vigorous, densely leafy and "mustache" varieties should be planted with a large distance between plants in a row from 30 to 40 cm. For low-leafed and low-mustache varieties, these standards are reduced to 20-30 cm.

When determining the scheme for planting strawberries in the open field, think in advance about whether you plan in the future not only to receive berries, but also to update strawberries on your own by planting a mustache. In this case, it is necessary to provide for a spatial isolation of at least 1 m between the varieties. Otherwise, in less than a season you will get a real "Olivier" from varieties in which more mustachioed varieties will displace less fertile neighbors.

Ways and options for planting strawberries in the beds (with photo)

For any method of planting strawberries, the general rules should be followed: soil preparation should be completed in one to two weeks, there should be no large clods, it is dangerous for survival to plant seedlings in non-settled soil, it is advisable to spill the prepared area a day or two before planting. On hot summer days, it is better to plant seedlings in the evening hours.

For seedlings with an open root system, on the day of planting, to prevent damage by root rot or leaf spots, the plants are disinfected. For these purposes, a solution of potassium permanganate is suitable - 1 g of dry matter per 10 liters of water. In this solution, the plants are washed. Another good way is to keep the seedlings in a solution for 5 minutes, for the preparation of which 2 salt spoons of table salt and 1 teaspoon of copper sulfate are taken for 5 liters of water. After that, the seedlings must be rinsed with clean water.

The methods of planting strawberries in the beds are most optimal for flooded, damp and clayey areas. For the convenience of planting, use a scoop or other similar device. With its help, a hole is dug a little deeper and wider than the size of the plant's root system. If the soil is dry, then each hole should be shed. Water consumption 0.5-07 liters per well. Next, the seedlings with a lump of earth are removed from a plastic cup and placed in the center of the hole. Peat cups are not removed, so as not to damage the root system once again.

When sprinkling plants with soil, remember the “golden rule of strawberries”. In no case should the heart be buried. If you are not sure that you can place it at the level of the soil, then it is better to leave it a little higher than at least a little, but deepen it. High planting defects are not so dangerous and are corrected in the future by mulching. Deepening (especially when planting before winter) cannot be corrected, and its consequences are detrimental to the plant.

After sprinkling the plant with soil, we squeeze it around with our hands so that air cavities do not form around the roots and the roots immediately get in contact with the soil. To check the quality of planting, you can pull on the leaf: if the plant is not pulled out of the ground, it is planted correctly.

Immediately after planting, young bushes must be well watered and done regularly (in the absence of rain) for another 7-10 days. The addition of biological growth stimulants such as humates to irrigation water contributes to the active growth of young roots and plant survival.

Look at the options for planting strawberries in the photo, which shows all the technologies and methods:

If the weather is dry and hot when planting seedlings with an open root system, then such plants in the daytime should be shaded from direct sunlight using white agrotechnical cloth or paper. They take longer and more difficult to take root than plants with a lump of earth; they stop withering at midday, as a rule, only after two to three weeks.

Recently, one often hears controversy about whether it is good for strawberries to grow with continuous mulching (covering) the soil surface with agro-fabric - a black non-woven material. This method has several undeniable advantages for gardeners in the form of a significant reduction in labor costs for weeding and a decrease in soil moisture evaporation in arid regions. However, we advise you to use it with great care - after all, the continuous cover of the soil surface makes it impossible to regularly carry out loosening and digging of row spacings. In damp areas, it significantly complicates the ventilation and drying of the soil.

The use of a plastic film impermeable to air and moisture as a covering is detrimental to strawberry plants.

But the most important problem is the impossibility of carrying out a procedure that is beloved and necessary for strawberries - mulching plants with a layer of organic matter. For these reasons, with all the convenience for the gardener of this method of growing, it can be considered positive, of course, and cannot be recommended for widespread use.

In one place, strawberries can grow up to 6 years old, but the peak of their active fruiting falls on the 3rd and 4th years of growth. Therefore, prepare the garden for this berry thoroughly. I give an example of how I make strawberry beds.

I dig up the earth, rip a trench, put compost inside and bury it. I sprinkle the Superphosphate mineral fertilizer on top (the norm is in accordance with the instructions). If there is sand or humus, then you can add them to better loosen the soil.

Then I use the harrow (level it out) with a rake. Then I spill the soil with BIO fungicide - a natural defense against fungal and bacterial diseases. I buy a preparation in the form of a paste and from it I prepare a liquid solution by dissolving 1 part of the paste in 2 parts of rainwater (in this form, the solution can be stored all season). And then I prepare a worker from this basic solution: 1 tbsp. l. liquid preparation for 10 liters. water - 1 sq. m.

• The rules for cultivating the land for strawberries or any other planting are almost the same for me. The main thing in this processing is not to use chemistry. If I sometimes have to use chemicals, then I try to do it with caution and to a minimum.

If there is a black covering material - spunbond - then I cover the garden with it for a couple of weeks, if there is no material, then you can cover it with a film or even boards. The ground must remain moist.

The compost I use is unripe and that's good for it. After all, after a couple of weeks, the soil is changing (this is clearly visible in the video below)! It becomes crumbly, blacker in color, the number of earthworms is added. My strawberries grow in one place for up to 4 years, and for the first two years I feed the berries very little - the berry gets its main nutrition from compost and properly prepared soil.

The berry easily tolerates the increased acidity of the soil, so I don't sprinkle any dolomite or slaked lime. But ash can be added when planting.

The width of the strawberry bed is about 70-80 cm. On it I have two rows of bushes at a distance of 20-25 cm from the edge and 30-35 cm one row from the other and between the bushes. If possible, then I fence the beds with slate so that the edges do not crumble, but the main thing is that there are no slugs on the plant. They, with their delicate bodies, simply cannot crawl over the rough surface of the slate.

After planting the strawberries, I carefully spill the garden.

I used to plant strawberries under spunbond. I freed myself from weeding and frequent watering, but ants often start under the material. This is a photo of past years.

I often read that the best time for planting strawberries is from July 25 to August 10. But I plant strawberries later. The main thing that I observe: the prepared bed should stand covered for at least 2 weeks and planting seedlings no later than August 25. Remember that the planting time is different for each region.

On the slate (or any other edging), be sure to make a marker with a marker - the year of planting of strawberries.

When planting new bushes, I must cut off all the leaves, and the mustache has most of them, leaving no more than 2 leaves. Strawberries have time to grow greens and prepare for wintering long before the onset of freezing temperatures at night.

Article author: Love

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The preparation of the strawberry garden usually begins in the summer. At the end of July or in August, it's time to decide on the method of forming ridges, choose a site, prepare soil and fertilizers. Not sure where to start to properly prepare your strawberry garden? This means that our today's article is for you.

Everyone's favorite berry is grown in a variety of ways. And how many options for the beds gardeners use - do not count! Here are some of them:

• simple bulk;
• high;
• trenches;
• pyramidal;
• vertical;
• decorative.

Each species has its pros and cons, and we will talk about them. But first, you and I have to find out which soil strawberries prefer, where and how best to place the beds, what fertilizers must be applied to the soil before planting.

Where to plant strawberries: choosing a place for the garden

Plot for strawberries

Strawberries grow well and bear fruit in the sun. Shaded and damp places are not good for her. Firstly, high humidity is one of the causes of all kinds of rot, fungal and viral diseases. Secondly, an excess of water affects the taste and portability of the berry: it becomes watery and soft.

The beds are best placed from east to west so that the bushes receive enough light throughout the day.

The optimal time for planting strawberries is late summer - early autumn (although planting is not forbidden in spring). It's just that in August-September there is a lot of planting material, there is plenty to choose from.

But you can decide on a place for a garden in advance. For example, choose a suitable site in the spring and sow it with lupine (the best siderat for strawberries). Before planting strawberries, lupine is mowed, and the garden bed is spilled with a solution of EM preparations.

There is no free site in the spring? It's OK. We will form a garden bed in the summer, focusing on good predecessors.

Predecessors and neighbors

The most suitable strawberry precursor is garlic. Just in August, the garlic ripens, the bed is vacated and you don't need to think long about where to plant the strawberries.

In addition to garlic, good strawberry precursors include:

• onions and bulbous flowers;
• radishes, carrots, turnips;
• beans, peas and other legumes;
• celery, parsley.

Soil preparation

Strawberries grow well on loamy, slightly acidic (pH 5.5-6) ​​soils with a high organic content. But whatever the initial soil on our site, we can provide a strawberry bed with light, loose, fertile soil.

There are two ways to prepare soil for strawberries:

• dig up the ground with the introduction of fertilizers and organic matter;
• separately mix several components, and then fill the garden with the finished soil mixture.

Digging is pretty simple. No later than a month before planting, we dig the selected area onto the bayonet of a shovel. If the ground is heavy, clayey, add one of the loosening materials to the garden bed:

• rotted sawdust with urea and ash (for 10 kilograms of sawdust, 2 tablespoons of urea, dissolved in 2 liters of water, and 1 glass of ash);
• peat with ash (one glass of ash per bucket of peat);
• sand.

Also, when digging for each square meter of soil, it is recommended to apply fertilizers:

• 5-6 kilograms of manure (another option: 6-8 kilograms of compost or humus);
• 50 grams of superphosphate;
• 15 grams of potassium sulfate
• 50 grams of urea.

You can do without digging. In this case, we need turf soil, compost (or humus), peat and sawdust. We take all components in equal parts and mix. Then we fill the prepared place for the garden. In this way, the soil is prepared for growing strawberries, for example, in vertical beds - in pipes, pyramids, etc.

So, we have chosen a suitable place, decided on the composition of the soil. It remains to understand what type of garden bed will suit us in all respects.

Filled ridges

The simplest option is an ordinary loose bed. It is good in that it does not require additional materials and is relatively easy to form.

First, the site is dug up with fertilization. Then they divide it by furrows, forming beds with a width of 20 to 50 centimeters. The recommended bed height above the furrow is 20 centimeters. This is enough to drain excess water.

Bulk ridges also have disadvantages. They are easily washed away by heavy showers. They are low, require work in an incline and a squat. Nevertheless, gardeners choose this type of beds most often. However, for damp areas with a close occurrence of groundwater, bulk beds for strawberries are not suitable.

High ridges

But high ridges are ideal where there is a lot of water! You will have to work longer on the construction of such a bed, and spend a little on building materials. A high bed is done like this:

• The selected area is fenced with boards, slate, iron sheets, bricks, etc. You can put together a box of boards in advance, you can generally buy a ready-made frame for the garden. The height of the fence can be from 40 to 80 centimeters.
• At the bottom of the future bed, a drainage layer of 15 centimeters is created. They can serve as expanded clay, brick fragments or small tree branches.
• Easily overheated organic matter is poured on top: leaves, cut grass, kitchen waste, straw. This layer will provide warmth and nourishment.
• The next layer is laid with a mixture of humus, compost, peat and turf. With this loose soil, they finally fill the entire structure and lightly tamp it.

The garden is ready. Its advantages are obvious:

• allows you to grow strawberries in the lowlands;
• additionally nourishes and warms the roots;
• makes it easier to care for plants due to its height;
• makes it possible to grow strawberries in a cool climate;
• can become design elements.

High ridges also have disadvantages. First, they require financial and labor costs. Secondly, they dry out faster - they will have to be watered more often than usual. Nevertheless, high beds are confidently gaining popularity among our summer residents.

Strawberries in the trenches

Trenches are a great option for dry beds. It is best to cook them in the fall and leave them until the next season, so that the organic matter inside has time to completely rot.

Perhaps the only drawback of the trench is its laboriousness. After all, it must be dug out at least 30-40 centimeters in depth, or even deeper. The deep trench is filled in two stages. Fresh organic matter is placed on the bottom, and then covered to the brim with a mixture of compost and earth. Shallow trenches are filled with the same soil mixture to the full depth.

The main advantage of a trench bed is that moisture is retained in it longer. With proper mulching, these beds require little or no watering.

Planting under agrofibre or black film

The technology for creating a bed under cover is slightly more complicated than a conventional bed. Gardeners like to plant strawberries under black agrofibre or film for the following reasons:

• in spring, the soil under the shelter warms up faster;
• the bed is not washed out by streams of water during heavy rainfall;
• it is almost impossible for weeds to break through the fiber;
• the berries are always clean.

And the disadvantages of this option can be attributed only to the cost of covering material. It is not surprising that such beds are found in almost every site.

At first, the stages of forming a bed for agrofibre are no different from creating a bulk bed:

• digging the selected area with the addition of fertilizers;
• marking of furrows and ridges;
• creation of high fill ridges (up to 50 centimeters in height) by transferring land from furrows;
• covering of ridges (including furrows) with black agrofibre or film;
• securing the cover with metal pins, stones, bricks, boards, gravel (you can simply fill the edges of the agrofibre with earth and tamp it);
• cutting through the material in places where strawberry bushes are planted.

Note that black agrofibre as a cover is preferable to film, since it allows both air and water to pass through.

Vertical beds

Vertical beds are a favorite option for experimental gardeners, creative people and owners of small plots where every piece of land is registered. Pyramids of boxes and pots, barrels, tires, pipes, shelves - wherever inventive gardeners plant strawberries.

Growing strawberries in tires or barrels

This method of growing strawberries is fundamentally no different from tall beds. Only as a frame, not boards with slate are used, but old car tires installed on top of each other or leaky barrels. This design fits 4-5 strawberry bushes.

The barrel can be filled entirely with soil, it can be half filled with organic waste (grass, foliage, tops, weeds), and half with soil mixture. It is convenient to handle such a bed: you do not need to bend low. But it needs to be watered more often. And every 2-3 years, change the soil for the prevention of strawberry diseases.

Strawberries in PVC pipes

The bunches of berries hanging down the pipe look great. For the sake of such beauty, some gardeners are not averse to working hard. True, in winter such a bed must be removed at least to the cellar or garage, otherwise the strawberry bushes are threatened with freezing. But if you live in the southern region and love to craft from scrap materials, why not give it a try?

To create a vertical bed in a pipe you will need:

• large diameter PVC pipes;
• small diameter hose or tube;
• drill with a nozzle for cutting round holes;
• pipe covers;
• sealant.

The process of creating a bed in a pipe consists of the following steps:

• Holes (3-5 centimeters in diameter) are drilled over the entire surface of the pipe;
• Many small holes are also made in the hose or small pipe;
• A hose (or small pipe) is inserted inside the large pipe;
• The lower ends of both pipes are hermetically closed with covers;
• The space between the inner and outer pipes is filled with soil;
• Strawberry bushes are planted in the holes;
• Watering and feeding is done through a small pipe (hose).

Bed-pyramids

A pyramidal bed is a kind of hybrid of a tall and vertical bed. One of the advantages of the pyramid is space saving. Therefore, it is the best suited for a small area.

Having completed the preparation of the strawberry beds, it is too early for the gardener to calm down. There is one more painstaking task - planting strawberry bushes.

We wish you success and big harvests!

Now that we have learned a lot about the history of this extraordinary culture, about the structure of strawberries, about the variety of its varieties, it is time to move from theory to practice.

We need to choose a place for strawberries and prepare it well, purchase or grow strawberry seedlings and start planting it.

But for this you need to find out all the conditions for growing strawberries. So that our “strawberry pancake” does not come out lumpy, we must be very careful about the preparatory process: take into account all the wisdom when growing garden strawberries, heed the advice of experienced gardeners, give the berry a little warmth and care.

First of all, let's decide how many bushes of garden strawberries we will plant, because the size of the plot for planting will depend on this.

This is a very important question, since strawberries require quite a lot of attention to keep our beds in order.

Therefore, it is necessary to plant it as much as we can everyday life.

After all, even from a small but well-groomed garden bed, we can get a much larger harvest than from a large plantation, for which we will not have time to take good care of it.

Choosing a place for strawberries

The choice of a place for planting our beloved berries is a very responsible matter, since the further development of the plant and its yield depend on it.

So you and I will have to, as they say, “measure seven times and cut off only once”.

Garden strawberries prefer to grow in well-lit areas that are also protected from the wind.

Of course, it can grow in the shade, but then the strawberries will stretch out, the leaves will grow more actively, and not the berries.

The berries will ripen longer, and the taste will be much sour, and much more labor will be invested in growing them.

To protect the planting of garden strawberries from the wind, we plant them under the cover of buildings or shrubs, fruit trees. If this is not possible, then you can create a windscreen from sunflower or corn, planting them in two rows.

Strawberries prefer to grow on a flat surface or on a small slope. It is best if the slope faces southwest.

In this case, it is necessary to plant berries in the middle or lower part of the slope, but not in the upper one. We place rows of garden strawberries across the slope in order, firstly, to save melt water in the spring, and secondly, to save the upper arable layer of the earth from flushing.

Pay attention to the acidity of the soil. Our pet loves to grow on neutral or slightly acidic soils. If it is strongly acidic, then be sure to ferment it.

The best option is to carry out liming a year before planting garden strawberries (even under the previous crop) or, in extreme cases, two months before planting.

By adding lime to the soil just before planting, you will greatly inhibit the growth of plant roots. And therefore, seedlings of garden strawberries will take root for a long time.

He does not like strawberries and low places with a groundwater level less than 0.8-1.0 m.

If you do not have higher places on your site, then plant strawberries on bulk beds with a height of at least 25-30 cm.

Since strawberries give the best harvest in the second and third years after planting, it is recommended to transplant them to a new place every 3-4 (at least 4-5 years) years.

And only after 2-3 years it will be possible to return the berry to its former place of residence.

Correct crop rotation is also very important for strawberries: this is how the berry grows well after garlic, onions, radishes, parsley and other greens, carrots, legumes, siderates; it is undesirable to plant after nightshade, pumpkin, as there is a possibility of damage by root rot or nematode.

And one more tip, place your strawberry meadow away from plantings of raspberries and plums, due to the fact that there is a danger of losing half of the crop from the raspberry-strawberry weevil.

How to prepare the soil

As we already know, from the history of the development of our strawberries, it began to form in deciduous forests, on forest edges and clearings, that is, where there is a natural enrichment of the soil with organic matter with the help of annual leaf fall.

The roots of the plant are shallow, so it is able to feed from the most fertile soil layers. It follows from this that skinny, dry soils are not for our darling.

But the most suitable for her will be fertile loamy soils with a good humus horizon. On such soils, garden strawberries will give us excellent yields.

What if your site does not meet these requirements? It means that we need to improve the soil ourselves, because we, summer residents, are not accustomed to dealing with difficulties.

If you got a sandy area, then add clay and humus (0.5-1.0 bucket of dry clay and 2-3 buckets of humus per m²).

If your soil is clayey, heavy, add peat (1-2 buckets per m²), which will make it looser and richer in oxygen. Also on such soil it is necessary to carry out drainage work.

Due to the fact that garden strawberries have been growing in one place for several years, it is very important to properly prepare the soil for planting and apply a sufficient amount of pre-planting fertilizers.

And it's best to prepare it in advance. So, if we are going to plant strawberries in the spring, then we should take care of the beds in the fall, and if at the end of summer, then at least two months before planting.

First, in the first year, we grow green manure according to the following scheme: in May we sow the vetch-oat mixture, in July we embed it in the soil and sow oilseed radish, phacelia, and mustard. These plants can be left for the winter.

In the spring of next year, we dig up this area and sow annual lupine, which we embed in the soil at the beginning of July. And in a month you can start planting strawberries.

This method of increasing soil fertility is also good in the absence of organic fertilizers.

Preparing the soil for spring planting

We apply semi-rotten manure, humus or compost (8-10 kg per square meter of one of three), wood ash (200 g), potash fertilizers (20 g) to the selected area.

It is undesirable to apply fresh manure and chlorine-containing fertilizers under strawberries.

We distribute fertilizers evenly over the site and dig it up, trying not to bring the infertile soil layer to the surface.

At the same time, we will carefully select all the large and small roots of such perennial weeds as wheatgrass, sow thistle and others like them.

Then we level the dug-up area with a rake and leave it in this form before winter.

In the spring, before planting strawberries, we apply the following mineral fertilizers: double superphosphate - 25 g per 1 sq. m, potassium sulfate - 25 g per 1 sq. m.

Spread fertilizers evenly over the site and use a rake to embed it in the soil.

Soil preparation for summer-autumn planting

If you prefer to plant garden strawberries in August-September, then the main fertilizers are best applied under the predecessor plants.

If you fail to do this, then (as I said earlier) try to prepare the soil two months before planting.

If these deadlines are not met, there remains the last chance to prepare well for planting strawberries - 2 weeks before planting the seedlings, prepare the beds, but already the amount of fertilizer applied must be reduced by 30%.

Choosing varieties and seedlings of garden strawberries

So, we have chosen a place for planting strawberries, the soil has been prepared in advance.

Now we will decide what varieties we will plant. Above all, try to choose local, regionalized strawberry varieties that have already proven themselves in your climatic conditions.

In order to have these magnificent fragrant berries on your table for as long as possible, I advise you to purchase some early ripening seedlings (10%), medium early and medium-sized ones (60%), as well as late ripening varieties (30%).

Do not forget to plant remontant varieties, both wild strawberries and garden strawberries. And then you will have berries from spring to the very frost.

We buy seedlings

Pay great attention to the quality of the planting material, because this is the basis of all your future harvests.

Of course, it is best to purchase seedlings in proven nurseries, where they will be strong and healthy.

It is advisable not to buy from the market or from strangers, since there is a risk of acquiring weakened, infected plants or even seedlings of weed strawberry varieties, which we talked about in the previous article.

What should you first of all pay attention to when buying strawberry seedlings:

• They should be stocky annuals with a rosette with 3-5 leaves.
• The root system is well developed and not shorter than 5 cm.
• The apical kidney (heart) is strong and well developed.
• The diameter of the horn is at least 1.5 cm.
• Seedlings should not be elongated, overgrown or, conversely, frail.

Usually we plant strawberry seedlings with one horn, but if you see two-horned seedlings on sale, then take it without hesitation, as you are incredibly lucky.

In order to save the family budget, you can not buy a large number of seedlings, but purchase several bushes of the varieties you like and propagate them yourself.

To do this, we plant the purchased seedlings in a specially designated small area (school) and surround them with care and attention.

We remove the peduncles in time, carefully lay out the whiskers that appear and help the small rosettes take root in the soil, making holes for them and watering.

Thus, we can get up to 40-50 seedlings from each mother plant.

We grow seedlings ourselves

If this is not the first time you are planting garden strawberries and you already have a plantation of this berry, then for new plantings you can already use your planting material.

When picking berries, notice the strongest and most productive bushes (no more than 2 years old) with approximately the same berry size and without any diseases.

From them, we will subsequently take a mustache for laying a new plot of garden strawberries. The mustache usually begins to grow in mid-summer.

When our marked bushes bear fruit, the process of forming a mustache and rooting of rosettes will begin.

Here it is necessary, without postponing the matter indefinitely, to select the most powerful sockets of the first order (in the extreme case of the second).

As a rule, weaker bushes grow from sockets of the following orders. Keep in mind that young plants produce whiskers a little earlier than fruiting ones.

Attention! Another nuance in the selection of outlets for planting. It turns out that not all young strawberry rosettes are capable of bearing fruit. They can be conditionally divided into "girls" and "boys".

So the "girls" usually give an excellent harvest, but the "boys" will leave you without it. Such bushes give a lot of whiskers, intertwining the whole garden, if they are not cut off in time.

How can you tell where who is? Firstly, for planting, it takes only the outlet closest to the mother bush; secondly, “girls differ from“ boys ”by a more powerful rosette of leaves.

But it is much easier to separate "boys" from "girls" when planting in spring. In spring, all “males” have only two leaves, while “girls” have three.

If large-fruited garden strawberries are best propagated with the help of a mustache, then seedlings of small-fruited remontant strawberries can be perfectly grown from seeds.

And although this is a rather laborious and troublesome process, the result is worth the effort and time spent.

We usually sow strawberry seeds in March. If you want to get berries already this year, then sowing is better done early - at the beginning of February.

This, of course, will create additional troubles: creating the desired temperature regime, supplementary lighting, construction of shelters for early planting of seedlings.

We sow seeds in boxes about 8 cm high, which we fill with loose soil. We level the soil, water and scatter seeds over its surface.

Strawberry seeds are very small, so you don't need to sprinkle them with earth on top, but sprinkle them lightly with water from a spray bottle and they will be a little "drawn" into the ground. This will be enough for them to germinate.

Or, you can carefully sprinkle them with sand on top through a sieve, about 1 mm.

After sowing, we close the boxes with foil or glass, put them in a warm, dark place and wait for the shoots.

The seeds can germinate (depending on the variety) after 10 days, and after 30, or even after 45 days. Therefore, you need to be patient and not despair when the seeds do not germinate for a long time.

For planting strawberry seeds, you can also use plastic boxes with lids.

When 2-3 true leaves appear, we proceed to planting the plants in separate pots.

If you are in no hurry to get berries as early as possible, then perhaps the most favorable period for sowing strawberry seeds is from early May to late June.

Having planted the seeds within this time frame, we will get excellent seedlings in the first year without much hassle.

I plan to describe all the methods of breeding our favorite strawberries in more detail in a separate article.

Landing dates

Now let's decide on the timing of planting our seedlings for permanent residence.

In principle, you can plant garden strawberries for almost the entire summer season, starting in May and ending in mid-September.

But in order to get a good harvest, it is still better to stick to the spring and autumn planting.

Many gardeners believe that the spring planting of strawberries is better, since the berry will begin to bear fruit fully the next year, and in the autumn - only after a year.

Spring planting begins from April 20-30 (in regions with a warm climate), and until June 15. Try not to be late with the spring planting, so that moisture does not leave the soil.

If we plant later than this period, then there is a high probability that the plants will leave in the winter without a sufficiently developed aerial part, the root system, and will not have time to lay flower buds.

And this means that they either will not survive the cold winter at all, or in the spring they will wither for a long time, coming to their senses.

This, perhaps, concludes the article. In the future, we will talk about the rules for planting garden strawberries and caring for them.

And now watch a few videos with various methods of growing strawberry seedlings from Yulia Minyaeva from seeds. Maybe one of them will appeal to you. I personally liked everything)))