How To Protect Strawberry Planter From Animals

Here at our bitty homestead, nosotros're in our fourth year of gardening in the raised beds that Michael built. This includes growing strawberries, which has come with a few surprises and lessons learned, some quite by accident! I thought I would tell you a little bit nigh that today. Especially because lately, we've had more strawberries than we've known what to do with, and it was the last thing nosotros expected.

The start thing we learned, the very next forenoon after planting our very start strawberry starter plants four years ago, was that nosotros needed to find a way to protect them from the birds and small-scale animals, if we ever wanted to have whatsoever berries to selection. There were squirrels feasting on our new plantings in our bed, and that put Michael in high gear. By the terminate of the solar day, he had built this 'cover' for the strawberry bed, that has protected it 100% ever since. It is just made of craven wire and strapping, but information technology has been the perfect solution. It lets all of the low-cal and rain/h2o in, the hungry critters out, and lifts correct off for picking time.

Initially, we had planted both Ever Bearing, as well as June Bearing plants. But later on 2 years and not being then happy with the June Bearing plants, we ripped them out at the first of last season, and let the E'er Begetting take over. They were just too small, and not every bit skilful as the E'er Bearing. We weren't sure we'd go whatsoever more than Always Bearing berries out of it that belatedly in the game, just at least the June Bearing were out of the way.

In the first couple seasons of production, nosotros got some consequent berries to option. At that place were some every mean solar day. Only rarely enough all at one time, to really do anything with. And so we merely ate them snack-manner all within the day we picked them. Year/Season 3 (last year) was better in the overall crop, with the E'er bearing having taken over the bed, and producing later on all. We actually had plenty at once to have dessert a few times. I too saved the berries picked a few(0ther) days in a row, vacuum sealed them in a freezer bad, labeled and dated the bag, and put them in the freezer.

BTW, the vacuum sealer auto was a brand called ME. ; ) I sealed the bag tightly with a drinking straw stuck in the bag, put my hot lips up to it, and sucked all of the air out myself! Until it was pretty shrunk-wrapped looking, and I was blue.

At present hither are ii things to take annotation of, in our new strawberry growing feel:

ane) In the offset, we had researched a lot on strawberries, and read that strawberry plants tend to only produce for about 3 years, before y'all really need to offset again, because they won't produce much anymore. The showtime flavour is as well expected to be somewhat of a slimmer crop, because the roots are really but trying to get established in the soil. In fact, it's recommended that you lot pluck off the offset flowers that produce (indications that a strawberry is about to form in that location), to give those roots more time to establish well.

2) Another matter nosotros had read to do, was to cut or mow the plants downward to an inch or 2 at the end of the season, and cover the whole bed with hay, or another non-seed producing mulch, for the frost flavour. Then in the spring afterward whatever risk of frost had passed, y'all could remove the top layer or so if in that location was a lot of information technology, but that more often than not the plants would grow right up through it – and then prior to breaking ground, the plants down in the soil would be protected from cold temperatures. So that's what we did, and we institute all of that to exist truthful.In the concurrently, my friend Paula told me that some woman Ann…or Annie Something….(I gathered from the way I was told, that I should know who this adult female was…), highly recommends not covering your beds with any extra mulch of any kind.

However, come the terminate of Flavor/Twelvemonth 3, we figured those plants were Done anyway. We had gotten 3 years out of them, and planned on plating new starters the following spring. So did non bother covering the bed with hay. We only let all of the affluence of plants, with stems, runner, leaves and all, just die there in the bed. By fall, it was looking equally neglected and ugly as could be, in that cage. And early leap was not looking much better.

Until, new dark-green plants broke through the broken down decay all around it. We still figured they would develop much, and that we'd demand to found new at the terminate of May or so. But they just kept growing, and so they were flowering and producing like (non however mature) berries, all through May. By June, we were picking!

Our very first picking, was a pretty healthy bunch! But at that place were And so many more than these, that we would take picked as well. We merely wanted to give them ane more than day. From then on, there were many strawberries that needed to be picked, every mean solar day or 2! So nosotros had to gather, that Ann(ie) Something was right. There is no need to go through the actress efforts, or expense, of covering the beds with any other form of mulch, to protect them plants from the cold. The plants all dying downwardly at the end of their flavor, establish themselves equally their own bedding encompass. In fact, it seems assuasive that, by intended means of giving up these old plants, somehow reaped a supposed actress year of production, and our overall best and largest season of strawberries ever!

So as you lot have probably gathered by at present, nosotros've been learning along the way here, and it's been delicious and rewarding! Who knows. Maybe we'll get a 5th year out of these plants, side by side yr? Yeah…..likely not. Simply nosotros all feel like we know more now, to be more successful in growing strawberries, than ever. That'due south really part of the fun of gardening: learning! The kids take labored and learned correct along with us, and it's been so wonderful.

Y'all might be wondering, what we did with having such a constant flow of incoming fresh strawberries on our hands. Well……we ate some equally we washed them. Some were fresh berries on top of our cereal in the morning. At that place was Strawberry Shortcake to be had, a few times. And lastly, some more than went into the freezer for the plan of making jam, and others were fabricated into a new and creative snack dessert. The last 2 mentioned, are new strawberry-themed posts, coming up presently. So stay with us!

Do yous grow strawberries? In beds or out of the footing? How practise you keep the birds and critters from eating them?
Tell us about your strawberry-growing experiences, or hopes.

. . . . . .

Come join us on FACEBOOK, or TWITTER!

Source: https://houseofjoyfulnoise.com/lessons-learned-with-growing-strawberries/

Posted by: smithwiton1980.blogspot.com