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Strawberries have been cultivated for a long time. They were being grown at Franciscan missions in California in the late 1700's. Most of the strawberries we grow today are descended from a cross between a Northeastern native and a Chilean strawberry. It's nice to know that good tasting strawberries are easy to grow in the home garden, even in the foothills. And don't think that you don't have room for a strawberry "bed" - try a strawberry jar or hanging baskets or a planter on the porch or deck.
Strawberries come in four types - June bearers, Everbearing, Day Neutral (developed in the 1980's) and Alpine. The June bearers do exactly that - ripen their fruit all at once. It's great for making jam or freezing. In our climate, Junebearers can be unreliable and all of the blossoms killed by a late frost. Everbearers have two crops. The main crop is in June and a smaller crop ripens in late summer with some berries produced all summer. Day Neutrals have fruit set all summer. The alpines come from wild European strains and are usually started from seed. The fruit is small but the flavor is intense.
Here are some tips for getting the most strawberries from your strawberry bed. Find a spot that gets 8 hours of full sun a day and is not too windy. Strawberries like a sandy loam so if your soil is the typical Colorado clay - add organic matter - aged manure, sphagnum peat or compost. Bare root plants are available now, later strawberry plants will be available in pots like annuals. Buy plants that have been certified disease free. Trim the roots of bare root plants to about 6" and soak for about 30 minutes before planting. The hill system is usually used for everbearers and day neutrals. Plant 1' apart in the row and rows 1' apart. June bearers are usually planted in a matted row system. The mother plants are planted 2' apart and the rows are 4' feet apart and runners are allowed to root to fill in between the mother plants. Pinch off any flower buds, runners and damaged leaves before planting. Fan out the roots and position in the hole so that the soil level is even with the crown. Water in each plant as they are planted. Remove the first blossoms that form and any extra runners so the plant's energy will go into producing a stronger plant. "Pinch" now and you'll get more strawberries later. Fertilize in early July and again in September with a balanced fertilizer (10 -10 -10 ). Fertilizer applied before fruiting results in soft fruit. If you are growing your strawberries in a pot or planter, fertilize monthly with a liquid fertilizer or use a timed release fertilizer. Strawberry beds are usually productive for three years. The first year will give you some fruit but the second and third years should reward you with lots of strawberries. Cover the plants in the winter with a mulch or row cover and don't forget to winter water. When it's time to start a new bed you can root healthy runners from your plants or you can buy new plants.
In Colorado, strawberries are relatively disease and pest free. Cover the plants with netting if birds or deer are a problem. Sow and pill bugs can be collected during the day from under a board placed flat on the ground next to the plants. Tarnished plant bugs, millipedes and slugs like to feed on ripened fruit so keep ripened fruit picked to reduce these problems. Botrytis, a gray mold, can affect the fruit giving them a moldy taste. Use a mulch to keep the soil moist but the strawberries clean and dry to help alleviate this problem. Wait a year after removing sod before planting strawberries in that area. Grubs could be a problem. Also try to avoid planting in an area where you grew raspberries, potatoes, eggplant, peppers or tomatoes because they are susceptible to and carry some of the same diseases.
There just isn't anything better than a juicy, sweet strawberry right
out of the garden. For more information on growing strawberries and
recommended varieties call the Larimer County Cooperative Extension and
ask for Fact Sheet #7.000
- Strawberries for the home garden. Or call PlantTalk Colorado
at 1-888-666-3063 and request message #1208 on Strawberries or view
the message here.
Q: I used tree wrap on the trunks of my young thin barked trees last winter. Can I just leave it on the trees?
A: Tree wrap should be removed during the spring and summer as the crepe wrap may harbor insects and disease organisms. A good way to remember -wrap at Thanksgiving and unwrap at Easter.
Q: We've had a mild winter and warm spring this year. Should I start fertilizing and mowing my lawn?
A: Mid-March through April is the time to apply the first fertilizer to most turf if you didn't fertilize in the fall. Apply ½ lb. of Nitrogen (N) per 1000 sq. ft. A balanced or complete fertilizer that includes phosphorus, potassium, iron and sulfur will assure that your lawn is not deficient in other nutrients. If you fertilized your lawn last fall and it is greening up and growing nicely, delay the first application of fertilizer until May or June. Buffalograss, Blue Grama, and Bermudagrass should not receive fertilizer until the May to mid-June period.
All turf species in Colorado should be mowed at 2 ½" - 3". If your lawn is higher than that - it's time to start mowing!
Q: Is it time to prune my rose bushes?
A: Don't be in too big of a hurry to prune your roses. Pruning stimulates new growth which maybe injured or killed by a late frost. About 2 weeks before the average last killing frost for your area is the right time to prune. Call the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension office in your county for your average last frost date.
Q: We would like to plant flowers under our crab apple tree but there's not much soil. Will it damage the tree if we add soil to make a flower bed?
A: Soil added around a tree base acts as a blanket and prevents much needed oxygen from reaching the roots. Adding as little as 4" of soil can be harmful. In addition most tree roots grow in the top two feet of soil. Tilling the soil around the tree for planting flowers can be damaging to small roots that absorb water and nutrients for the tree.
Q: What is safe to plant in the garden now?
A: Seeds of beets, carrots, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, peas, potatoes,
radishes, spinach and turnips can be planted now. These are cool season
crops and can be seeded as soon as the garden soil can be worked. As dry
as our weather has been, soil that is too wet shouldn't be a problem. Also
start sweet alyssum, larkspur, cornflower and poppies from seed outdoors.
It is also safe to plant gladiolus and other summer flowering bulbs and
corms.
Don't remove the tops from bulb plants (tulips, daffodils, etc.) Until they have turned yellow and died naturally. The top should come loose with a gentle tug before removing. The plants will be adversely affected if tops are removed prematurely.
Spinach needs special attention throughout its growing season to avoid stress that can lead to early bolting. It should be thinned regularly (put thinning in salad). Enough nitrogen and water should be applied to keep it green and growing.
Recycle an old leaky hose into a sprinkler or soaker hose by making holes in it with an icepick. Holes may be placed in a pattern to suit the needs of your plants.
The author has received training through Colorado State University Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener program and is a Master Gardener volunteer for Larimer County.
Fact Sheets are available at the Larimer County Extension Office, 1525 Blue Spruce Drive, Fort Collins, Colorado, telephone (970) 498-6000, or contact us by e-mail at larimer@coop.ext.colostate.edu
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