Strawberries: How to Grow and Care Guide

Whether you like to eat them in a jam, with some custard, atop some ice cream, or just by themselves, summertime means strawberries, and that means you’ve got to buy them.

But what if you love strawberries so much that buying them makes your wallet as red as your face when you eat them? Well, you could try to grow them and have plump and delicious strawberries whenever you want them at any time!

Even if you don’t have a green thumb, you can still get away with growing some of the best strawberries you’ve ever had with this ultimate guide. Just follow these steps and you will be growing strawberries faster than you can eat them!

What are Strawberries?

Strawberries are bright, red, and juicy fruits that are rich in antioxidants, low in calories, filled with vitamins, and also extremely healthy. Plus, they are delicious on their own while also being very versatile in their use and their flavor when you cook with them!

How To Grow Strawberries 

The soil for strawberries is going to be the most important part, which is why we are planting them in a raised bed. Additionally, the soil should be able to drain as the strawberries need to be kept moist, and they should also be planted in a sunny area of the garden.

Space the plants between 12 to 18 inches apart, and they should be planted at a depth of 4-6 inches. 

What Soil to Use

You need to make sure that the soil is nutrient rich with layers of fertilizer, manure, and peat moss, so make sure to look for potting soil filled with those ingredients.

Additionally, the soil should drain well, but still be able to retain some moisture. In terms of the PH level, the soil for strawberries should be slightly acidic, around 5.8 or 6.2.

Light Requirements

Strawberries need light, so it is important to plant them away from trees and in an area that will get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day, although up to 10 hours of direct sunlight is best for them.

Make sure the plants are sheltered from the wind, and you will get the best strawberries ever in no time!

Temperature

Strawberries thrive in direct sunlight, so make sure to keep them warm and ensure that they are given the direct sun needed to survive.

Around 60°F to 80°F will be enough for them to grow comfortably, but they can tolerate temperatures below freezing as long as you take precautions to protect them from frost.

Caring for Strawberries

Watering Strawberries

You should provide one to two inches of water to your strawberry plants per week, but during the summer you should be watering them with that much water daily.

You don’t want the strawberries to be waterlogged, but they are plants that require a lot of moisture in order to thrive and survive, so make sure that the soil is able to retain water when you water the plants.

Drainage is extremely important for strawberries so make sure that the soil will drain well, because your plants will drown if you aren’t careful.

Pruning Strawberries

One of the most important things you can do for your strawberries is to prune them regularly. Pruning helps the strawberry plants to continue to absorb sunlight and that will go a long way in getting your best strawberries ever!

Make sure to regularly inspect your strawberry plants for brown, withered, and diseased leaves and prune them.

Don’t prune the green and healthy leaves, and make sure to prune the plants around the middle to the end of February, because that will keep the plants healthy without affecting the fruit yield you get.

You should also make sure to remove ‘runners’ or connections between a separately growing plant and the mother plant, as soon as possible.

If you don’t, you will get a clone plant that will become a parasite and develop its own root system that will take away from the mother plant.

Planting Strawberries in Raised Beds

While many people will start off planting strawberry seeds in the ground and waiting for them to grow, that’s not the best way to get a consistent crop of good strawberries.

To say nothing of getting the juiciest strawberries ever! In order to get the best strawberries, you need to make sure they have the best environment to grow in, and that means the regular soil of your garden just won’t do.

Instead, you need to build a raised bed for your strawberries. A raised bed is essentially a large pot or other structure that is filled with soil and used as a garden rather than planting the plants in the ground.

Think of a plant pot large enough to hold a dozen flowers instead of just one and you will get the idea.

You can purchase a raised bed and place it in your garden yourself, or you can hire a landscaper to find a bed and properly install it in your garden for you.

Some landscapers would use professional landscape software in order to accurately visualize what the finished project will look like, and to understand the costs.

Wrapping Up Our Guide to Growing and Caring for Strawberries

Growing anything is going to give you a lot of trial and error as you figure out what works and what doesn’t. So don’t be afraid to investigate your strawberries and make sure that you are catching any problems before they wreck the entire crop.

After a while, you will be confident that you can grow the best strawberries around, and you will have countless strawberry dishes in your kitchen to prove it to anyone who doubts!