One of the most favorite fruits in America is the Strawberry. Many gardeners love this plant because they are easy to grow and produce tasty fruit year after year. On average each plant will produce about a quart of ready to eat strawberries. When it comes strawberry plants you have three varieties to choose from.
June Bearing strawberries:
This plant is perhaps the most common type grown. It bears fruit once a year, and is well known for its very large berries. A few June bearing types include the Totem, Shuksan, Puget Beauty, Olympus, Douglas and the Benton.
Everbearing Strawberries:
This type will produce fruit two or three times a year. However the amount of fruit it produces is much smaller than the June bearing variety. Some everbearing types include Tristar, Tillikum, Ozark Beauty, Lassen, Hecker, And Brighton to name a few.
Day Neutral:
This strawberry variety produces fruit throughout the growing season. Generally they are not as big as the June Bearing type. Tri-star, Eversweet, and Seascape fall into this category.
Get advice from the nursery before buying any plant. You want to be sure the variety you choose will do well in your area. Bring a sample of the soil and have it tested. You want to be sure it is a good fertilizer and will grow well in your area.
Growing Strawberries
Getting plants started is easier then you think. The first step is to make sure the soil you are purchasing is prepared properly. Next you will need a place to plant the seeds. Now you need patience because waiting for new plants to grow is a long time.
For new plants to grow you need to keep them watered. You do not want to over water new plants. Check the soil once a month to see if it needs water.
As the weather warms your plants need to be brought indoors. Prepare a sunny windowsill for them. You will be amazed at how quickly they will grow.
Learn about each variety of strawberry. Even though strawberries have a reputation of being finicky plants you can grow them with ease.
2. Plant the seeds in the garden.
Growing strawberries means planting the seeds outside. There are seeds for growing strawberries available at most garden supply stores. The packets that the seeds come in give you directions on how to plant them properly.
3. As you get the seeds out of the container put them in the dirt and cover them with a little soil.
4. You want to make sure the soil is moist so you will want to take the plastic covering off the tray. Plant the seeds and lightly cover them with soil too.
5. You want to make sure the soil is very loose. Strawberries do not like to sit in too much dirt.
6. When the plant starts to get a little bit larger you want to take all the plastic covering off.
At this stage you want to make sure the tray is watered. You want to keep the soil moist at all times.
The plant should be watered at least twice a day. Also, you want to make sure the soil is always moist.
Tips for Growing Strawberries
* When the raspberries are growing you want to make sure you watch for the any dead branches. You do not want to see any dead branches or you might stop growing new raspberries.
* Also watch for the any bugs or insects that might eat the raspberries. There are many insects that love raspberries.
* You can purchase traps for the snails but use clean paper. The chemicals used to get the snails will kill your plants.
Growing your own raspberries can be a very fun pastime. You can then share it with others and make it a family event. These are great plants to grow and your family will love you for it.
