Goneb, Never tried burning a strawberry bed but our wild low bush blueberries are routinely burned to ground level as a way to make way for the new stems and to kill diseases and perhaps some bugs. That process works very well. With strawberries it may also work if the crown of the plant is not killed by too much heat. I would add more straw later to keep the frost from heaving the plants. Burning as a cultural method may be a lost art. I believe I read where the organic pioneers, the Nearings, kept beds going far longer than was thought possible. They did not use any burning however. Sounds like this could be a good experiment. I do know that burning over fully frozen bb plants burns only to the ground level. I just remembered that we also burn old fields that have lots of wild strawberries and they are not harmed by the burning at all. Some strawberry diseases however are soil born and would not be killed by burning. Planting varieties resistant to these diseases and burning plus using the traditional renovation techniques may indeed allow one to keep the beds going longer. Bberry

I know this is an old thread, but I'd like to add the knowledge I've gained from battling bermuda grass over the years using only organic methods. I live on heavy clay soil and the bermuda grass is heaviest over the leach fields of our septic system. Because I can't plant anything but grass on the fields, I added lots of planting beds near and around the fields where the bermuda is the thickest, but didn't know how much of a pain that was going to be. So, to say the least, I've been whacking at the bermuda for years and learned the following: Digging it up is an almost useless undertaking mainly because of our thick clay soil. There's always enough missed that the stuff comes back fairly quickly. This is especially true if digging it up near a sidewalk or driveway. There is plenty of rhizomes under the pavement. Burning the stuff with a propane torch is fun at first but grows old quickly when you start seeing new green growth the following day. I also can't do extended burning sessions because I'm usually doing a remedial removal with good plants near the bermuda. I'm lucky enough to not burn the plants I want. Boiling water held promise when I tried it despite risking killing roots of my wanted plants. Though my first attempt at this was incredibly dangerous (super propane burner under a giant stainless pot filled with boiling water and a smaller pot to scoop and pour the water out). I saw definite slowing of the regrowth but I couldn't risk doing it the way I was. So I devised a plan to turn my propane torch into a continuous hot water flame thrower by getting thin copper tubing, turning it into a coil, and attaching it to the end of the torch. With the hose attached to the other end and a valve to adjust the water volume, I was able to torch and pour boiling water on the bermuda at the same time. Unfortunately, the bermuda just kinda laughed at the rig and kept growing. Industrial strength vinegar (ie, 20% acetic acid, and yes I know that stuff is quite dangerous) works wonders to kill the top growth, but sadly it just grows back. Now if you're putting in a new bed, thick paper or cardboard under the added soil or mulch will work, but only if timed correctly, more about that to follow. So what's left that an organic gardener has to kill this grass? The final thing in my arsenal is black plastic and not clear plastic. I've tried the clear in another area, albeit it didn't have bermuda in it, but it did have johnson grass and it loved the clear. The johnson grass just kept on growing. The black plastic I've used is the stuff meant to go in crawl spaces as the moisture barrier. It's thick, heavy, and comes in really large sizes. And it withstands the elements very well. I've used one piece now for a year and it doesn't show any UV damage that most plastics would show. Now there's a trick with using the black plastic. You have to time it right. If you want to kill the bermuda, do not put it down in the early spring to take it up in early summer or late summer for late fall removal. Because bermuda goes dormant where I live, the spring time use of the plastic will not really kill it as it is probably still dormant under the plastic. But, the interesting part is the fall timing. As cooler temps approach in late summer, the bermuda starts going dormant even though it is still green. It starts storing more in its roots. So, even if you smother it then, it will come back in the spring. I learned this dearly when using the thick paper method of killing the stuff for a new bed. The paper did its job to kill the bermuda for that year, but in the following spring when the paper degraded in the soil, the bermuda came back with a vengeance. So time laying the plastic out in the early summer to at least late summer. That should ensure total removal. Of course, if you're paranoid, like me at times, leave it longer. Now, there's another problem with thick, black plastic. You really can't use it in already established beds because it will choke out your good plants and probably wreak havoc with your soil. It works wonders for killing this stuff before establishing new beds and for areas without plantings like walk paths. But what do you do with established plantings? This year I got a new weapon. Woven black plastic: http://www.groworganic.com/sunbelt-weed-fabric-3-x-50-roll.html The stuff lets air and moisture to pass through while keeping a total blackout for the soil surface. I haven't yet tried it on my bermuda as it is still dormant-ish, but I have some ready at first signs. It looks extremely promising as the material is thick and just as light blocking as the black plastic for a crawl space moisture barrier. And it should work just fine around my already established plantings.

We have a new deck made with Procell decking and railings made with aluminum balusters and mahogany rails. Actually, it's one of the close cousins of mahogany, meranti or cambera or something. The fresh wood was gorgeous, a pinky-brown color. Based on recommendations from neighbors and the carpenter we decided to use the Cabot ATO. I didn't like the mahogany flame one neighbor used on his mahogany deck because it was very dark, so based on the color samples in the Cabot's brochure I picked the honey teak. The result, with one coat, is still quite dark. I don't think it looks bad but my spouse was just heartsick over it. The carpenter made a small shed door out of the same material and, in an effort to keep it lighter, I bought the Cabot ATO in natural. It's still quite dark. In fact, I think that the differences between the Cabot colors are actually pretty minimal, much closer together than the brochure color samples would lead you to believe. All are darker than I like. I realize that there's not much that will stand up to weather and be colorless and transparent, but if I had it to do again I probably wouldn't choose the Cabot ATO.

Off Topic... For those who don't know this part of the globe, my drive to Ashland from St. Paul was not quite half a day, leisurely ambling along Hwy 2 from Duluth-Superior. Driving was good on a Thursday in the pre-tourist season on a sunny day. It's such an early spring that the natural world seems out of whack. Lots of ducks and geese to watch and the pussy willows have already gone past the pussy stage and have iridescent green fluff on them in silhouette. I spent an hour at the Timeless Timbers warehouse + gift shop and the rest of the afternoon in the archive at the visitor center that also houses some of the Wisc. Hist. Soc. stuff for the area. Because this time of year puts deer on the road in early evening, I did not waver off the highway very much on return trip. Did buy some of DH's favorite beers but had no time to seek out my usual cheese shop haunts in western Wisc. and no time to poke around on Brule R. or St. Louis R. where I usually spend time at parks watching spring water flow gush through the historic waterways. Did find some cheese ends for cheap at a grocery store. Left at 9 am, got home at 9 pm. I am very familiar with Madeline Island and Bayfield and Cornucopia and will be up there in a few more weeks to look at spring wildflowers (and perhaps to pick up two pieces of butcherblock countertop if I weaken in my resolve to keep to budget). Might also paddle a voyageur canoe around the Apostles if my calendar works out for summer. rjr220: There's an internet page "going around" right now that shows places in U.S. which have more bars than grocery stores and guess what? Wisconsin wins! If you know back country Wisconsin, you know that the local bars are the community gathering places. Go Packers! If you get a chance to visit the Timeless Timbers lumber yard at some point, would love to know what you think of the products. The Cheese, Beer, and Wine promotion councils of Wisc. have a great promo map of the state which is a hoot to follow, if you need a diversion when visiting. Personally, I think they need to add sausage joints to the map also, and maybe pasties. Watch out for the speed trap in Iron River! P.S.--Timeless Timbers needs about 3 week lead-time to produce countertops currently. Your results may vary. The visitor center has large area of Timeless Timber flame birch used in front hall cabinetry. Good place to see actual use of the product as furniture, not butcherblock.