skip to main content

Market Gardener

Strawberries and raised beds

14 years ago

I ordered 200 day neutral strawberries and am thinking of

using the mulch layer we got used on craigs list last year to plant them in a raised bed with black plastic and using an irrigation line down the middle. I have read planting

8 inches staggered is ok for day neutrals but will instead go every 12 inches to get the water tape closer to the plants, any one plant day neutrals that can give insight as to how many years one can get out of strawberries planted this way? not sure how to run a new water line tape under the plastic after a winter or two,,,, will play it by ear somewhat I expect.

Thanks for any insigt planting strawberries this is a first for us.

Pit Pat

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

boulderbelt
14 years ago
You can 2 years but it really is better to treat these as an annual. we have gone 3 years on ever bearing strawberries and the 3rd year was always crappy-low quality and low yields.

One thing we have done (though not as consistently as we should) is plant a new bed in the fall and put a hoophouse over it so it will flower in March and set berries by May 1st (you don't have to pull off the flowers if you fall plant as the plant will get large in fall/over winter with no flowering). Than in spring we have several beds on strawberries, some newly planted and some in their second year.
0
pitterpat_2009
Original Author
14 years ago
do you also mulch the black plastic with straw to keep from freezing as I am way north of boulderbelt, so I will most likey have to mulch to get a second year.
0
Related Discussions
Strawberry Raised Bed
Q
Comments (2)
Hello! I use santolina bushes as insect repellants in my strawberry bed. My raised bed is about ten feet long by three feet wide. I interspersed three santolina bushes. Haven't had problems with insects in that bed since then.
...See More
OT: styrofoam container question
Q
Comments (4)
I know this isn't free but you could ask at freecycle for used styrofoam insulation. We did that in my sons room and had to tear it up a bit to make it fit. We ended up taking the walls down and rebuilding with regular insulation so we left the boards in the eaves for insulation there. I think it was ten dollars or so for a pack of four? They are about an inch thick and would be easy to cut or break to size. I also wanted to mention that I have a strawberry pot, I put it in my unheated garage and wrapped an old yoga mat around it. I plan on cutting that down to fit into some of my containers this year.
...See More
Alabama jumpers for strawberrys in new raised bed
Q
Comments (0)
I use ground wood (aka woodchips) mulch for all my garden veggies with very good results. Not unlike in the Back To Eden approach. But I have never tried to grow strawberries and am wondering if anyone here has tried woodchip mulch for them. I cant see why woodchips wouldnt work fine for strawberries since I understand they do very well under wheat straw. I find that woodchips are a magnet for Alabama Jumper worms in my GA red clay and have grown fond of these amazing worms. I have collected a large number of AJs from around my composting site over the last couple of years and plan to jump start the new bed by adding a few hundred of them before planting. The new bed will be aprox 4X18'. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
...See More
what to plant after strawberries
Q
Comments (3)
Vegetables okay, or just fruit? I've got a strawberry bed on the way out and am going to plant some green beans in it. I planted bush beans late July last year and got a decent late summer crop from it. In this bed I plan to plant some pole beans instead of bush, and get them in the ground earlier. Trellised they won't get much in the way of any later strawberries. I find pole beans a lot easier to pick and output spread or over time. I mainly use for fresh eating not canning so that works better for me. You could probably do a late planting of summer squash too but it would totally cover the berries in the bed and not allow easy access to pick like pole beans.
...See More
Related Professionals
Derry Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Costa Mesa Landscape Contractors · Davis Landscape Contractors · Milford Landscape Contractors · New Baltimore Landscape Contractors · New Braunfels Landscape Contractors · Olympia Landscape Contractors · Peoria Landscape Contractors · Rochester Landscape Contractors · West Palm Beach Landscape Contractors · Cocoa Beach Solar Energy Systems · Eastvale Solar Energy Systems · Elmwood Park Solar Energy Systems · Moorpark Solar Energy Systems · Richfield Solar Energy Systems
myfamilysfarm
14 years ago
I don't use plastic mulch on my strawberries. I like to have runners make volunteer plants for the future. Year before last, we planted 400 Jewel plants. They produced last year, and averaged between 8-10 runners per plant. Now this year, we will be moving some of those runner-plants into places that plants died off. If I had to speculate how many plants I have now, from those 400, it would be between 1,500 to 2,000 and maybe more.

Marla
0
boulderbelt
14 years ago
We put hoop houses over them in winter ideally. At the very least we will put 30 or 50 weight row covers over top of the beds.

You can use a 12" layer of straw but row covers work at least as well and are easier to deal with.
0

Related Stories

SPRING GARDENING Summer Crops: How to Grow Strawberries

By Marianne Lipanovich

Pluck your own sweet strawberries right from the garden vine for smoothies, salads or eating then and there

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Strawberries for All Seasons

By Paintbox Garden

An edible carpet? It's possible with a mass planting of this tough ground cover

FARM YOUR YARD How to Build a Raised Bed for Your Veggies and Plants

By Annie Thornton

Whether you’re farming your parking strip or beautifying your backyard, a planting box you make yourself can come in mighty handy

GARDENING GUIDES 8 Materials for Raised Garden Beds

By J. Peterson Garden Design

Get the dirt on classic and new options for raised vegetable and plant beds, to get the most from your year-round garden

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Raised Beds Lift Any Garden

By Danyelle Mathews

From good old-fashioned wood garden boxes to modern metal troughs, raised beds can make any landscape space look great

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Build a Raised Bed to Elevate Your Garden

By Danyelle Mathews

A bounty of homegrown vegetables is easier than you think with a DIY raised garden bed to house just the right mix of soils

SPRING GARDENING Inspiring Raised Beds for Fall and Spring Planting

By KitchenLab Interiors

Make Your Next Vegetable Garden Even Better with Beautiful Boxes and Paths

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Dig This Garden Shed Makeover for Less Than $300

By Vanessa Brunner

New paint, accessories and raised vegetable beds turn a drab outpost into a colorful charmer

PETS Raise the Woof: Doghouses Delight at Barkitecture 2012

Designs at an annual Austin fundraiser are whimsical, practical and downright luxurious — no bones about it

BARN HOMES 12 Bar-Raising Barns

By Becky Harris

Homeowners make hay out of renovated, reclaimed and newly raised outbuildings

Sponsored