Raised bed fall strawberries - spacing?

7 years ago

Local farmers buy strawberry plugs and plant them each fall, harvest in June, and then pull the plants to allow for a second and different mid summer crop. I plan to try this method to conserve garden space.

I am planning to buy strawberry plugs for fall planting in raised beds. The soil is wonderful with plenty of organic manner and good tilth as it has never been stepped in. I also have irrigation in the beds with drip tape.

Question: How do I space the strawberries?

Traditional advice is 3 feet between rows and 12 - 18" between plants in the row. However, these recommendations are for regular ground beds, adjusted for equipment to be used, and intended to allow runners to fill in the spaces over several seasons. Plus I have great soil and irrigation.

The typical strawberries used in Fall Planting - Chandler for example - do not throw lots of runners out.

Can I get away with 8" or 12" spacing in all directions?

Thoughts?

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Comments (9)

zzackey
7 years ago
I've only planted my strawberries in window boxes. I planted them about 4" apart and they did fine. Wait for others to answer.
sepulvd(zn8,WA)
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I did one 20' row with 4" spacng as well no problems so far I have gotten a good amount of strawberryes going for 2 years.
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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.
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Howdy, tufaenough (neat nick!)! Squarefoot spacing for these vegies is: beets: 9/1 carrots: 16/1 (damp square of carpet upside-down over seeds for a couple weeks until they germinate helps a lot) onions: 16/1 radishes: 16/1 (although for the big storage radishes, you might go 9/1) Donna_Loomis uses a good plan--pull the 4 of 9 that make a diamond-shape as young veggies--for example, baby beets can be stirfried, greens and all. That leaves the corner and center roots with extra space to develop (and you could seed green onions or radishes in the empty spaces). For 16/1, you can pull every other root young, and let the others grow out. You only harvest as you need them, of course, pulling in that pattern. Another way to extend young crops is to plant a square every week or two through your planting window. You can also mix like items in a square: 8 carrots, 4 radishes and 4 onions, for example. Many people overplant radishes and carrots in the same square (both 16/1), because the radishes *break ground* for the carrots, and you can pull the radishes long before the carrots are finished. If you are planting beets (or radishes) for greens, plant in the recommended spacings and use cut-and-come-again tactics: Snip a young leaf or two from each plant when it is big enough to eat, then come back in a few days or a week to repeat the process. Winter gardens (where folks get a real winter) are often plantings of hardy stuff like spinach (protected as needed) that provide through the dark winter months from their Fall growth, then perk up and grow some more in the early spring while the rest of a garden is just starting. For that, you need quite a few plants, of course--you'd figure on harvesting a leaf or 2 from each plant weekly. Winter roots can be left in ground, especially where the ground does not freeze solid. Raised beds probably drain well enough to prevent rotting. In all these cases, you can still use ordinary squarefoot spacing.
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I do. I simply placed my frames on the soil I used for my row garden. In fact the only real amendment I routinely use is leaves. Tho last year I did mix in a half bag of purchased composted manure for my heavy feeders and started using compost tea. Made by simply putting puchased composted manure in knee-high nylons (after I get done wearing them, of course ;-) and soaking in rain water. Seemed to stretch my manure, plus the plants seemed to like it. If (like me) you don't wear knee-highs, simply go to the dollar store, 3 pair for a buck. Oh, also last year, I put a knee-high in a bucket I used in each bed for watering. So far this year I haven't had to water much because of the rain (but then the garden isn't growing either but I don't think I will be using the buckets in the beds. I am thinking about trying the tea 'brewing' method (using MY compost) recommended by DCHall in the soil forum this year. http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0300105612497.html Back to the topic....I do, I just find watering a challenge in SFG beds because of the close spacing. Good Luck, Gumby_CT Here is a link that might be useful: Deep watering for heavy feeders
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Every year is a new experiment. This year I have densely planted maters in my 8x8 raised bed. I have 4 sections of tomatoes growing vertically: 4 Romas, 3 Big Boy (was more than that but I, uh, pruned off the main stem and they never recovered), 4 beefsteak, and 5 cherries (didn't know how prolific they were!). In the same bed I have 7 pepper plants (some of which are too shaded from tomato plants), 3 basil plants, some beets, carrots, and bush beans. I also stuck some lettuce seeds in the shade of the tomato plants. There's an 18" path right down the middle. So far, so good. I do not have the yield I see in some of y'all's photos, but it's not bad, either. The plants all seem to be healthy. Follow link for photos. In the fall I need to reorganize b/c the frame timbers are rotting. I'm thinking of using square foot spacing and am wondering if anyone here does that? I realize that some of the most successful people here do not - I'm thinking of those giant cages digdirt and others make - and of course the self-watering containers. Are there any square foot gardeners on this board? Pat Here is a link that might be useful: Pat's garden pics
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drscottr
Original Author
7 years ago
I have 48" and 36" raised beds. I'd like to do 4 long rows down the length of the 48" bed with 12" spacing of the plants in the row. At the end of the season will pull out the plants and plant something else. Thoughts?
sepulvd(zn8,WA)
7 years ago
I just don't see the purpose of replacing for strawberries evry year. they produce fruit for good amount of years. I would do 2 rows and just grow whatever else you want on the rest of the bed. but I also have 3 beds and they are 10' x20'
bardamu_gw
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
My thought is that if you have to ask the questions you are asking, having a strawberry crop and another crop in one year in the same space is not going to be a fun year for you.

Strawberry plants live for years, and most of them will shoot out to create more plants with much effort and energy. Unless you are a roots building guru, it usually takes a couple of years to really get a good production of berries. My advice is focus on the type of strawberry (June bearing, or All Season bearing), and decide if you want to devote the space to growing strawberries. Alternatively you could plant alpine strawberries which are more tame, with smaller though very tasty berries, but do not spread as weedily as your typical strawberry plant.

If space is an issue, just don't plant strawberries... they take a lot of room. There is a nearby farm that grows june bearing in 3 foot rows spaced at 12 inch, but they don't plant something else there after harvest.
drscottr
Original Author
7 years ago
I know you are well intentioned on the advice to grow one crop in the space and not two. However, I want to grow as much corn as I can every year. The local farmers routinely do what I intend to do. Last year, I planted plugs in the fall and got a good yield of large Chandler strawberries. However, I used traditional spacing. I then pulled them on June 25th when the strawberries petered out. I am simply trying to get advice or shared experience on the optimal spacing using this methodology. I am hoping to hear from someone who has done this in a raised bed.
wayne_5 zone 5b/6a Central Indiana
7 years ago
I do not raise them as a one year crop. If I were doing that, I would plant a double row spaced about 6 inches apart.
drscottr
Original Author
7 years ago
Wayne,

So 120 plants for a 30' long 3' foot wide raised bed. Sounds reasonable.

Thanks

Scott
sepulvd(zn8,WA)
7 years ago
my question is are you gonna be selling this strawberries

Raised bed fall strawberries - spacing?

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zzackey

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Raised bed fall strawberries - spacing?

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