Strawberries are easy to grow in your garden and take little effort to maintain.
The best Strawberry plant to grow that will provide a great crop is Toscana which is an everbearing Strawberry that will produce a good crop all Summer and into the Fall
My plants have produced a large crop of strawberries since June and we are now in September and we are still harvesting strawberries. I would highly recommend you grow this variety if you want strawberries to harvest throughout the summer.
If you want a burst of strawberries to eat and preserve you should plant a June-bearing berry that will have all of its crops within a few weeks to harvest, and an overbearing strawberry variety to provide you strawberries all Summer and into Fall.
Key Features of Toscana Strawberries
These Strawberries were picked on the 10th of August and are some of the best-tasting berries I have eaten and one of the largest crops I have harvested.
Everbearing producing strawberries from June until the first frost
Beautiful pink flowers
Dark Green leaves
Large Red Strawberries
Great Flavor and are filled with juice
Producing a large crop that is continuous throughout Summer and Fall
Best Strawberries to Grow
Albion This is an everbearing berry that produces large conical shaped firm sweet red berries. This variety is disease resistant.
Shuksan This is a very flavorful red berry that is of good size and great to eat fresh
Totem is a June-bearing variety that is loaded with fruit and the flavor is very good
Seascape This berry holds up well to baking and is loaded with flavor
Hoods This berry is a standard of berries in flavor and production
Best Growing tips
The best planting location for strawberries is in full sun to get a crop that will continue to produce.
The soil should not only be rich with organic material it also needs to be well draining since the plants do not like to sit in wet soil. A sandy base is good for strawberry growth.
When planting the berries the crown of the plant needs to be level with the soil do not plant too deep covering the crown of the plant.
Strawberries need a high-nitrogen organic fertilizer in early Spring and should have mulch to keep the plant from drying out.
Watering is needed every few days to keep the plants from drying out, you can use the finger test to dig down about 2 inches to see if the soil is wet. I watered mine on the same schedule as the tomatoes every third day.
To get the best crop of strawberries you need to care for them in October when they are going dormant for the winter.
Remove all damaged leaves and dispose of them, cut runners for to make sure children of mother plants are separated and roots covered. Add a light amount of fertilizer with phosphorus and potassium. Mulch the plants to protect them from freezing temperatures and if it is abnormally dry water them.
Lastly to eliminate pests make sure beds are clean of debrie and I use a tuna can filled with stale beer to trap slugs and snails.
Planting options
Planting in the ground in rows or blocks is a good option, be sure to leave room between rows to be able to kneel in the rows to harvest the berries.
Planting strawberries in pots and planters is another good option to plant around your patio or other locations around your garden. This also helps to reduce pests from getting to your strawberries.
Another great option is to plant them in a raised gutter system that keeps them away from pests and makes them easy to harvest without having to bend over for those of us that are getting older and don’t enjoy kneeling down too much to harvest the berries.
Companion Planting
One of the best companions is mint which attracts lots of bees, I would recommend you plant the mint in a pot and place it in the bed between strawberries since if you plant it directly in the bed it will spread and take over the garden.
Lavender is an excellent plant to have near your strawberries drawing pollinators early in the season with their flowers and later with the blooming mint. Lavender can be planted directly in the bed or in a pot like the mint which I would also recommend since it blooms later in the season when the lavender is not blooming as well.
Onions and Borage are good companion plants since they help to keep pests away and also add nutrients to the soil that will help the strawberries.
Harvesting
To keep the plants producing strawberries you should harvest ripe fruit, this not only promotes more strawberries to set on but also prevents strawberries from rotting and spreading diseases to the plant.
Pests
Common pests for strawberries in the spring are slugs and snails, one way to reduce these pests is to clean any debris in the strawberry beds. You can also put stale beer out to catch the slugs and snails.
You can also plant companion plants to deter the slugs and snails such as rosemary, mint, and borage.
Birds, squirrels, and rats are also pests that you will need to protect your fruit from. The best way to do this is to use a net to cover the plants.
Strawberries for Children
Strawberries are a great addition to your garden to get your children involved in the garden since they are easy to grow and fun for them to harvest and eat right from the garden.
Fall Care for Berry Plants
Mulching plants in late Fall will protect the plants from winter freezes that can damage the plants. Do not prune ever-bearing plants and June-bearing plants should be pruned after fruiting in late June or early July.
Strawberry uses
The first is to eat fresh, there is nothing like popping a freshly picked berry in your mouth to have that burst of sweet berry flavor.
Fresh strawberries are great to slice and add to a salad to add a distinctive flavor.
Fresh strawberry pies are excellent use for the large harvest of June-bearing plants.
Strawberry jam and jellies are great to preserve the summer flavor to have in the winter.
Freeze them on a tray and bag them up to use in smoothies and other great treats.
