Easy to Grow Strawberries

It’s easy to grow strawberries at home. They taste great and your strawberry patch will expand on it’s own. What better place for them to be but in your own back yard. Strawberries are one of my family’s favorites, and what started as a couple plants quickly grew to take over most of my garden beds. Encouraging us to create even more. Not only do strawberries procreate by seed but many strains have runners that create “daughter plants”. Daughter plants are clones, or genetic copies of the mother plant which allow quick growth and multiplication.

When planting strawberries you want them to be in a well draining soil that retains some moisture. So add a little peat moss or coco coir to keep that moisture level up without drowning your plants. Also, most strawberries prefer a PH level of 6 to 7 ,so any high quality potting soil should fit your requirements.

Here’s a couple tips to get you started:

Easy Strawberry Tips

• TIP 1- When buying a strawberry plant , chose the one with the most runners. ( Runners will create daughter plants and expand your patch quickly)

• TIP 2- Ensure you don’t bury your plant too deep, all new growth comes from the center core of the plant , called the crown. So keep the crown open and only bring the soil up to the base of the plant, Do Not mounding or bury your strawberries.

• TIP 3- Only start cutting the runners once you have filled your space. Cutting the runners does put the plants energies into fruiting, but it slows down the growth of your patch.
• TIP 4- Daughter plants will start to grow roots as long as they are touching moist soil. So once you start seeing your runners, position them into open areas until your plot is full.
• TIP 5- Bringing a plant or two in for the winter will allow more daughter plants to be grown for planting in the spring. Last fall I brought in 6 plants that produced 24 clones as well as provided a few fresh strawberries for my family in winter. Indoor growing lights have become a very energy efficient and affordable option for any homestead.

Daughter plants

Daughter plants expand your strawberry patch even in the first year. And soon their dedicated space will be filled. So what do you do when you’ve run out of space? Place the daughter plant onto a small pot filled with soil and allow the roots to form within a pot. Allowing you to transplant the new clone into a new area or garden bed. Sometimes you will have to use a rock or stick to hold the daughter plant to the soil. Allow the roots to form until you notice a lot of new growth. Two to three weeks of rooting is usually sufficient, however a longer rooting time ensures an easier transplant and ultimately a healthier plant. Once the rooting is complete you can cut the runner and relocate it to a new location.

It’s easy to grow strawberries and to care for them as they self multiplying season over season. Making self sufficiency a little bit easier. Organic strawberries get quite expensive while the other store bought option could have a negative impact on your health due to the chemicals used in production. Strawberries returning every year make them a great investment in your family. In short growing your own strawberries gives you a higher quality food, causes less chemical exposure to your family, all while reducing your impact on the planet.