Strawberry Mats

Getting the right plants

Make sure you get good seed to start or they will always struggle. Do not be tempted by lower prices, brown looking specimens you often find in the garden section of hardware stores - go to a garden center itself, or better yet find your local nursery. They are generally cheaper anyway and know their stuff so you can get tips from them (the more you will help support a local company).

Or develop your own

If you're feeling brave, you can grow your own plants from runners - just find a friend or neighbor with plants healthy and looking for more riders on the side (they start as a spin or rod that grows from the base). When it reaches a certain length it will grow a set of leaves and begin to develop its own roots from the bottom. Carefully cut the rider away from the main plant, cut the rest of the stem and put it in a pot of soil, making sure the crown (top of brown hair from the leaves grow) is just overground. Make sure it is well watered and put in a warm, frost-free - I leave them outside because I think it makes them more resistant. Not all riders will then do more than you need, but I get a very good success rate and they are free after all!

Get prepared the ground (about one month before starting the plantation)

Make sure to dig the soil more properly and take all the weeds as they steal the goodness of your plants. Dig in some compost to add nutrients and organic matter and you're ready to go.

When to plant

Normally, I plant in spring, but you can get away with planting later in September.

How to plant

Lightly dip your plants to get them out of their pots without damaging them. When you plant, make sure the crown is just at the soil surface and not leave the roots exposed. You can adjust the spacing to fit the room you have, but a good guide is to keep the 40-50cm apart. Some people plant them through a layer of membrane weeds that seems to work fine, but I use to strawberry growers built to save space.

Take care of your plants

Make sure to water your plants in spring and summer (especially if it's hot) and keep them well weeded. They will be fed - a fertilizer for algae or other liquid is fine but do not feed while they are fruiting.

While fruit, you need to keep the strawberries and dry soil to prevent rot - you could use a handful of straw mats or strawberries "A" for that. Birds will try to eat strawberries before getting them to make sure you clear them off and get something rigged up to drive them (a plastic bottle at the end of a stick works very well ).

A plant will only last about 3 or 4 years before the fruit is of poor quality, but you can still use to grow your own approach (described above) to get the replacement. Strawberries may suffer from replant disorders, so if you intend to replant in the same place, dig and replace.

Fruit Cage

Fruit Cages

Garden netting