The pictures on top are of the garden's strawberries in May.  It was a very beautiful stand with big, healthy plants and generous yields of large and sweet strawberries, although the first week following a series of rains, the berries were a bit tart.  Notice the 5 gallon bucket in the shot; it gives you a sense of the largeness of the plants.

I attribute these good results in  part to the variety "Chandler", a common strawberry  with California farms which does very well in the Ozarks.  I have grown the variety for 4 years in two different gardens and gone through hard winters without losing plants.  I have not seen the plants become diseased and deteriorate over time and the yields have been always high.   If you start the plants correctly with a good stock, it is almost a sure thing and we are talking about a getting a full crop in the first year.  So let's look at the basics..

At first is the plug or the tip.  Getting the original stock is not easy but I now see Chandlers offered in more catalogs.  I have started  plants from rooted seedlings in trays (expansive) or from runners' tips (difficult).   But the main point is timing: I recommend starting your plants in July for transplant in early August under irrigation.  In my case, as illustrated, I have now a established stand which helps the nursing of new plants.  In early July, I scout my strawberry beds and do 3 things: I cut all the runners from the mother-plants and prepare them for nursing in trays (see pictures), I restore the beds to its original spacing by uprooting any excess plant, and I mulch heavily between plants.

The baby plants are cut down to one or two leaves and the root systems are also reduced if too heavy.  I keep a 1/2 inch piece of  stollon  (the chord which connects all runners) for stability in the plug.  I also take tips which have not rooted out yet; they will root in the plug with careful watering.

The nursing plants are then set in full shade (in the woods for instance) for 4 to 5 weeks until they are ready to go back in the field.  Irrigation then is essential as the transplant occurs in the hottest part of the year.  But the plant once established will have time to grow to size well into November.  You may want to mulch over the plant in Winter.  The Chandlers will come back raging in April and give you 5 continuous weeks of harvest in May of the following year.

I will have extra trays available for sale ($25 for 50 plants) locally.  Just e-mail me back if interested.

last modified on: Sunday December 26, 2010 03:47 PM -0600