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Earlier than I moved to Portland, I didn’t perceive how passionate individuals might be about strawberries. However as soon as I began rising strawberries, I got here to grasp {that a} disproportionate proportion of berries I grew can be misplaced to bugs, wildlife, and illness. Since summer time is brief, I’ve labored arduous to reduce my losses, and I’ve solutions for safeguarding these treasured backyard jewels.
Preserve strawberries off the bottom
That is how most individuals develop strawberries—on the bottom.
Credit score: Amanda Blum
Strawberries are a floor cowl, spreading by way of runners, which create the subsequent technology of strawberry crops. Every plant grows berries on the ends of stems, and people berries often make contact with the bottom. There, they’re uncovered to extended moisture from the soil, are simple selecting for bugs, and are tougher so that you can spot for choosing. So the plain reply is to forestall contact with the bottom.
By planting vertically, I’ve room for tons of crops, they usually’re not uncovered to the moist soil
Credit score: Amanda Blum
There are many choices, together with the traditional strawberry planter. There are numerous variations of this conventional terra cotta planter with a number of portholes for berry crops, and also you merely plant one in every porthole. Lately, I’ve seen Pinterest boards inundated with strawberries rising in gutters so you’ll be able to elevate them above floor. I created a vertical planter, and all of those options have some frequent advantages and challenges. Since you’re not planting within the floor, your crops have much less soil to root in, and that soil dries out quicker. You’ll must be acutely aware of this and make sure you’re utilizing a soil that has components to carry onto moisture, like potting soil, which often consists of vermiculite and perlite. Ensure that soil has the appropriate fertilizer (strawberries like a barely acidic soil) and constant watering methods, in order that they all the time have moisture within the soil (however usually are not soaking moist). This lack of soil safety means your crops lack insulation from winter’s chilly, so it’s unlikely your crops will survive from 12 months to 12 months; anticipate to switch them every spring.
That mentioned, I argue it’s price it, as a result of every plant has glorious publicity to solar, and the berries cling, the place they’ve air flowing round them and are out of attain to soil-bound pests like tablet bugs. The berries are simple to identify, and get solar publicity for ripening. This all makes for simple selecting. Not for nothing, I like releasing up the bottom for different crops.
If you happen to can’t go vertical along with your berries, and also you’re caught with floor cowl, strawberry helps could be the reply. These trellises are like a small platform your berry plant grows by way of, they usually loft your plant sufficient to maintain berries off the bottom. The hot button is to get your the helps in your plant early within the season whereas the plant is sort of small. The great factor is that there’s nothing significantly superior about these helps; you’ll be able to seize them from all kinds of suppliers, and even 3-D print them your self. If you happen to develop on the bottom utilizing these helps, you need to nonetheless contemplate further pest protections.
What do you assume to this point?
If nothing else, plant berries on the fringe of raised beds, in order that they’ll develop over the sting, and be elevated off the bottom.
Credit score: Amanda Blum
Learn how to defend strawberries from pests
If you happen to’re not going to go vertical, you’ll have to do some work to beat the pests to your harvest. For frequent strawberry villains like tablet bugs, spreading round diatomaceous earth (a silica-based powder generally referred to as DE) is efficient, but it surely requires a number of functions. DE is fashionable as a result of it’s “non-toxic” and received’t harm earthworms or your fruit. Slugs are one other berry killer, however DE can’t kill slugs; for efficient slug management, you want Sluggo (a slug and snail remedy), which may even require a number of therapies (after rain, and so forth). The distinction is that Sluggo is iron phosphate primarily based, and it will probably construct up in soil; so whereas it’s efficient, you don’t wish to overuse it. Following the instructions is vital.
The redness of strawberries makes them good selecting for rodents and birds, and whilst you can’t faux out a rat (efficient rat traps are your solely guess), you can faux out birds. Gardeners generally paint rocks the approximate measurement of strawberries the identical pink colour and lay them among the many berry crops. Birds will peck the rocks and finally be educated to go away the berry patch alone. Whereas this one sounds suspect, I’ve been doing it for years, and have seen it work.
