| gardening |
Always Room for Strawberries
by Melinda Myers
As you plan this year ’ s garden , be sure to include some strawberries . They are low in calories , high in vitamin C and antioxidants , and provide seasonal interest in gardens and containers .
Best of all , you don ’ t need much space to grow this delicious fruit . There are three types of strawberries : June or spring bearing , everbearing , and day neutral . Select the best type of strawberry for your space and harvest needs .
June-bearing strawberries produce one crop of berries in late spring to early summer , depending on where you garden . They produce the largest harvest but in the shortest span of time . Plant now and enjoy an abundant harvest next year .
Everbearing strawberries usually produce two crops of berries each year . You ’ ll enjoy fresh strawberries early and late in the season , while day-neutral plants produce berries throughout the growing season .
Delizz ® , a day-neutral strawberry , was the first ever strawberry to be selected as an All-America Selections Winner . Just like the flower and vegetable winners , it was tested nationally and selected for its performance for the home garden . This 2016 winner is a compact plant perfect for hanging baskets , containers or garden beds . It can be started from seed or transplants and will produce sweet fruit the first year and all season long , even during hot weather .
Up the ornamental appeal of traditional inground plantings with a star shaped or tiered bed . The elevated beds make for easier planting , weeding , and harvesting . You ’ ll find a variety of tiered shaped beds to purchase or plans to make your own .
Use strawberries as a groundcover in sunny welldrained locations for an abundant harvest . Their attractive leaves , white flowers , red fruit and brilliant red fall color add sparkle to the landscape and provide fresh fruit for your meals .
Or grow them in a container , window box or hanging basket on your porch , balcony , or deck . They ’ ll be close at hand and easy to harvest . Mix a few everbearing or day-neutral strawberries in with flowers to create an edible and ornamental planter . The harvest will be smaller when grown in a mixed container , but the flowers , fruit and fall color add ornamental appeal and the fruit will be a welcome treat .
Boost the harvest by growing strawberries in their own container . Fill a hanging basket and watch as the runners cascade over the edge for added ornamental appeal .
Try filling a traditional strawberry pot – container with planting hole openings on the top and sides – with plants that produce several harvests and remove the runners as needed . Keep all the plants from top to bottom looking their best with this DIY watering device . Place soil on the bottom of the container . Set a couple of perforated PVC
Photo by Allec Gomes on Unsplash
32 February | March 2022 Thomasville Scene