Who doesn’t like strawberries? And what’s especially nice about growing strawberries is that it’s a relatively low maintenance endeavor. Not many disease issues and not a big target for insects, although birds and squirrels may want to dine on these sweet treats. But with the recommended strawberry planting time of Feb. 1st through March 15th, let’s talk about growing strawberries.

While there are an abundance of strawberry varieties, the plants break down into two important groups: June bearing and everbearing. June bearing strawberries are what they sound like, strawberry plants the produce the bulk pf their crop in June. With overbearing strawberries, you get a crop in June, but then they also push out some strawberries at various times of the year.

So, if you want all your strawberries at once so you can make jelly of jam, you would want the June bearing variety. But if you want to be able to snack on strawberries throughout the year, everbearing would be the way to go, or better yet, mix it up. Plant some June bearing and some everbearing.

As far as location goes, strawberries are going to do best in a location with full sun. Strawberries can be grown in a somewhat shady location, but you just won’t get the production you would if the plants were in full sun.

Soil pH also matters for strawberries. For most garden plants we want our soil pH to be around 6.5 to 7. But strawberries will do better in soil that is slightly acidic, more in the range of 6 to 6.5. If you are wanting to plant strawberry plants, a soil test would be in order to determine the pH of your soil before planting so you can make adjustments now.

While strawberries are fairly simple to grow, they are picky about their planting depth. To plant strawberries properly, you’ll want to plant your strawberry plants with their roots just below the surface. If they are planted too deep, they will suffer from root rot and if they are too shallow, their roots will dry up. So, plant them just below the surface of the soil but be sure to cover up their roots.

Now when you plant your strawberries, don’t expect fruits the first year. During the first year, you should remove the flowers so that the plant will direct its energies toward establishing a good root system. This will be hard for most gardeners but doing this will pay dividends in the future.

There is one more thing you will need to do, you will need to “renovate” your strawberry beds. To renovate, after the last harvest use a lawn mower, weed eater, or clippers to cut the tops of the plants off leaving only about 1 inch of plant. This puts them on the path for a good harvest next year.

After we’ve had a couple of light freezes in the fall, cover your plants with straw or mulch and leave it in place until March the following year. Remove the mulch when you start to see new growth on the plant but leave some to keep the soil covered. If you follow these tips, you’ll be enjoying strawberries for years to come. Good luck!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo: OSU Ag. Communications