How to Do Things

Berries     |     Strawberries

Strawberry Culture

     We wish we could prevail upon everybody who has even a patch of land, to set out a bed of strawberries this spring, take good care of them through the season, and revel in this delicious fruit next summer.  Surely we cannot do our people a better service than to persuade them to give immediate attention to this important matter.

     It is not a difficult thing for any person with even a small garden, to grow strawberries in such abundance that every member of the family shall have enough for at least three weeks of the summer, for it is an easy fruit to grow, and yields certainly and profusely in response to intelligent effort.

     The strawberry bed should be started as early in the spring as the soil can be got into mellow condition.  In the latitude of Philadelphia, this occurs usually early in April--farther south, earlier, farther north, later.  Let it be understood that it will not do to delay if the best results are to be attained.  It will do to plant in early May, but not in early June nor late May.

     Select a piece of ground that, from its lay, is well drained, for the strawberry does not like wet feet (neither does it like dry ones); an old sod is not suitable, because it may harbor the white grub, which is very destructive to the roots of strawberry plants.  A patch of ground that is likely to be as free as possible from weed seeds is, of course, best, and one out of the way of the chickens.

     If you are a beginner and want to grow for market, a quarter-acre is enough to begin with; if only for family use, a bed 20x40 is large enough to supply the family lavishly for nearly a month.



     For the quarter-acre 1,500 plants are enough; for the 20x40 garden bed, 100 plants are sufficient.  This number allows the rows to be four feet apart and the plants two feet apart in the rows.

     In garden culture some growers set the plants a foot apart in the bed and cut off all runners, and this is a good plan, and insures larger berries than can be grown in close-matted rows.

     Take horse manure and throw in a heap until it heats enough to sprout and kill the weed and grass seeds that it may contain; then give your ground a big dose, bigger than you ever applied before to any land; plow down and harrow thoroughly.

     In setting the plant, make a fan shaped hole in the ground with a mason's trowel and insert the roots, close the soil around the crown, and with the toe of your boot press your whole weight down, to insure a firm setting.  First puddle the roots in mud, so they will begin growing at once; never allow the roots to become the least bit dry at any time.


     Fig. 1 shows a plant set too deeply.  One thus set will have the crown covered with soil, which will injure it.  Fig. 2 shows too shallow setting, which will allow of the roots dying.  In Fig. 3 is shown the roots bunched improperly, and Fig. 4 indicates how a sensible man will do this job.  It is well to cut off the tip ends of the roots before planting.  Discard all feeble plants; set none but those with plenty of roots.

     Under this treatment, if the plants are good ones, you will soon be delighted to see that growth has started and the foundation of a future crop is well laid.

     The plants received, puddled, that is stood in mud to keep the roots from drying and planted in the manner described, you have made a fine start; if you keep on at that pace you will come out ahead of the race.

     Now, no weed must get a week old in that patch or bed; the soil must be kept as mellow as mellow can be; runners must never be allowed to take root within eight inches of the mother plant, nor of each other; or, if they do take root, they must sometime be pulled up or cut off; and an occasional dusting of wood ashes and bone meal along the rows will be a fine thing.  Next fall you will see the rainbow of promise, in the form of matted rows two feet across, filled solidly with robust, healthy plants eight inches apart, provided, however, you keep the old hen away and do not allow leaf rust to prevail.  You must watch for rusty brown and reddish spots on the leaves, and use Bordeaux mixture when needed.  Then, when winter fully sets in, and the ground becomes solidly


frozen, cover the rows all up out of sight with a stable manure (free from weed seeds), three or four inches deep, and leave it on until freezing weather is over, and the plants are ready to wake up; then rake some of the manure off into the path between the rows, but only enough to let the little plants see the sun.  Let no weeds grow until fruiting time, but pull, not hoe them out, for the ground should not be disturbed.  Next summer be sure and have a good supply of cream on hand and send us an invitation to visit you.  We will do the rest.