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Maybe the most important part in growing strawberries is to know and understand the differences in the three strawberry types: June Bearing Strawberries, Ever Bearing Strawberries, Day-neutral Strawberries. Then strawberries are easy to grow, because you “treat” strawberries how they deserve. You’ll enjoy more strawberries!

June Bearing Strawberries

June Bearing Strawberries are voluptuous fruits producing in the Spring. They are very popular strawberries also because of the abundant harvest. You’ll be sad because won’t get a crop the first year. This can be a disadvantage in growing June Bearing Strawberries. You can grow these voluptuous strawberries in either matted rows or hills.

Very known are matted row system and hill system to grow June Bearing Strawberries. It’s not difficult and you’ll learn how to do it all by yourself.

Matted row system

For easiest strawberry care and optimum harvest, plant June Bearing strawberries 18 to 24 inches apart in rows spaced three to four feet apart. Additionally, planting June bearing strawberries in raised beds allows for good drainage.

More precise, set plants 18 to 24 inches apart in a row (or raised bed) with 3 to 4 feet between rows. Allow runners from mother plants to develop and root, forming a matted row about 18 inches wide. Keep the remaining distance between rows clear. Either sweep runners into the row or nip them off at the edge of the aisle. Nip off any runners from the daughter strawberry plants. During the first season, also pluck all blossoms from your strawberry plants to give both mothers and daughters time to become firmly established.

Matted rows that are too dense produce lower yields or smaller berries, have a larger proportion of misshapen strawberries and have a higher incidence of strawberry disease. Ideally, as strawberries develop, you should position runner plants in a density of about five plants per square foot of matted row. Place a small amount of soil just behind each to keep it in place. Once you achieve this density, remove all other runners.

It’s important for you to know that, speaking about June Bearing strawberries, you should renovate the matted row system every year immediately after harvest mostly if you want a good strawberries production. So, mow old foliage with a mower, cutting off the leaves about an inch above the crowns. Remove these cutting and narrow your rows from 6 to 12 inches wide by spading hoeing or tilling. Remove all weeds, old plants, or weak plants, keeping only vigorous year-old strawberry plants. Work towards a density of about 5 to 6 plants for square foot of row. Continue monitoring the water supply through the summer and irrigate as necessary. Do not try the matted row system on Day-neutral strawberries or Ever Bearing Strawberries, it’s not recommended.

Hill system is the second procedure in growing June Bearing Strawberries, but Ever Bearing strawberries and Day-neutral strawberries too. To grow bigger strawberries, keep runners pinched back and don’t allow them to root. Plant the mother plants in hills, pinching off any runners to encourage the mother to produce blossoms and fruits. The less work the mother plant has to do to raise her daughters, the more fruitful strawberry mother will be.

Using this procedure of planting makes easier strawberries care and wedding. Don’t you hesitate to nip off all runners. This allows the mother strawberry to develop more crowns and flower stalks. Plant rows in groups of 2 to 4 plants with a 2 foot path between rows and the plants spaced at about a foot apart.

Ever Bearing Strawberries

The name – Ever Bearing Strawberries – deceives, because ever bearing doesn’t mean always and continuous harvest, but you can still be happy, it does produce a nice harvest twice a season, once in spring and once in early autumn. During the first season, pluck all blossoms from ever bearing cultivars through the end of June. After you do that, the blossoms will set strawberries for a late summer strawberries harvest.

Day-neutral Strawberries

The third type of strawberry is Day-neutral one which produces small but very sweet strawberries all trough the summer. Just like the other brother-types of strawberries, Day-neutral Strawberries do best grown in hills. If growing Day-neutral strawberries, pluck off only the first set of blossoms and after that allow the fruit to set.

Strawberry growing conditions

Strawberries are easy to grow and easy to care home fruits, if you take under consideration some advises about watering, fertilizing and cultivation.

Strawberry watering

Although strawberries are sun lovers, their roots need cool, moist soil.

During the growing season, strawberries needs about 1 inch of water per week. Water transplants strawberries immediately after planting and thereafter any time they receive less than an inch of rainfall per week. You can prevent leaf disease by watering early in the day and giving the foliage a chance to dry before nightfall.

Making a joke, strawberries love water but they can’t swim! Keep the soil moist so that your strawberry plants can get a drink when they need one, but never leave them standing in water.

Strawberries fertilization

Strawberries are just what they eat. How often and how much fertilizer you give to your strawberries? It determinates the size of the fruits.

Strawberries need regular feeding. For big, plump berries, fertilize your strawberry bed at least twice a season. In the spring fertilize before the plants flower and in the fall fertilize shortly after strawberry harvest.

The strawberry fertilizer has to contain: Nitrogen (promotes leaf growth and forms proteins and chlorophyll), Phosphorus (contributes to root, flower and fruit development) and Potassium (contributes to stem and root growth and the synthesis of proteins).

It’s very important: Don’t fertilize strawberry plants during flowering or fruit production.

Strawberry cultivation

Hand weeding is best because strawberry roots are shallow. If you use a hoe or other tool, be especially careful not to disturb the roots of the plants.