Looking for a little help from you...I have had Strawberries for about 3 years now and have never done anything to them to get them ready for spring. Just let them grow, I get a good amount of berries from them. My patch is about 3 or 4 ft. by 6 or 7 ft. Just wanted to give them a little more special attention. Any suggestions, should I fertilize them or anything special. Raspberries planted 1 1/2 yrs ago, never dine anything to them yet, should I be cutting them back now for spring? Thanks.
Raspberries should have the dead canes removed yearly. Here is a site that had info on raspberries http://www.gardenersnet.com/fruit/rasp.htm Strawberries I feed with composted manure after I thin them to the younger plants every spring. Hope this helps a little
Strawberry care The one thing I see in caring for your strawberries is that a new patch should be started about every three years in a different location. The soil should not be to alkaline, too dry or too wet. It should have a soil ph of 5 or 6. Composted manure is good for berries that are just starting out. There is a lot of info online to about Berry care. Last year we had such a wet spring and early summer that a lot of our Strawberries molded before they were even ripe enough to pick. Then we also had a raccoon that decided it liked our berries as well. :-x It was a rather frustrating berry year last year.
Hi Sam, id suggest a good composting for your strawberries, it really will help them come along well!
Hi Sam, I would also suggest starting a new bed. get it ready this year for a new bed next year. till, compost, till, compost... you get the idea. in the spring, order or buy locally, new berry crowns and get them in asap. Otherwise the berries you will be picking eventually grow to about the size of a dime verses a golf ball. We don't like to pick them that size, it's too much work to get a quart. we have used our own runners to start a new patch and it seemed to work okay, also. Starting a new patch every couple of years gives you the nicest berries. Fertilize your existing bed with a 5-5-5 or 10-10-10 fertilizer clip off the oldest growth in the patch( the leaves that emerged this spring) and if you have a small tiller, till in between the rows to give you a more defined patch to pick in. the berries also do better not being in extremely wide rows. You might want to take a poll to see which strawberries are liked the most, so when you replant you get something you hopefully like. we had "Allstars" last year and we tilled them under before we finished the season. Honeyoe is still our favorite The variety of your raspberries will determine just how you will exactly take care of them. Some you can mow right down in the fall and they will come up next year. the others need to be pruned and thinned into rows for the best results.
