Strawberries In Your Backyard Garden:

Nothing tastes better (in my opinion) than sweet and warm strawberry shortcake with fresh whipped cream on top. My stomach is grumbling just thinking about it! Even better than having a tasty dessert at a restaurant is possessing the ability to create it anytime you want from the bounty just outside your door. Growing strawberries in your backyard is easily accomplished and can be extremely rewarding for years and years to come.

It is best to pick out strawberry varieties that grow well in your geographical location, so checking at your local garden store and picking the brains of the experts working there is advised. Looking at the starts they have on display, it is essential to choose plants with healthy leaves and root systems. After carefully choosing your plants, it is time to take them home and prepare your beds for planting. It is necessary to find a nice spot on your lawn for the strawberry plants to call home. Strawberries require full sun and excellent drainage. A spot with a nice slope is recommended for better drainage and because a flat planting field can make it easier for frost to roost in early spring, which would be very bad for your crop. It is best to plant your strawberries in early spring so this is when you should begin preparing your proposed strawberry bed for planting. Tending and maintaining your crops will be much easier if they are in a raised bed. Work your soil with a shovel, hoe, tiller, or other tools in order to aerate and spread nutrients throughout. Organic compost has been shown to promote growth and prevent against disease so working organic compost into the soil at this time is advised as well as raking your bed into a raised mound for easy tending. After raking your worked, nutrient-rich soil into mounds, you will need to level the tops of them to prepare for your planting. It is best to plant your strawberry starts about four inches apart in order to allow adequate room for their spreading growth. Also allow for a foot between rows to give yourself plenty room for plant maintenance. Plant the plants with the crown (part from which leaves develop) at the soil's surface. Pat down the soil over the roots of each plant and then make sure to water amply, pulling the hose from your garden hose reel near so as to not use too much force from the spray. Your strawberries need to receive about one to one and a half inches of water a week in order to grow successfully. As soon as the flowers begin to appear, you should pinch them off, promoting quicker growth and earlier formation of runner plants. Patience will be needed as your first harvest will most probably take a year. Oh won't you be excited, however, when your first crop is harvested? I bet your mouth is watering just thinking about it!