Strawberries

How many of you have fond memories of a loved one in a garden? Perhaps you were a little tyke, following in that person's footsteps and picking everything you saw. Well I have some memories like that where I was following my grandfather in his garden. One of the things that I liked to pick was his strawberries. His were only harvested once per year. Why not twice? Well I'm about to address that today. The reason his strawberries only produced one time of year was because of the type of strawberry that he grew. You may be thinking, "Well, duh!" but hear me out on this. There are THREE types of strawberries: everbearing, June bearing, and day-neutral. Now, let's delve into each type and see what the differences and similarities are.

Everbearing strawberries

Basically, these have 2 harvests per year, once in the spring and once in the fall. Their berries may not be as large as ever bearing (which we will talk about later), but the fact that they are supposed to yield 2 harvests per year make them worth considering.

June Bearing

Basically, these have one harvest per year. You can probably guess which month it starts in...hence the name June bearing.

Day Neutral

These are the strawberries that I am least familiar with. They have 3 harvests per year. One caveat: my first strawberry was Albion, which is considered to be day neutral, but I didn't see that. It behaved as an everbearing strawberry. This might be due to my zone, but it was not a big deal as we did get a large crop from them.

Selecting the best strawberries

First, you want to select cultivars that grow well in your area. Your local nursery and local growers are a good starting point, but you can also check your local extension service. If possible, you might want to sample different berries to see what you like. My Albions were a gift and while I was happy to get them, they are not, in my opinion, the best tasting berry. We lost that crop after 3 years. When they died we replaced them with Ozark Beauty, which is an everbearing strawberry, and it was like, "What happened to my strawberries? These are delicious!"

You also want to select disease-resistant varieties. That does not mean you won't get a disease, it just means, genetically speaking, that your berries are less likely to get the disease.

Finally, you'll need to decide if you want daughter plants or not. Most strawberries do produce runners, but the rate of production varies, and some do not produce runners at all. With my main strawberries (All Star and Ozark Beauty), I do want runners and that is why I chose them. Some sources say that day neutral strawberries do not produce runners, but my Albion strawberries did, they were just at a much slower pace. More on that in a separate post.

Now you have to choose how you want to start your plants. Strawberries can be started from seed, bare roots or live plants (also called starts). I'll be honest, I have not started mine from seed, but I'm willing to try. I have had the most success with live plants, but don't rule out bare root strawberries. Last year I purchased All Star strawberry roots at Walmart. All but one died...and that one lived and put out 20 runners (more on that later).

When you get your plants or roots, you'll need to wash them to prevent anthracinose. Keeping dirt and debris off the leaves will also help. My main strawberries are in beds, however they can be grown in pots or a hydroponic system. I plan on experimenting with these at a later date. When I planted them, I did not use compost that time as the compost was a bit wet. Strawberries do not like wet feet, too much heat (above 85° F) or cold (below 28°F if they have blossoms or 30° F with no blossoms). However you can and should if possible. If not, worm castings work well. I put it under the plant. Make sure to spread the roots out and then cover with soil, but again be careful that you don't cover the crown. Next I add mulch to help control weeds and amend the soil. I water mine as needed and fertilize every couple of weeks in spring and summer.

Do keep those temperatures in mind. However, remember there are things you can do to keep your plants warm in winter and cool in the summer. I use row covers or even old sheets or empty flower pots (turned upside down) in winter and shade cloth (more on this in a separate post) in summer.

I know it's a lot but if you have any questions, feel free to comment, or check with your county extension service. I'll try and post a link from another grower so you can actually see how to plant strawberry plants. Her method may vary a little bit from mine but it does work. Good luck and happy gardening!

Growfully with Jenna-Planting Strawberries

Sweet Taters, Anyone?

Ok so most of you know it's actually sweet potatoes. But did you know that the sweet potato is actually not related to a potato at all? Potatoes are in the nightshade family. That's the same family as tomatoes and peppers. Sweet potatoes are in the Convolvulaceae family. That's the same family as four o'clocks and morning glories. Now you may find yourself asking, "What does this mean?" What it means is that while there are some similarities between growing say, Yukon Gold potatoes and sweet potatoes, there are some noteworthy differences. Potatoes are a cool season crop, while sweet potatoes are actually grown in warmer seasons as they are actually a TROPICAL plant. Yes, you read that right. They are heat loving plants from South America.

How to Choose the Perfect Sweet Potato

You want to select a cultivar that grows well in your area. I look for cultivars that are known to grow well in my area and resistant to splitting. Your county extension service is a good place to start. You can also find experienced growers in your area. My personal favorite is Beauregard, but I know of a farm north of me that grows purple sweet potatoes.

You can grow sweet potatoes purchased from the produce department in the grocery store, with a couple of caveats. One, it might have been treated with chemicals to keep it from sprouting, and I'd be wary of that. Two, it might have been imported, so that cultivar might not grow in your area.

Can you grow them from whole potatoes or from slips? Yes...and yes. It's really a matter of preference. I have grown them from slips and from whole tubers. And yes I have saved some for seed potatoes. I take a jar of water, four toothpicks and a potato. Stick the four toothpicks around the potato and insert the pointy end in the jar and wait. I'd change the water every week to ensure that it doesn't get moldy. Watch for root development...it will take some time but be patient. Now if you're buying your slips or starts from a seller, these are usually available for sale in the spring. They can go directly in the ground. Just be sure that the roots are spread out and the pointy end is down. I usually plant mine a couple of inches deep when the vines are starting to form. When I do, I give them a little compost, cover them up (be sure to leave at least 2 inches above ground), and mulch. Water them as needed. If I do it this way I don't have as much weeding and fertilizing to do, but do some deep watering as needed during the summer months. When the tips start turning yellow, it's time to harvest. I prefer to use my pitchfork for this as it does less damage than a shovel would.

Once you harvest them, you'll need to let them cure...that means don't wash them. Spread them out so that they can get some air. Once the foliage withers you can remove that and compost it. In four to six weeks you'll be able to cook them. That being said, they're great pollinators too, if you don't like to eat them, but as for me and my family, I use a recipe that was handed down by a family that owned a restaurant for years...and that's where a lot of my sweet potatoes end up. I wish you a Happy Holiday Season, and happy gardening!