24 



Commonsense Methods for Growing 

 Good Strawberry Crops 



Strawberries are grown successfully in 

 every State in the Country. They are rela- 

 tively easy to grow. Beginners can pro- 

 duce fine crops by following common 

 sense methods. 



WHEN DO THEY BEAR? Standard va- 

 rieties set in March, April or early May 

 1956 will bear their best crop in May or 

 June 1957. Everbearing varieties set in 

 early spring produce berries in late sum- 

 mer and fall of the same year. Fall setting 

 is not a good practice in most cases. 



FALL PLANTING 



Setting plants in late August, Septem- 

 ber or early October with the idea of get- 

 ting a partial crop the following May or 

 June is not a good practice. Results in 

 most cases do not justify the extra effort, 

 even if good plants were available, which 

 they usually are not. 



Setting the plants in late October or No- 

 vember to get the job done when not so 

 rushed by work as in spring or to avoid 

 the hazards of delayed planting in spring, 

 due to bad weather, frequently is justi- 

 fied. These advantages should be weighed 

 against the time and trouble of mulching 

 through two winters instead of one, and 

 more work in controlling weeds and 

 grass. Usually a part of the fall set plants 

 fail to survive the winter, but those that 

 do survive start earlier and grow better 

 than spring set plants. 



With good early dug dormant plants 

 available for spring planting we think 

 fall setting is very rarely justified except 

 in Florida or other sections far South. Re- 

 cent work with the Pocahontas variety in 

 the Norfolk, Va. area may provide another 

 exception. (See page 18.) 



WHAT KIND OF SOIL AND 

 LOCATION ARE BEST? 



Any soil that makes good yields of gar- 

 den or field crops will produce straw- 

 berries in abundance, whether that soil is 

 a light sandy loam or a heavy clay. Here 

 are some pointers. 1 — In rolling country 

 a sloping field gives better air drainage 

 and less injurious frosts. 2 — Run the ber- 

 ry rows across a steeply sloping field 

 rather than up and down to help prevent 



erosion. 3 — Follow a hoed crop to make 

 less weeds and grass to contend with in 

 the strawberries. 4 — Avoid sod land that 

 may harbor grub worms which cut or in- 

 jure your plants. Use of chlorodane (see 

 page 27) makes the use of sod land much 

 safer. With chlorodane we would prefer 

 good sod land to poor cultivated land. 

 5 — Change the place of the strawberry bed 

 every few years. It will help keep up the 

 vigor and growth and reduce the danger 

 of a build up of disease and insect trouble. 

 6 — A rank growth of weeds and grass on 

 a vacant lot, garden plot or unused field 

 indicates soil fertile enough to grow good 

 crops of strawberries. 7 — Most important 

 of all, select land that holds moisture well 

 because (a) it is naturally springy, (b) it 

 has a high water table, (c) irrigation is 

 available or (d) because lots of organic 

 matter in the form of animal manures or 

 green crops has been incorporated in the 

 soil. 



HOW SHOULD I PREPARE THE LAND? 



In late winter or very early spring the 

 land should be plowed or (in small plots) 

 spaded to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Then 

 with harrow or rake it should be leveled 

 off to form a smooth friable planting bed. 



Here are some things which are not 

 necessary, but which are very helpful in 

 getting bigger, better crops of berries: 



1. Plowing under in late summer a 

 heavy growth of green crops such as 

 peas, beans, clover, sowed corn, weeds, 

 grass, etc. All these rot quickly and are 

 much more valuable if plowed under 

 while still green. 



2. Early fall sowing of rye or wheat to 

 give a heavy sod to be plowed under in 

 late winter or very early spring. This will 

 be easier to handle if disced up thor- 

 oughly before plowing. 



3. Applications of horse, cow, hog or 

 sheep manure at the rate of 5 to 20 tons 

 per acre. This is the best of all prepara- 

 tion for a fine crop of berries. Results 

 are almost equally good if one of these 

 applications has been made for the pre- 

 vious crop. Poultry manure is better 

 when applied to the previous crop but is 

 helpful to current crop if full of litter and 



