Common Sense Methods 
for 
Growing Good Strawberry Crops 
Experience, though valuable, is not necessary. 
Common sense methods enable even the beginner 
to grow strawberries successfully. 
Climate 
All forty-eight states of this country as well 
as Canada and Alaska on the north and several 
countries farther south produce strawberries 
successfully. In the far South, berries ripen 
and are shipped during the winter. Far north 
they bear in midsummer, the greater bulk of the 
crop from the temperate regions coming in dur- 
ing April, May and June. With varieties adapted 
to these different sections, no one need hesitate 
to plant strawberries because of climatic con- 
ditions. 
Soil and Site 
Any mood garden soil can be expected to pro- 
duce satisfactory crops of strawberries. 
The ideal soil for strawberries is a fertile, 
deep, well-drained sandy loam. They are grown 
successfully on lighter sandy soils as well as on 
heavy clay. All of the soil types are made more 
suitable by adding organic matter, whether in 
the form of stable manure or green manure 
crops. Adequate moisture is very essential. 
Organic matter added to any soil types increases 
the water-holding capacity. Some soils are nat- 
urally springy, others may have plenty of mois- 
ture by reason of a low elevation. 
In regions where late frosts are frequent, a 
slight slope is desirable to give good air drainage. 
A southern slope, being warmer, will start 
growth quicker and bring the crop into bearing 
earlier, but for that very reason is more subject 
to late frosts. A northern slope, on the con- 
trary, will be later, but less likely to be injured 
by late frosts. On sites where erosion starts 
quickly, the rows should be planted .with the 
contour of the slope rather than up and down. 
In regions where late frosts are not usually a 
serious factor, many fields of low elevation make 
ideal strawberry sites. This is especially true 
of the Coastal Plains section where the soil is 
largely of the sandy loam type and by reason of 
the low elevation has a water table fairly close 
to the surface. In these areas open ditches 
properly managed usually give satisfactory 
drainage. 
If land that has been used for hoed crops is 
selected, it will simplify the problem of keeping 
weeds and grass out of the strawberry patch. . 
Although several successive crops of straw- 
berries are sometimes grown on the same land 
successfully, it is not considered good practice 
and the site should be changed every few years 
if possible. 
Sod land should be avoided if possible, as the 
white grubs winter over in such land and cut off 
the young plants soon after they are set the 
following spring. If you have no other land 
available, plow it in the fall, harrow it during the 
winter and early spring as often as you can, and 
many of the grubs will be killed out. 
Preparing the Land 
As with other crops, a loose friable soil in a 
good state of tilth is desirable for strawberries. 
In fact, on land that is moderately fertile a good 
mechanical condition of the soil may be just as 
important as an extra application of manure or 
fertilizer. 
The roots of strawberry plants rarely pene- 
trate further than one foot into the soil. It has 
been found that 90% were in the top six inches 
of soil with 73% of the roots in the top three 
inches. This emphasizes the importance of hav- 
ing these few inches of top soil in as good con- 
dition as possible for best results. 
The matter of drainage, moisture-holding ca- 
pacity and fertility are the important factors to 
consider if the location of planting strawberries 
has not been selected in advance. If selected the 
previous year, a green manure crop can be 
plowed under in the summer and an early win- 
ter cover crop such as rye planted and plowed 
in early spring. Stable manure applied to the 
previous crop is still good for strawberries, 
although it can be applied to advantage in the 
winter or spring before planting. The land 
selected should be plowed in early spring. If 
stable manure is to be used it should be spread 
broadcast on the land just after it is plowed. If 
the land used is fairly heavy clay which would 
make it difficult to get the manure disced in 
thoroughly, it may be better to plow it under. 
Then the land, either with or without the ma- 
nure, should be disced thoroughly and harrowed 
to level it so that a nice, soft, even planting bed 
is available. 
Green Manures 
As an aid in preparing the land for straw- 
berries, green manures are about as satisfactory 
as applications of stable manure, although pos- 
sibly results are not as quick. Clover, beans, 
peas, lespedeza and other legumes are fine. Oats, 
wheat, rye, millet are also good. Legumes are 
preferred if a heavy crop can be grown. How- 
ever, the nitrogen creating advantages of le- 
gumes may be offset by the heavy growth pos- 
sible with non-legumes under some conditions. 
A heavy growth of ordinary field corn sowed 
broadcast and plowed under green when the 
growth was from three to five feet in height 
has given fine results in a few cases and is worth 
considering. Rank growth of weeds and grass if 
plowed under green are also valuable in adding 
humus and retaining moisture. Weeds and grass 
should not be allowed to go to seed, especially 
if a hoed crop like strawberries is to follow. 
Soil preparation for strawberry plants starts so 
early in the spring that winter cover crops 
should be selected which make a large amount of 
growth in the fall and if possible have a fairly 
large root growth. For this purpose we have 
found nothing better than rye planted early. 
We have used rye to precede strawberries more 
than any other green manure crop. It has been 
found desirable, where large fields are planted, 
to disc the rye sod before plowing in order to 
get the ground in finer condition for the straw- 
berry plants. 
Time to Set Plants 
EARLY SPRING IS THE LOGICAL, 
NATURAL, AND MOST SUCCESS- 
FUL TIME TO SET STRAWBERRY 
PLANTS. DON'T NEGLECT SET- 
TING SOME PLANTS THIS SPRING, 
1937, IF YOU WANT A CROP IN 
SPRING OR EARLY SUMMER, 1938. 
FALL (1937) PLANTING (EVEN IF 
PLANTS LIVE) WILL MEAN LITTLE 
OR NO CROP UNTIL EARLY SUM- 
MER, 1939. 
EVERBEARING VARIETIES, EVEN 
MORE THAN OTHERS, SHOULD BE 
SET EARLY IN THE SPRING BE- 
CAUSE THEY BEAR THEIR BEST 
CROP IN THE SUMMER AND FALL 
OF THE SAME YEAR AND NEED 
THE BEST POSSIBLE START, 
