Commonsense Methods for Growing 

 Good Strawberry Crops 



Strawberries ore grown successfully 

 in every state in the country. They are 

 relatively easy to grow. Beginners can 

 produce fine crops by following com- 

 monsense methods. 



When Do They Bear? Standard varie- 

 ties set in March, April or early May, 

 1964, will bear their best crop in May 

 or June, 1965. Everbearing varieties set 

 in early spring produce berries in late 

 summer and fall of the same year. Fall 

 setting is not a good practice in most 

 cases. 



Fall Planting. In spite of some very 

 good results, setting plants in late Aug- 

 ust, September or early October with 

 the idea of getting a partial crop the 

 following May or June is not generally 

 a good practice. Even if good dormant 

 plants were available, results in most 

 cases do not justify the extra effort. The 

 variety most commonly used is Poca- 

 hontas. Setting the plants in late Octo- 

 ber or November to get the job done 

 when not so rushed by work as in the 

 spring or to avoid the hazards of de- 

 layed planting in spring due to bad 

 weather is rarely justified now that 

 dormant plants are available. Any ad- 

 vantages 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. 



What Kind of Soil and Location are 

 Best? Any soil that makes good yields 

 of garden or field crops will produce 

 strawberries 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 berry 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 straw- 

 berries. 4. Avoid sod land that may 



24 



harbor grub worms which cut or injure 

 your plants. Use of chlorodane or ald- 

 rin (see page 27) makes the use of sod 

 land much safer. With treatment 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 indi- 

 cates soil fertile enough to grow good 

 crops of strawberries. 7. Most impor- 

 tant of all — Select land that holds mois- 

 ture well because (a) it is naturally 

 springy, (b) it has a high water table, 

 (c) irrigation is available or (d) be- 

 cause lots of organic matter in the form 

 of animal manures or green crops has 

 been incorporated in the soil. 



Land Preparation. 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 for the strawberry 

 crop 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 

 thoroughly 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 

 preparation for a fine crop of berries. 

 Results are almost equally good if one 

 of these applications has been made 

 for the previous crop. Poultry manure 

 is better when applied to the previous 

 crop but is helpful to current crop if 



