Common Sense Methods 

 Growing Good Strawberry Crops 



Experience, tliousli valuable, is not necessary. 

 Common sense methods enable even the beginner 

 to gro^v stra^vberries successfully. 



Climate 



All forty-eig-ht states of this country as w'ell as 

 Canada and Alaska on the north and several 

 countries farther south produce straw^berries suc- 

 cessfully. In the far South, berries ripen and are 

 shipped during- the winter. Far north they bear 

 in midsummer. The g-reater bulk of the crop 

 comes in during- April, May and June from the 

 temperate regions. "^"ith varieties adapted to 

 these different sections, no one need hesitate to 

 Iilant strawberries because of climatic conditions. 



Soil and Site 



Any g-ood garden soil can be expected to pro- 

 duce satisfactory crops of stra^vberries. 



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. Ail 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 

 naturally springy, others may have plenty of 

 moisture by reason of a low elevation and high 

 water table. 



In regions where late frosts are frecntent, a 

 slight slope is desirable to give good air drain- 

 age. A southern slope, being warmer, will start 

 groT\'th quicker and bring the crop into bear- 

 ing earlier, but for that very reason is more sub- 

 ject to late frosts. A northern slope, on the 

 contrary, will be later, but less likely to be in- 

 jitred by late frosts. On sites where erosion 

 starts quickly, the row^s should be planted with 

 the contour of the slope rather than up and 

 do"wn. 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 lo-n' elevatioti 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 stra-\v- 

 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. 



Selection of a site on a North slope together 

 with adequate mulching may delay ripening as 

 much as a -week or more. Berries coming on 

 after the bulk of the crop has been harvested 

 might bring much better prices. 



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^fchre roots in the top three 



inches. This emphasizes the importance of 

 having these few inches of top soil in as good 

 condition as possible for best results. 



The matter of drainage, moisture-holding ca- 

 pacity and fertility are the important factors to 

 consider. If selected the previous year, a green 

 manure crop can be plowed under in the sum- 

 mer and an early "U'inter 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 plant- 

 ing. 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 plo-^^ 

 it under. Then the land, either with or without 

 the manure, should be disced thoroughly and 

 harrowed to level it so that a nice, soft, even 

 planting bed is available. 



Green Manure Crops Help 



"TVe have never found a way to secure high 

 yields of strawberries unless the soil is well 

 filled with organic matter." So says Mr. R. A. 

 Van Meter of the ^Massachusetts Experiment Sta- 

 tion. We agree with that. ]Many green manure 

 crops are available to help build up the organic 

 matter. For summer crops peas, beans, some 

 clovers, lespedeza, sowed field corn, or a rank 

 growth of weeds and grass may be used. For 

 winter crops, rye, wheat, oats, etc., are good. 

 The legumes are best if you can get a heavy 

 crop, ^"e like best for this latitude, cow peas 

 for summer, rye for winter. We recommend for 

 you the crop that will make the heaviest growth. 

 All of them should be turned under when they 

 have the greatest amount of green growth and 

 before maturing seed. Green growth rots 

 quickly and the absence of seed makes cultiva- 

 tion simpler for the crop following. 



Soil preparation for strawberries should start 

 so very early in the spring that a winter cover 

 crop like rye should be selected. Rye makes lots 

 of root and some top growth in fall and winter. 

 It can be disced and plowed early to g-et the soil 

 in fine condition for early setting:. 



Set Plants in Spring 

 — Early 



Early spring is the logical, nat- 

 ural, and most successful time 

 to set straivberry plants. Don't 

 neglect setting some plants this 

 spring, 1941, if you want a crop 

 in spring or early summer, 1942. 

 Fall planting (eyen if plants lire) 

 will mean little or no crop until 

 the season of 1943. 



Eyerhearing yarieties, eyen more 

 than others, should be set early 

 in the spring because they bear 

 their best crop in the summer and 

 fall of the same year and need 

 the best possible start. 



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