Commonsense Me 

 Good Straw 



Strawberries are grown successfully 

 in every State in the Country. They 

 are relatively easy to grow. Beginners 

 can produce fine crops by following 

 common sense methods. 



WHEN DO THEY BEAR? Standard va- 

 rieties set in March, April or early May 

 1963 will bear their best crop in May or 

 June 1964. Everbearing varieties set in 

 early spring produce berries in late sum- 

 mer and fall of the same year. Fall set- 

 ting is not a good practice in most cases. 



FALL PLANTING 



In spite of some very good results 

 setting plants in late August, September 

 or early October with the idea of getting 

 a partial crop the following May or June 

 is not generally a good practice. Results 

 in most cases do not justify the extra 

 effort, even if good plants were availa- 

 ble and they usually are not. However, 

 August and September planting is in- 

 creasing in the Norfolk, Va. area, as 

 well as the Eastern Shores of Virginia 

 and Maryland and southern Delaware. 

 Mostly the Pocahontas variety is used 

 with some Dixieland. 



Setting the plants in late October or 

 November to get the job done when not 

 so rushed by work as in the spring or to 

 avoid the hazards of delayed planting in 

 spring due to bad weather is rarely jus- 

 tified now that dormant plants are availa- 

 ble. Any 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 ex- 

 cept in Florida or other sections far 

 south. Recent results with the Pocahon- 

 tas variety in southern Delaware, east- 

 ern Maryland and Virginia may provide 

 another exception. 



WHAT KIND OF SOIL AND 

 LOCATION ARE BEST? 



Any soil that makes good yields of 

 garden or field crops will produce straw- 

 24 



thods for Growing 

 berry Crops 



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 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 strawber- 

 ries. 4 — Avoid sod land that may har- 

 bor grub worms which cut or injure 

 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 in- 

 sect 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 na- 

 turally 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. 

 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 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 prepara- 

 tion for a fine crop of berries. Results are 



