Common Sense Methods 
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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 ancl Alaska on the north and several 
countries farther south produce strawberries suc¬ 
cessfully. In the far South, berries ripen and are 
shipped'during the winter. Far north they bear 
in midsummer. The greater bulk of the crop 
comes in during April, May and June from the 
temperate regions. With varieties adapted to 
these different sections, no one need hesitate to 
plant strawberries because of climatic conditions. 
Soil and Site 
Any good garden soil can he expected to px*o- 
duee 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 
naturally springy, others may have plenty of 
moisture by reason of a low elevation and high 
water table. 
In regions where late frosts are frequent, a 
slight slope is desirable to give good air drain¬ 
age. A southern slope, being warmer, will start 
growth 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¬ 
jured 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 ^ood practice 
and the site should be changed eve ! ry 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 the 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 winter 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 plow 
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 
“We have never found a way to secure high 
yields c*f 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. We 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 get 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 strawberry plants. Don’t 
neglect setting some plants this 
spring, 1941, if you want a crop 
in spring or early summer, 1942. 
Fall planting (even if plants live) 
will mean little or no crop until 
the season of 1943. 
Everbearing varieties, even 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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