I don't know if you're like us, but things don't always work out the way we planned. Try as we may, our best laid plans often go awry. One example is strawberries. It's always a nice thought to be able to pick bowls of strawberries to snack on or two blend up in a breakfast smoothie. More times than not, though, if we want to do that, we have to buy the strawberries. What a shame, too! I had read that strawberries is one of the fruits that have the most chemicals sprayed on them.
In years prior, as the berries were ripening and almost ready for picking, and then the next morning we go out to pick them and slugs will have eaten big holes in them. To combat that, a lady in our church saved egg shells all year long for us, crushing them into tiny flakes that you sprinkle around the strawberries as a slug deterrent. It worked! But our berries just didn't produce. Last year on our 7 strawberry plants, I think we harvested a total of 7 strawberries. Not good.
But we don't give up easily. We ordered some bare root strawberries again and planted them in the back of the garden. When the bare root strawberries come in the mail, you simply soak the roots for an hour and then you are ready to plant them.
This year we're planting them in the very back of the garden near the sugarcane. When you plant, you want to bury all the roots, but leave the leaves and crown uncovered. In just a few days, you'll see fresh green growth.
This year, I'll add more compost and be more judicious in watering and mulching. I will also read more publications on success in growing strawberries and try to implement any growing tips we learn. They say the third time's a charm, but I'm not superstitious. We'll report back our successes (or failures) and what we learn from our attempts at growing strawberries.
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